Balgowan primary - Beckenham

[waxweasel]

This is a bit of a long shot, but wondering whether anyone might have some info.

I'm about to move to Beckenham with DH and our nearly 2yo DD. Really love the area, and am so excited about moving :) We're aiming to move into the Balgowan catchment. We're also looking around Alexandra infants and Marian Vian, but Balgowan is our top choice as it also works well for us in terms of commuter transport links etc.

We've seen two houses we absolutely loved. Looking at the admissions stats for the last few years, one of the houses would have been reliably in the catchment each year, the other would have just missed out in 2013. I know you can never be 100% sure of what will happen and can't rely on past years as a firm indication, but we really don't want to relocate and risk not being in the catchment - especially as we're in the catchment of a really excellent school where we are now.

I can see that 2013 was a ridiculously tight year, and that they added an extra class in 2014 so the catchment area dramatically broadened that year, with 120 places. In 2015 it's 90 places. So my questions are...

1), is 90 places (3 classes) the normal number of classes for the reception year in Balgowan?
2) does anyone know what is being planned for future years? Are they planning to add another class like they did in 2014?
3) does anyone know where kids generally go who miss out on Balgowan? I honestly can't see where they'd go, as the next nearest schools (ie Marian Vian, Alexandra infants, Churchfields) also have tiny catchments which they wouldn't be close enough to get into.

Sorry for the lengthy post...anything you might be able to tell me would be brilliant. Thanks in advance!

I am not an expert as I am slightly out of that area, but I think it may have been a bulge class www.balgowan.bromley.sch.uk/news/bulge-class-update/. That can then create problems for years after if it reverts back to smaller intake as siblings of the bulge year classes make the catchment even smaller...

Yes, 90 places is the norm for Balgowan and I would be surprised if they had another bulge class any time soon. I hope you get the house you want. It's a lovely school and surrounding area. Everyone is very friendly and there is a real community feel to the area surrounding Balgowan. I would make sure you were within at least 0.20 of a mile of the school if it is important to you to get a place there. My son is in the bulge class year and there are a lot of siblings who will need a place in 2016 but the following year may not be so affected by siblings. Impossible to know unfortunately.

I suppose it depends which edge of the catchment you're on for what school you would be offered if you didn't get Balgowan but I suppose it would be either Marian Vian or Churchfields. Churchfields is the less popular of the two so would probably be more likely to have spaces.

Hope this helps and good luck with the house hunting!

Hi, I have had two children who attended Balgowan and then the local secondary schools. Balgowan is great but in a black-spot for the Langley schools on the other side of Beckenham, so you will need to move again in under six years (if they are still the schools of choice). Check out Unicorn School, Highfield, Hawes Down, Claire House, Oak Lodge, Pickhurst and other local primary schools to see if you can find a house that falls into both primary and secondary catchments to save on upheaval (Yr5 applications comes round very quickly).

Also are you aware that a new Primary school is in planning - Langley Primary. It got rejected at first proposal but will probably be back on the cards in a few years time. It will be a feeder school for LPBS and LPGS.

Thanks all! Really appreciate the advice. It is a bit annoying how little overlap there is between primary and secondary catchments in Beckenham...we did think about trying around Unicorn for just that reason, but didn't like the gated development that seemed to make up the majority of the area.
We've now found a lovely house we're really happy with, about 0.18 miles from Balgowan...so still no guarantees but hopefully we'll get in when the time comes.

Does anyone know what the catchment for Balgowan is now? worried parent of a 2016 entry DC1 - practically on the doorstep but REALLY worried about the effect of the bulge class.

It's all in the Bromley starting primary booklet 2014: 0.88
2013: 0.18 2012: 0.30. 2013 looks like a tough year! It came out further in 2014 due to they bulge class.

I should also add that information doesn't help for 2016 of course! Good luck.

PettsWoodMum you are right - the catchments around that whole area are very tight. We hear there are roads where children are being sent to a number of different schools across the borough because there are no natural homes for them with catchments being so tight. What's interesting is that this anecdotal experience is at odds with the Bromley Council info that a record number of applicants have received their first or second choices this year (We've posted the link to this article in the primary schools admission thread). However, that could just be in that particular part of the borough. We'd be interested to hear how people have fared in other areas.

What's the secondary's that balagowen feeds to ...isn't it Harris - I thought that had a good reputation?

I don't know enough about Balgowan feeder but I do know the concept of a feeder school differs depending on location. In many areas there is no longer such a thing as a feeder school as it is all about catchment. When I was at school, schools had a defined area that cited a community and might be an ellipsis for example. However that was deemed unfair and so now circles are epicentre of a catchment. However in Bromley where for example you have a nest of schools in close proximity it creates blackspots for what might be nearby areas but are marginally outside the circle and also creates less popular schools as they are competing with nearby schools. Of course there are advantages of this - schools encouraged to raise their standards etc, but also disadvantage. So many people I know in Beckenham and Petts Wood move first for a good primary and then have to repeat for secondary - where is the fairness or commonsense in that? I appreciate that doesn't answer your question only opens up more questions and hope someone can come along who can provide more information.

Thanks I probably meant what secondary catchment does it fall into.
Yes I grew up in petts wood and we moved around the time of secondary! God I wish my parents had moved somewhere else then - petts wood was so boring then as a teenager ( until you start lying that your staying with friends and staying out all night in London clubs )

Sorry, failing of mine to be unclear and verbose. I think the point I was trying to make was there isn't a clear single school so many move as Balgowan is near some good schools but not maybe the best, however you choose to define that, (someone will come along better informed than me to say what) and whilst my nephew was able to stay in one location and go to both Balgowan and Langley Park that was a long time ago, many now move to guarantee getting the best as Balgowan primary catchment isn't also in the most desired catchment for secondary. I stand aside now in hope someone more knowledgeable is able to comment!

Thanks that makes sense - I only want one move and dc as an only to have a consistent set of peers ideally ( his an only due to my infertility not choice )

Thanks for that PettsWoodMum I actually meant the catchment for the 2015 intake. I'm trying to see if I can understand how much of an impact the bulge class has had for the next intake - I'm kind of hoping lots of older siblings in 2014 had enthusiastic parents who have another child starting this year!!

In terms of secondaries, Harris is definitely coming up - we can rule out any hope of Langley at all once the new primary opens.

I can't believe how much of my brain this is occupying already and she's not quite three. I'm going to be a nightmare in 14 years time during UCAS applications .

Don't worry. By the time it comes to UCAS they are no longer interested in what their parents think. Also, I think Harris will expect their secondary to be outstanding and competing with the Langley schools within the next 2-3 years, certainly within 5.

True! Although I'll probably go mad trying to get them to pay attention to me.

We're also looking a bit further afield....if Bishops Justus is still as good in seven years time I'll be very interested in it.....or win the lottery and send them to somewhere in Dulwich.

Hi
We are looking to move closer to bromley primary schools with our eyes on highfield or pickhurst. The catchment for these schools are really small and house prices too high. The only roads that look affordable are boughton avenue and eastry street just behind pickhurst school.

They are in catchment for both pickhurst and Hayes but I think the houses are ex local authorities.

Can anyone give me any advice on how these roads are?

Also anyone knows how bad churchfields really is I would love to know? The oftead and its updates are quite bad!

Most people who's children go to balgowen tend to move before they reach yr 6 as there is no secondary schools they you will get into other than Harris beckenham or Harris Bromley. There is plans for a new secondary school that has been approved to open in beckenham in 2016 called beckenham academy

I would move to an area where you are in catchment for both good primary and secondary schools. West wickham, Hayes are popular for Langley schools snd puckhurst, unicorn and high field to name a few. For Langley I would suggest living under 0.7 miles as they have a bulge class for 2015 due to shortage of secondary schools and it will only get worse with so many bulge classes throughout Bromley schools as well as the 3 new primary schools on top of that

Hello

Sorry to start up this thread again but I’m also looking at a property and considering whether it is in the Balgowan catchment area. Does anyone have the data for 2016 and 2017?
Thanks

Check the bromley website - its all in the applying for schools booklet on the proximity page.

Hi,

We’re looking to move to Beckenham/Shortlands and are trying to decide between Balgowan, Highfields and Clare House primary school.. we think we can find a house we like in any of these catchments. So it’s down to the school, really, and I cannot for the life of me decide.

I know they are all good schools but I will not be able to visit them before we move (we’ll need to place an offer and get the ball rolling before they start their open days). So I’d be very grateful for any opinions on these - facilities, teaching, curriculum, secondary destinations, extra-curricular etc. Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated!

Thank you all in advance.

Hi, which school did you end up choosing @kirans

@kiransWhat did you choose finally?