Nw3 state church primaries for non church goers ...

[LouYK]

Hi all
Can anyone offer any advice? I would love to send my child to either Christchurch or Hampstead Parochial but we are not churchgoers (my husband is lapsed catholic and I am Jewish). I am happy to start going to church but what are the chances of getting a place without? These schools (along with New End and Fitzjohns) seem to have such a good reputation, I would like to save the money for senior school fees. Does anyone have any experiences they can share??
Many thanks
E x

Your best bet is to look on LEA website or ring school. Faith schools vary in their admissions criteria. It also of course depends on how close you are. Around here, sometimes people of another faith, such as Jewish may be considered on same basis as c of e for c of e school or rc for rc school, as they recognise that although a Jewish person might want an education with a religious ethos, they live too far from any equivalent Jewish schools. You would still need a letter from Rabbi confirming attendance, and of course you might not be happy with the level of Christian input. Other faith schools want child to be baptised and you to attend their church, and sunday school for some years before application. Best to find admissions criteria direct from LEA.

Have you looked at st lukes in nw3 - church school but only criteria for entry is distance from school? Also Emmanuel in west Hampstead - this year they are having a bulge year so will take more non church than church children - they are rated outstanding by Ofsted!

thanks both, i heard about st lukes but didn't realise they admitted geographically - we are very close! its a free school and i love the ethos but it is so new i'd feel a bit nervous ... will def investigate though. will also look at emmanuel. just feels a bit wrong going to church purely to get into school but I have been told it's what you have to do!

be careful when choosing faith schools to check their criteria very carefully if you have siblings to follow - you may get one child in on a low birth rate year but the vast majority don't prioritise siblings and go on distance within the parish. This year in DD school parish RC siblings (1 mile away) lost out to parish RC no sibling (500 metres away) iyswim!

Hi again - if you are close to st Lukes you are probably quite close to Emmanuel on Mill Lane too so if there is another bulge year you would also have a high chance of a place - I don't know about The criteria for Christchurch but Hampstead Parochial prioritise members of their church, then other churches, then members of any other religion, then distance. Of the 30 places 20 are church and 10 distance but I hear all the additional 30 places will be based on distance. Will be interesting to see what happens with both schools in future - FWIW I have also heard, anecdotally that Emmanuel is a 'higher' church than st lukes but that it has a more liberal ethos!

Just realised my post is confusing - it is Emmanuel with 40 distance places in this years bulge year, not Hampstead parochial - and HP that prioritise church then other religions - so basically you don't have to go to church for places in lots of these schools

What about north west London Jewish day school in Willesden? The fact that your husband isn't Jewish isn't a factor. There is also the new golders green Jewish free school about to open.

thanks again for your comments ... I am very tempted by St Lukes as it is about a 5 minute walk and the info online looks very promising but I do need to visit and find out more - GoldysMum have you heard anything else about it? And could I ask what you mean by 'higher church'?
We wouldn't be due to start until 2013... so I don't know if Emmanuel will still have extra places ...
I haven't thought about Jewish schools to be honest ...but more to research! But I still have time, I hope, as I understand I don't need to submit forms til next Jan??

I went to visit St Lukes at an open day last year. I saw quite a few different schools. I had to apply thus January and should find out where DD is going on Wednesday but due to the bulge year I'm pretty sure it will be Emmanuel. I really liked St Lukes, however it Was difficult to compare as there was only one class (reception) consisting of 15 children. I thought that when the school reaches capacity it might seem crowded as it is quite small. There will only be 15 admitted each year but other than reception there will be 30 in a class as year 1 and 2 will be taught jointly, year 3 and 4 together etc. It's a model that worked for Emmanuel until they expanded this year, and it got them an Outstanding Ofsted.

On the 'high church' thing, I am just going on what friends tell me. I am also Jewish so haven't been myself but I am told high Anglican is actually closer to Catholicism. The vicar of Emmanuel is known as 'Father' for example and I think the service is quite formal there. However, despite what you would think, the ethos is apparently much more open minded, liberal and accepting, whereas I have been told St Lukes is more conservative - but as I say, this is just what people tell me, I don't know for sure.

I have also looked into Jewish schools. I think you have to be quite religious to get into North West. Their application process gives priority to people who don't drive on a Saturday and won't eat out in non kosher restaurants. The new Jewish free school is called Rimon and opening in September. It's near the lighting shop on the finchley rd. They seem to have a good ethos and 50% of the places are distance not faith based.

Anyway, I'd say the best thing to do is go to some open days, ask some questions and see what you think. There are a few good options anyway. Good luck :-)

If you live locally you would probably be more likely to get into emmanuel on rout B (local places) as there are were already 30 church goers signing for 20 church places for 2013, would definitely put route b down as you never know they might offer another bulge class. Christchurch in hampstead prioritise those that live locally over those that go to other churches i.e. not christchurch so you would have a chance if you live locally.

St Lukes school looked very nice, and you don't have to be religious to get in, however it is evangelical at the church and i know from others who used to members at that church that they openly call gay's sinners and teach children that other religions are wrong, which could be a problem if you are jewish, yet that is the church not the school, and as far as i am aware the vicar there isn't that involved with the school. Hampstead parochial is also not that heavily subscribed especially with emmanuel's extra places, so you may well get a place there without going to church. I really liked new end and fitzjohns too, so well worth visiting those schools.

thanks again for your comments - so helpful! I now need to go and see all these schools ... My next question is where the children go after these primaries and whether there are certain schools which are more inclined to prepare them for entry exams to private senior schools.... any thoughts? maybe i will post in secondary school board...

Christchurch often gets kids into:
Marylebone, quite a few get places at Highgate, good state school, robyn academy, UCL academy, Twfords, greycoats.

Your child will get into a private school but you will need a tutor to prepare them, something that is common practice in the private sector. Children often start with a specialist 11+ tutor when they are in year 4.

If you can bear faith at secondary you can do far worse than JFS. It isn't religious, plenty of families with a non jewish parent, lots of children go from NW6, NW3 area, the facilities are really incredible, just as good as the private schools the results are very very good and getting better, I think that they had something like 85% A-C at GCSE with 50% EBACC, so solid academic subjects and about a dozen to Oxbridge last year with the rest mostly going to RG universities. Not bad given that it is completely non selective.

frankly speaking - start going to church. There are plenty of parents at HPS that don't go to church at all and stop as soon as they get their children in. They have changed the admissions criteria this year so that siblings don't automatically get in, and church goers get preference. the parents are up in arms at the idea that they may have to go back to church! (I think it's hilarious!).

anyway also have experience of this school if you want to - lots of parents love it as they perceive it to be a bit like a prep school.

christchurch's admissions are different I think (check the LEA website) - it does prioritise local children too which I think is only a good thing, but think you probably do need to live pretty near the school to get those spaces. Lots of parents at HPS have moved their children to Christchurch, but not sure of the reasons for this.
as for senior schools, HPS has quite a good record at getting children into the private schools - look at its website it lists where last years Year 6 leavers went to. (I presume there is a fair amount of private tuition going on too).