Westbourne primary school

[Taks]

Hi,

I am very new to mumsnet and need some urgent advice. My family are looking to relocate from Merton to Sutton. I have come across a couple of properties I that I like on Collingwood road / Oldfields road. Having researched / driven around the area it appears to be friendly neighbourhood. Does anyone have any first hand experience of this location?

Also we are looking to purchase a property soon however as I am very new to the area I am slightly confused about the schools. My son will be starting primary school soon. The closest school to the property we like is Westbourne primary . Does anyone have experience of this school? I have come across reviews which both criticise the school for being overly academic and others which suggest that the school doesn't focus hugely on studies e.g. The homes work is only 5% of that given in other schools? though the results of the school are impressive.

As one of the main reasons for my relocation are the good state school and then the grammar schools offered in Sutton I would be very grateful for any recommendations anyone could make about this school or any others in Sutton. I am open to most areas as long as it's a safe / family friendly neighbourhood, not overly pricey and close to a good state school. I would be grateful for any assistance anyone could provide.

Thank you in advance.
Regards
Taks

Do you really need to move - lots of children from Merton go to Sutton schools including the grammars (one of mine being amongst them)?

Thanks gazzalw. Unfortunately the primary school closest to where We currently live (and most probably where my son will be placed) has been underperforming for sometime. So we are just trying to be proactive and have decided that moving to Sutton would be the best option.

Any help with schools would be much appreciated.

Hi Taks, same here we are also trying to move into Sutton school district. I don't know much about Westbourne but we are looking at Manor Park which I have heard good things about. Also we are looking at Cheam area as there are nice schools there- Cheam Fields Primary is my favourite as I know the school and area well. Also Cheam Park Farm gets good reviews.

Hi, I'm late seeing this thread but I literally live a stones throw from the properties you have looked at. My boys actually go to Abbey Primary which is just off Glastonbury Road, its been a really good primary school for us. Although Westbourne is our nearest school, when we moved older boy had already started nursery at Abbey and had been offered a school place so we decided to keep him at Abbey. Westbourne is known as a very good school though, but be aware that it is very oversubscribed and that other schools in Sutton are also very good. When it comes to secondary schools, we are in the process of applying for older boy and tbh we are a bit spoilt for choice which doesn't help. Hope this hel;s.

Thank you green eyed happy and octopus37. We have been to see Westbourne recently and though very impressed by the facilities the fact that children didn't get any homework till yr3 and after which its very little did slightly worry us as we feel its important for children to have something to take home and be prepared for the extra homework they will get at secondary school. But then the yr6 SAT results are brilliant at Westbourne. The size of the school is also impressive but we were a bit weary as to whether our son would feel a bit lost amongst the huge crowd.
In addition Westbourne does not prepare for grammar entrance which is something I would have liked - are you aware of any primary that feed into grammars or manage to get a large proportionate of their students into these?
The property we like falls within catchment areas of both Westbourne and Cheam Fields Park which I hear is equally as good. I am visiting Cheam Fields in a couple of weeks and will hopefully feel more comfortable about relocating to the area.
It would also be helpful to know if anyone has any insight into Glenthorne or Overton as they the closest secondaries for my son incase grammar schools are not an option st the time.

Thank you in advance

No schools 'feed into' local grammar schools. The grammar schools are massively oversubscribed (an understatement, actually) and have applicants from as far away as Hertfordshire. They can afford to take the top students, not just those who go to a certain primary school. The number of children who get places at grammar schools are likely to differ from year to year but to be honest many (not all, but many) children who take the 11+ have tutoring or work with a parent to prepare them specifically for the tests.

Thank you NambiBambi. That's helpful to know. Perhaps not getting enough homework at Westbourne is then a good thing as I can instead use the time to prepare for grammar schools 🙂.

I have just filled in DS1's high school application and put Overton Grange as my third choice. I have been to the open evenings both years and like it. Our first and second choices just had the edge over Overton, but if we got Overton I would be happy. Personally I didn't like Glenthorne as I feel that they really push academia at the expense of pastoral care, That said, I know some kids who are doing really well there so it depends on the child and what you are looking for.

Thank you Octopus37, very helpful. If you don't mind sharing what were your first and second choices?

I think lack of homework at primary is good - we've just successfully prepared our DD for the 11+ (DIY) and she worked with us at home for around 30 minutes a night for most of year 5, including holidays etc. It does eat into family time, and if she hadn't had school homework to complete it would have made life easier.

IME local primary schools don't promote, support or prepare for the 11+ - and in fact we were given incorrect information about the format of the exam by DD's class teacher when I asked about whether she was bright enough to get in. Good job Mumsnet knows its stuff :o

We are not considering Overton for secondary, as it wouldn't suit DD - but it's the first choice of one of her best friends. DD likes Glenthorne and it will be on our list but travel means it'll be down near the bottom!