Primary schools in Haringey

[Mum123456]

My daughter is three years old and I'm already feeling sick with dread as my turn to apply for primary school places slowly approaches. The problem is, I live in Wood Green, and, quite frankly, the majority of primary schools near me are crap. The few decent ones have crazy tight catchment areas. My nearest primary school is literally over the road, yet I refuse to send my daughter there. Any advice? I'm sure to lose my mind over this soon! Please help!!

You might want to go visit your nearest school and see if it is as bad as you fear. It might not be... And if it is, are you near to Bounds Green?

Other options are:

Find religion (and apply to st Martin of Porres, which is a nearby catholic school)
Look at where any nearby schools in barnet offer preference to nursery children (Hollickwood used to) and put your child in the nursery
Get a private school back up (need to do this soon, due to pressure on places)
Move house to the doorstep of a school you would like. Although I think it is a crappy thing to do, you wouldn't be the only parent to rent a flat near a school for a year to get your child in.

Pretty bad though: if you don't lie and pretend you believe in God or have the money to support a lie about your address ( or to move to a different area) your options are limited.

www.facebook.com/#!/groups/276114265773841/

Not all Haringay schools are crap; check out this parents' campaign

Marking my place. Hoping against hope to find an answer. My DGC is a year older than yours, finally settled in nursery at the local school but didn't get a reception place - either there or at any of the 6 choices.

Yes there are crap schools. The one she's been assigned, I wouldn't send a dog to that reception class. My daughter is in despair.

Thank you for all your replies.
Unfortunately I'm on the opposite end of Wood Green to Bounds Green, so the chances of my daughter getting into a school on that side are slim :( The nursery thing won't work either as she's in full time day care until she starts school. I think I'll have to look at moving or turn to God.
I'll definitely have a proper look around the schools before I carry on ripping my hair out though.

Thanks again!

i would rent where you want to go. i know 3 people who have done this,rented their own out and one one the doorstep of where they wanted.

St. Paul's in wood green is not a bad school, on the up and takes non catholic children in it's intake. Last OFSTED was good. Was our 4th choice but luckily DD got her first choice. St martins of porres is lovely but much more popular and if you are more WG and not Catholic not much chance of getting in. good luck, there are some good ones, we were happy with all out choices in the end but my daughter is catholic which is a trump card in terms of a schools, largely in this area it's the faith schools that are good. Or the ones with ridiculously high property prices (Rhodes, coleridge etc).

If you do "turn to" or "rediscover" Church (particularly to get into a good RC school) then you'll likely have to be RC baptised as well as your DD and go to Church weekly in order to get a priest's reference for each RC school.

Is moving an option? If so the area of Green Lanes between Turnpike Lane and Manor House tubes have well-regarded schools: North Harringay, South Harringay, Chesnuts, St Mary's RC, St Ann's CofE, St John Vianney RC.... Though catchments for the first three are tiny eg 0.1 to 0.3 mile and you need an excellent priest's reference for the Christian schools.

I'm close to Turnpike Lane but more towards Wood Green side than Green Lanes. Do you think this area may be within catchment for any?
My grandmother lives along Green Lanes, is registering myself at her address during the application process worth the hassle or do you think ot might not go through? (I live with my mother so physically moving shouldn't be too much of an issue).

Sounds like Belmont is near you- that's supposed to be very good. I've also met parents of children at Noel Park and they love it. Don't give up! I know how you feel- I'll be there myself in a couple of years and I'm dreading it!

Belmont catchment is quite tiny these days. I wouldn't hold out much hope there. (It was our first choice - child got into nursery last year but now hasn't got a reception place. And it's not linked to Belmont Juniors, so unless you live on the doorstep, you'll face the same nightmare again 3 years later!)

I would definitely suggest looking round schools and not relying on gossip/prejudice. Schools can change very quickly and I also know several parents who are very happy with Noel Park, despite people (who have never visited) turning their noses up at it.

Do you mind me asking which school your DGC has been allocated, ljny? Initials will do as I'm very familiar with Haringey primaries in that area as my DD goes to one.

Btw, the biggest issue facing Haringey primary schools over the next few years is that Michael Gove, in cahoots with Haringey LA, is determined to make them into academies to be sponsored by academy chains. At the moment, it really is anyone's guess which will be the 'good' or 'less good' schools in a few years.

It's a worry, though - do go and check the schools out, though. EYFS is generally very good in Haringey and is KS1.

Have a look at North Haringey School on the top of the ladder. I don't know about this year, but last year the catchment was well over a mile. It may be more popular now, but it's always taken kids from a very, very wide area, as seen as 'less desirable' than S Haringey.

I'm not sure how the catchment works but my DS1 and dd went to school in muswell hill which is quite close to turnpike lane.

Posted too soon- we lived in crouch end at the time. This was 11 years ago.

Belmont's great, my niece and nephew are both there and love it! Luckily for my sister, she was living a lot closer to the school at time of application then I am now. Their catchment area is about a centimeter big.

Noel Park is literally on my doorstep, but a friend of mine has been working there and has told me some awful stories about the way teachers talk to the pupils, it from what she's told me it seems that some of them humiliate the children into 'getting things right'. That's really put me off, although I will have a look around myself before I judge too much.

I'm not at all familiar with all the acronyms on here, so you'll have to bear with me lol. My turn to apply hasn't actually come about yet, I'm just panicking in advance! Friend's of mine who have been applying this year have all been extremely disappointed, and it's got me in a hissy to be honest.

I'll definitely look into North Harringay, when you say top is that closer to Turnpike Lane or Manor House?

Thank you for all your comments everyone!

North Haringey is .43 this year.

Being familiar with the ethos and head's style at Noel Park, it might work for a more laid-back or confident child. As Mum123456 said, I'd be wary if you need a nurturing atmosphere or care about respect for your child. That said, some children have the confidence or resilience to ignore such things, and the academics may be improving.

Does anyone know any Haringey schools (with places) that are good at nurturing and encouraging the children? My DGC, on the young side, is highly-strung, insecure, and doesn't settle easily. For now, we just need a school that won't destroy the shreds of her self-confidence - she can catch up on the academics later (and isn't that a sad thing to say!).

Rosebud05 - sorry I didn't see your question. It's LL. Similar ethos problems as Noel Park. ANY advice most gratefully received!

There are NO Haringey schools with places. 42 kids in Haringey with no place... DD is one, plus several of my neighbours' kids. We are in muswell hill. It's a nightmare.. 8 local schools less than a mile from us and no places locally or anywhere in the borough.
Write to your MP. Haringey must plan better! There is a E-ACT free school due to open in September no site at present...designed to cater for tottenham catchment I think. Obviously this is untested, but might be an option for some.

I really don't think all the schools in wood green are crap. Have you visited them Yet? Like someone else has said, this is well worth doing. When we looked around the ones that seemed less good on paper were actually not as bad as you would think. We are lucky as got into our first choice but honestly would have been happy with our local WG school (St Paul's). If you are that worried then choices are limited to finding religion PDQ or moving. I know plenty of people who have done that to get In to Rhodes avenue, not something I would do myself but plenty do. There are done really good schools round here, you just need to do your homework. I am lucky as although not religious in the slightest my daughter is baptised. My husband is catholic and I had no objections to this as I knew it gives you more options. In the end we had a choice of 5 excellent schools because of this. Ranging from outstanding to good. Finding religion is not such a bad idea! The c of e schools also good (St Mary's in particular). Some of the faith schools also take children not baptised although places limited, you just need to do your homework. Good luck, it seems daunting at first but really not as bad as the hype makes it out to be.

Cross posted. Obviously not having a place at all is a different kettle of fish. Lack of places is something else entirely. Being close but not close enough to lots of good schools seems to be more of an issue in this area. Probably compounded by the number of sibling places and people moving for a year to get guaranteed places forcing the catchment even wider.

I expect that some bulge classes will be established, then. AFAIK, there are always problems in Muswell Hill and Crouch End as so many families move into those areas for schools and, as most properties are owner occupied, there isn't the movement that there is in other parts of Haringey.

ljny, this is the problem with the whole 'what's a good school?' questions. I know several people who are very happy with Noel Park and regard it as a very nurturing and caring school and another person who is very happy with LL. A friend of mine has just got a job there and she was very impressed with it.

On the other hand, I know several people who have taken their children out of Belmont junior schools because of its very narrow curriculum and obsessive focus on SATS results.

In addition to the sibling and people moving into catchment issues, the housing benefit cap has forced more families into the east of the borough and there was a rising birth rate in 2007/8.

I hope it works out for everyone.

i would comment that in fact there is no such thing as a good school, only a school right for your child...

(I do think there is such a thing as a bad school, which is a different story)

North Harringay has a lot of problems. I don't bad mouth a school lightly, but this isn't on hearsay.

Apart from that, visit visit visit. See if you like the head, the teachers, the atmosphere. Ofsted doesn't mean a lot in reality.

Are those recent problem, daisymaybe?

I ask because I know several people very happy there, and have heard that the new head is very good.