MOVING TO SANDERSTEAD CROYDON, ADVICE ON PRIMARY SCHOOLS!

[faiza123]

I would really appreciate some advice on schools in Sanderstead. I am planning on moving to the area and I know of Atwood, Gresham and Ridgeway as good schools but I was hoping to get some advice from parents whose children already go there and what they think of the schools?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

I went to school in Selsdon, to Seldon Primary, a long time ago & it was a great school. Not much help, I know, but I was just so excited to see Sanderstead mentioned on MN!

All 3 are still considered good schools - afraid that I wouldn't say the same of Selsdon but it does have the bonus of being a Riddlesdown feeder.

How old are your children? And what appeals to them and you?

The 3 schools have very different characters - it is worth checking out the position on vacancies and waiting lists, and then visiting the 3 schools - they each have a very different feel and you will probably be able to work out your preference very quickly.

Depending on the age of your eldest you may wish to think about secondary options first and work backwards.

Thanks Ladymuck,

I have visited Atwood and liked it very much. BUT the head is leaving now and they are to appoint a new one in Sept/Jan...so that could be worrying. Am planning on visiting Ridgeway next week.

Funnily enough my son is only 2 and a half (and am 2 weeks of my due date for number 2!) but we are planning on making a long term move and (hopefully) not moving again!

Really want a school that will stretch him academically and offer lots of fun extracurricular things too.

I want him to go to a grammer school (hoping he gets in) in Sutton or Wallington but the transport links to the station from the Atwood area to Sanderstead/Purley Oaks stations don't seem very good? Is there a good way of getting to the station from around the Atwood area? Or good bus links that go to the grammer schools?

I wouldn't let a new head put you off Atwood necessarily especially as you have a while to go - you're likely to have at least one more head change before you finish primary school!

There is a 612 bus which goes from Selsdon & Sanderstead to Wallington and back at school times only. Whilst the grammar school is a good option, these a) are incredibly competitive so only the top handful of children have a chance of getting in, and b) may not survive in their current format over the next 10 years, so if another move in 8 years time is not something that you would contemplate then consider carefully the local options.

Realistically you will apply for all 3 schools on your form, so it is a matter of deciding on your preference. Best to visit I think with your child in mind.

Wow, what makes you say that about grammar schools? They have been around for such a longtime? Is that something I have missed?

That's useful to know about the 612 bus, do you know how long the journey time is?

Like anything state-controlled they are subject to change. So yes, currently you can apply from Sanderstead to the Sutton and Bromley grammars, but another change in policy could try to make them more local again - for example there has been a change to Wilsons admissions for this coming year to give preference to a band of children living in Sutton. They do distort the educational map in the area quite a bit, and the admission policies get tweaked quite regularly. Academy status could bring more changes - 10 years is a long time in education.

And don't underestimate the ability needed to get in currently - it is very competitive indeed. I know of many boys who "failed" Wilsons but got a good scholarship to Whitgift or Trinity say.

I think at 2 1/2 it is a little early to be plannig a grammar school education - the competition for the places around here is incredible DC have to be really bright to get in.

If you liked Attwood, you will find Ridgeway very different - you will need a completely different mind set to 'get' their approach. Visit it with an open mind. Personally I think it is a very good school, but not all parents buy into the ideas - learning is very much play-based eg they don't operate a reading scheme, no usual homework in the form of worksheets etc but a weekly/fornightly project to undertake (research, craft-based, inventing a game etc), no formal marking of work.
Attwood and Ridgeway are much larger than Gresham - which can bring advantages in terms of resources and opportunities. Ridgeway certainly doesn't give the impression of being such a large school becauseof the physical design of the school and the way it operates. Also Ridgeway and Attwood have Nurseries attached available from 3. Ridgeway's links well with the main school which ensures a smooth progression through to Reception.

Both raised some really valid points that I had not previously considered. I understand that these grammar's are hard to get into, I guess as myself and siblings all got in to grammar with tuition and home study, I assumed it would be the same? But it sounds like things may not be that easy anymore??

What I did like about Atwood is that it offers an after school club on preparing to get into grammar schools.

Ridgeway does sound very different! Not been to visit a school like that before, I'll have an open mind next Tuesday when I visit, to try and understand the objectives and benefits of teaching in that way.

Also raised my attention to the potential of changes to admissions procedure so yup its probably a good idea to keep all options open for a long term plan.

Do you know if Ridgeway and Atwood are both feeders for Riddlesdown? and how does that school perform? is it a good school?

Ridgeway is not a feeder at present, although changes in the setup at Riddlesdown may lead to changes in that system in the future. Attwood is a feeder, as is Gresham. It is a reasonable secondary - one of the better ones in Croydon that isn't selective/church or private. There are so many private schools, and with good grammars nearby, the majority of the very able pupils are taken away from the main state schools which can't help performance.

There are grammars and grammars. The Sutton grammars are currently "super-selective" as they have no distance requirement. So pupils from say Brighton can (and do) apply for them. Did Atwood tell you how many of its pupils a) applied for and b) got grammar places?

Most Kent or Buckingham grammars for example are relatively much easier to get into as you have to be in the area in the first place.

To be honest there are too many possible changes to secondary schools to really plan for 10 years hence. There are often lots of children moving schools around years 4 and 5 to position themselves for their preferred secondary school, and often the preference is down to the child and the parents rather than one school standing out over all others. Over the years Atwood, Gresham and Ridgeway have all had comparable results despite their different methods, and most parents have relied on private tuition if they are aiming for a selective secondary school.

All three are good schools - if you worry about Ofsted, then Gresham is good and Atwood and Ridgeway both outstanding. They are very popular and have very small catchment areas (see the primary school brochure on the Croydon council website for more info, but bear in mind that the Ridgeway catchment is likely to shrink due to the Ofsted leap from satisfactory to outstanding). All three schools work together quite closely, and have very different ethoses (as already explained) - Ridgeway is the most progressive, Atwood the most traditional and academic. All cater well for working parents, with good wraparound care provided on site and by school staff (not agency). As someone else has said, they differ in size - Gresham is one form entry so feels like a village school, Atwood is two form, and Ridgeway is three form entry.

The secondary school feeder system in the borough is currently under review, so maybe that shouldn't be a factor for you.

Are you dead set on Sanderstead? There are good schools in Purley and Coulsdon, which could be considered to have better transport links if that's a concern. We're pretty lucky in the borough, to be honest, as most of the schools are good (not just by Ofsted, but SATs results and by experience). The admissions process is a nailbiting trauma though (I am waiting to hear which primary school my DD1 has got into)!

I'm in a similar position with similar concerns this year. We are moving to sanderstead to get into one of the better schools in the borough, and the school catchments are so small it feels like such a risky move unless we are within a couple of hundred metres of a school! Anyway I was just wondering what schools your kids ended up going to, did you get your first choice and are you happy with the school?

Things have changed quite abit in 2 years lionface. The bulge in children numbers means that certainly Atwood, and possibly Gresham have had to take on additional reception classes. As yet Ridgeway hasn't but was a 3 form entry to start with.
The feeder school situation with Riddlesdown is also in a state of flux. Next year they are introducing a sibling priority clause to their admissions requirements, and the local word is that this may lead to some schools losing their feeder status, although these are more likely to be those primaries in Selsdon rather than the Sanderstead primaries.
The additional classes at some schools, and the growth in the number of reception places required each year has led to some changes in the catchment areas for each school, so you would need to check these carefully.
My DCs are/were at Ridgeway. IMO the progressive nature of the education style has reduced slightly over the years. However, the school still seems to have an 'unusual' approach to homework, and nothing is ever marked as such.