TRAFFORD primary schools

[Mandy21]

Anyone have any knowledge of primary schools in hale / altrincham / timperley?

Moving to the area and wondering which are thought of as the "good" schools and which are best avoided.

Obviously looking at 11+ pass rates, but also happy pupils / extra curriculum activities / parental involvement.

Any thoughts would be great.

Thanks
Mandy21

Cloverlea has just had a brand new I.T.C suite fitted,an activity trail,and a reverse climbing wall,plus new benches!the kids are spoiled for choice.but if your child is a shy or quite little one,they also have a quiet area.this is basically a gated garden with lovely benches and shade in the summer!

I'm in the Ashton on Mersey end of Sale, schools-wise it's great, both DCs are at different schools that suit their personalities, and DS just got into A on M school, which will suit him down to the ground as he's very sporty.

Hi,

We are moving in Altrincham area from Stoke and i have been researching on Primary schools in Timperley and nearby areas from some months, as my son is due to start in Sep 2014. I don't know how to decide the best school of all ! I have Park Road Academy, Brooklands, Cloverlea, Well green, Stamford Park and Elmridge in mind. They all have Outstanding Ofsted report but i dont know which is the best among these. Any input would be realllly very helpful please.

pkas dont just look at the outstanding schools, the OFSTED '2' schools are worth looking at too. DS starts Heyes Lane Primary in September and we are chuffed to bits. We moved from the Navigation Rd area just in time for admissions and considered the following:

Well Green: We saw a house on that street and were v excited about the school as it has an excellent reputation. Two things put us off in the end (1) the house was £60k more expensive than our Timperley house and (2) the feeder secondary school for Well Green is Altrincham College of Arts - not a bad school but not a patch on Wellington Comprehensive which is in nearby Alti/Timperley

Stamford Primary: That is actually OFSTED 2 because it had notice to improve a few years ago because of safeguarding issues (something about them not keeping their CRB checks up to date). It is either the Junior or infant school that is Ofsted 1 (cant quite remember and the website is down). But that did put me off.

Park Road Academy: My friend's DCs go there and they love it. The catchment is small though - look on Trafford website for the catchment areas.

Elmridge: Another friends DCs go there and speak highly of it. Again watch out for the feeder schools as that will be Alti College of Arts rather than the comp.

We went for Heyes Lane OFSTED 2 catchment as we had good recommendations. They do a lot of outdoorsy stuff, (adopting farm animals, visits to the local allotment) as well as having a good academic record. That area of Timperley have a good community spirit too. And the properties are cheaper than Hale!

We used to live in catchment for Navigation Rd Primary OFSTED 2 - we visited the school and absolutely loved it. The building is new, they have introduced a new bulge class, the nursery and reception classes are lovely as are the teachers and TAs. We would have been happy to stay in that catchment if we hadnt found our house in HL catchment.

Finally consider Bollin Primary - that is OFSTED 1 and very highly regarded. It is the same catchment area as Stamford and we would have put Bollin down as 1st choice if we lived near. It is in Bowdon which is the nicest part of Altrincham/Hale IMO

Good luck!

Oh yes and The Willows has a fantastic reputation - i know a few people who have sent DCs there (timperley - OFSTED 2)

Honestly dont just look at the OFSTED reports - a school isnt bad if it is less than a 1 grade

Just a word of warning - all the schools in the local area are massively over subscribed - my neighbour hasn't been offered any of her 3 choice schools in Hale / Bowdon despite being well within the catchment area for the Bollin and Stamford Park. Its been a recurring problem for quite a few years but this year is particularly bad. Next year might well be worse.

Look very carefully at the catchments of any schools you like and if at all possible, buy a house as close as you can. You must also visit the schools - I agree that an OFSTED rating is useful as a guide but it doesn't give you an idea of the school at all. Try to come up to the area, talk to the mum in front of you in the queue at the cafe, go to church one Sunday and speak to the parents at Sunday school etc. If you visit the school, see if the Head / teacher that shows you round knows the names of the children etc. There is definitely a "reputation" for the schools - whether that be "very academic", "great pastoral care" etc - and only you will know whether that suits your child/children!

Good luck - its a great area to live in

HI ALL,

I am new in this area. I want to know which is the best primary school in Timperley. Is it ST HUGHES or PARK ROAD ACADEMY? According to Ofsted ST HUGHES is outstanding and number 2 position in this area but Park ROAD is only outstanding. But I donot know about the 11+ result of this two school. Please let me know.Thanks in advance.

Fascinated by the question which is best school in Timperley? All are good but it is purely about what suits your child. Heyes Lane, where my son attends, is fantastic. Lovely staff, great ethos and they are so well cared for. I personally love it as do many of my friends children who attend.

Hi, could someone guide me in choosing between Well Green and Elmridge? How are they different from.each other? Any insight will be extreamly helpful