N10 Primary Schools

[MooveyMover]

We are seriously considering a move to the Muswell Hill area of north London and would like to get some insight into what this would really mean for our family.
We have one child, about 3 years old and may be planning another in the near future. At one point we were considering private education, but have been a bit underwhelmed by some of the small private preps around and have decided to go down the route of moving closer to good schools.

We can afford a family house close to Tetherdown primary school in Muswell Hill and within half a mile of Fortismere. Not afford-it-with-a- lot-of- cash-left-over, but with a bit of a stretch and not too much spending for a few years. However, in the long run we should be ok.

We have visited the school and really loved it. The head seemed down to earth and was very friendly. There was nothing really to dislike and of course the results are fabulous. But two questions:

1. How does Tetherdown tend to cope with a child who might be a quieter, less confident person?

2. What about the child who isn?t set for straight level 5s ? do they still feel valued, supported and a special part of the school community?

3. What is the school community life like? Are there good relationships between school and parents? What?s it like at the school gate?

4. I have seen Tetherdown and Tetherdown?s parents described as ?competitive? on MN. What are people really talking about: is that academic competitiveness, being competitive about extra-curricular activities or about money and social standing?

The other question is the more complex and slightly embarrassing one of would we ?fit in?. This is obviously a huge decision to move house and we are spending a lot in buying the house/paying stamp duty etc, so I don?t want us to go there and then find ourselves unhappy or uncomfortable for other reasons! We are both well-spoken and well-presented, but not ?posh? if you see what I mean. We can generally get on with most people, but knowing that Muswell Hill has always been regarded as a very middle class neighbourhood, I am wondering what the social fit would be like.

As this is a small school catchment where we would probably end up socialising with other parents from school, who would also be our neighbours, I am wondering if someone can give some insight into the mix of people. Who tends to live there? What do people do for a living? Are there lots of SAHM, part-time WOHM or is the playground packed out with nannies? You can probably see why I have name changed, but if we go there we may be there for 15 years plus, so please help me out!

I really don't mean this reply to appear rude or unkind but i really think you are worrying about the wrong things.
It is impossible to tell if you will 'fit in' anywhere and does it matter unles you are prepared to compromise yourself and your values to change in order to 'fit in'!
There are snobs, insensitive gits, down to earth people and real gems at the school gates of most schools and you just gravitate to those that you gel with.
Your biggest question to answer is what will you do if you don't get into Tetherdown (if you live further than 0.2 miles away you may be unlikely to get in.)
This post appears to concentrate more on your insecurities!

I can understand your fears as my DD has got into a very good school. I went and hung around the school gates at home time one day and that really helped. Yes there were one or two perma tanned princesses with loads of highlighted hair and shades on in April! But the rest of the people all looked well within the realms of normal and several people spontaneously smiled at me. So my mind was put at rest. Can you do something similar?

Moovey I live in Muswell Hill in the Tetherdown catchment (I think) and don't worry; from what you say you will certainly fit in! Tetherdown is a much sought after school as you know, and everyone I know whose children go there (which is quite a few) love it. I wouldn't worry about the academic side of things - some parents think it's not academic enough, and wish they could put their children into private education. You will find parents who push their children, whether in sports, music or academic subjects, but I tend to think that's up to them. For me what I envy most is the great sense of community the school has. It is (for those who want to be) very social and of course every one is very local. They have a very active PTA, and loads of social events including mums/dads nights out, zumba classes, camping weekends, the list goes on. The types of people who send their children to the school are 'middle class' as you say - people working in the City, lawyers, architects, doctors, academics, but also a wide range of other jobs I'm sure. There are lots of SAHMs (more than in the private sector, where you find both parents working to pay the fees) but equally lots of part time and full time mothers as well. They're a very friendly bunch it seems to me and certainly not all 'yummy mummies'. HTH.

Well, I have seen numerous threads on here where people have been upset or uncomfortable about what has gone on at the school gate or not feeling comfortable with their nearest neighbours, so I don't think it is an unreasonable question. Nothing to do with insecurities, just want to be informed. MN seems quite a good place to get that kind of information.

We both have professional jobs and can hold our own in conversation, but have been conscious of times when we haven't felt comfortable in very 'sloane-y' company. Professional people, yes. Trustafarian types with minor titles in the family tree, a bit less so.

Yes, we are well aware of the 0.2 mile catchment and are currently looking at houses in that area, thanks.

Good point, Beau Nash, might do the same.

Thanks, yesbut - exactly what I was trying to find out.

I second Beau Nashs advice: come to M Hill and loiter. On the whole in my experience Tetherdown mums are dressed in Whistles and White Stuff (both have shops on the Broadway) and are not trust fund types at all (this is Muswell not Notting Hill ).

Cheers, if you see a suspicious looking mother loitering at 3pm one day, it will probably be me. :)

If you can get to N10 easily, why not visit other schools in the area? If you have the luxury of being able afford almost anywhere 'middle class' to live and the school will be a major consideration, why not look at a few more?

Muswell hill certainly isn't sloaney. Middle class -often, but nowhere near sloaney

Yes, we have visited three of the community schools in Muswell Hill and would be delighted with any of them. The Tetherdown area works best for us in the combination of school/amenities/transport/house price etc.

Bumpity bump, for any other views.

I'm afraid to say that Muswell Hill is becoming more and more 'sloaney' as you put it because there are more and more people moving into the area to take advantage of the great community schools rather than having to pay to go private. I have lived in Muswell Hill my whole life and therefore feel I can speak with some authority on this.

I am one of the parents of the 40 odd children in Muswell Hill and Crouch End who didn't get a school place within their communities for this September and will most likely end up being bussed out to Wood Green or Tottenham. This is exactly because new families are closing down the catchment areas of our schools so much (wether by unscrupulous methods or otherwise) that us poor folk who bought our properties before we had children are being driven out. We would have been in the catchment for our first choice school last year, but this year we lost out by a very small margin which is devastating.

My community is becoming over run with the very people you seem to be seeking to avoid, so, my advice would be that if you don't think you can hold your own with people that can afford million pound plus homes then don't look in Muswell Hill anymore!

My DCs went to coldfall primary, we lived about 5 mins away, it's a nice school in a nice area.
Some of the parents have a lot of money, mother doesn't need to work, nannies, au pairs etc.
Some have to work harder to provide a good standard of living and dont have au pairs, staff of any sort.
Some are single parents, or renting their house or even shock horror on benefits of some sort.

The people are nice for the most part, same as most placed IMHO.
it's not Knightsbridge.

Now instead of worrying if you will fit in, visit other areas and other schools and find the best fit for your child, surely the rest is irrelevant?

Thanks for the views, all useful insights.

I am sorry to hear what has happened to you, Muswell Mama. No one should be in that position. The system is failing to deliver on many levels.

I am aware that we too are people 'moving in', but on the other hand my DH and I don't have roots to anywhere that we have lived our whole lives. Relocating as children, moving for jobs, moving for education - all of these factors have made us somewhat rootless and we have just gone where our needs have taken us. So in moving house, we have just looked at the practical factors of what will work best for us as a family. However, if we move to Muswell Hill we would fully intend to commit to be there for the whole of our family's schooling and would probably stay there beyond that time too. In turn, we would play a part in the community and encourage our family to do likewise.

We are lucky enough to have the finances to do so, so yes there is unfairness involved. But on the other hand there are some fabulous schools where we are currently living where we are also cut out by distance or faith criteria (mixed faith family). Not too fair either.

For those suggesting that we look around more and view other schools. We do genuinely like the school and have viewed eight independent and seven state schools (including three in Muswell Hill), so haven't just plucked Tetherdown out of thin air. We have narrowed things down and are now just looking for more insights, hence starting the thread.

Tetherdown is a great school. Yes it does have reputation as being cliquey, but the school gate is really friendly and there is a strong sense of community at the school (which I think people from other schools decide is a snobby clique). Will also ease your transition into the area as there are plenty of social events/coffee mornings etc for parents to get involved with (or not). Some families are well off, but I wouldn't say anyone is Sloaney - just middle class North London and not everyone has a ££££ house, there are also people in flats and people who have had to push themselves to afford to live in the area.

School itself is generally much liked by the parents - not perfect for everyone, but then there isn't any school on the planet which is.

Thanks, food fairy - appreciated.

The reality is that all schools in Muswell Hill are great, there isn't much difference in terms of the stats. They do differ in culture and 'feel' though quite a bit as you have picked up so it really comes down to which you think suits your child best.

You say you have mixed faith family, that could widen your choice even further! St. James school (CoE) is one form entry which is unusual so it is smaller with reputation of being more cosy but very good. Our Lady Muswell (RC) is more international with reputation for being caring and there is Eden, the brand new Jewish free school!

MH is not sloaney, I would agree with food fairy. A lot of families have moved from Islington and Highbury, just looking for a bit more greenery, more family sized houses / flats, nice little independent shops and good schools.

Good luck.

Out of interest, how easy is it actually to be able to find a suitable house to buy when the catchment is so small? My friend was hoping to send her son there but was outside catchment, and when I look at the map it looks like there are very few streets that are closer than hers (at least as the crow flies). There cannot therefore be many streets which are guaranteed in catchment and I imagine there are a lot of people who want them? How big is the premium to buy them over houses which are just a few streets away but outside catchment?

I can imagine that the small catchment gives a really nice community feel though. DCs are at private school (contemplated a move to an area like Muswell Hill at one stage but decided we prefer where we live). I love their school, but the one downside that I do feel is the fact that their friends are a bit more far-flung.

Tetherdown Primary's Sats results are due to the middle class area, parental input and additional private tuition and not due to exceptional teaching. The teaching is generally mediocre with a couple of exceptions. The school community is generally friendly. Most people are middle class but there are lots of different personalities. Most people aren't cliquey. In my experience, struggling pupils are not given effective help and don't get much encouragement or positive feedback from teachers to motivate them. If your child is struggling , you need to arrange additional private tuition so that your child reaches his or her potential. The pupils on the top table get most of the positive feedback from the teachers. The headteacher is nice and caring but not very dynamic and not pro-active in looking for ways to improve the school. The school is rather complacent and doesn't have to make much effort- they just rely on parents arranging additional tuition in order to continue getting good Sats results. The teaching may be better at Coldfall Primary School, where there is a slightly more mixed socioeconomic intake.

'sigh'

I used to live in Muswell Hill, attended Coldfall. Many many lovely memories