West Kent primary schools - help!

[amycrazyhorse]

Hi

I've just moved to Four Elms, near Edenbridge and looking for some advice/opinions on local primary schools. I have a 3yr old boy who is due to be starting school next Sept so will be completing application forms soon - eek!

Prior to moving in, I'd only heard positive things about Four Elms primary and liked it when I visited. However, since moving have heard of a couple of parents who have moved their children out of the school in the past because of concerns regarding quality of teaching, head teacher etc so now I'm a bit concerned...

I'm really keen to hear parents' views on Four Elms Primary as well as other local schools like Edenbridge, Crockham Hill, Hever, Chiddingstone...

Thanks so much for your help

Ps I'm new to mumsnet and this is my first post so hope I've followed all the rules ok!

I'm over in Penshurst, so don't know anything specifically about Four Elms primary. What I would say about primaries in W Kent is that a lot of them are small village schools and generally pretty good, but because they're small, the ease of getting in varies wildly from year to year, depending on sibling numbers and local birthrate. For example, I've got friends with children in my local school (Penshurst) who live in Tunbridge Wells and got in no problem in their year; by contrast, two years ago there were only two admissions from outside the parish (and one of those was an appeal). The schools are likely to have a pretty good idea of how over or under subscribed they are, as they'll know how many siblings they're expecting. Might be a good idea to just phone and try to have an honest chat with the head about your chances, as you don't want to put down a school you've got no chance of getting into this year. As for specific reputations, I know that Chiddingstone is very highly regarded, but don't know about the others you mention. Good luck!