shall i put on the list a catholic primary school 4 miles away because we want catholic secondary school

[musicmusic]

we are both working and dropping off would be tricky - would have to find childminder near school and drop off very early or public transport by my mum. school is 4 miles away catholic, it would be big effort. but if we want the child to be in catholic secondary school, the secondary school accepts only after catholic primary schools. so primary catholic school is a step into catholic secondary... it is a long term planning. is it worth the effort? on the other hand we have a lovely CE school 5 min away from house - but after this primary school we would not be able to get child into secondary catholic school which is 15 min walk away from house. please share your thoughts. I am thinking that primary catholic would be a stage of difficlut life, but then when is at a secondaryu stage- he owuld go to secondary which is 15 min walk from us...so this would recompensate all years of primary traveling....?

[Arithmeticulous]

Do you live in the parish?

[PureQuintessence]

You know what I mean though. I can see how that sounds. But the point is you have to go to mass rather a lot if you go to a RC Primary.

[WhatKindofFool]

In addition you have Mass for the New School year, and a special mass for each class, and School leavers mass. You wont get any credit for attending these though.

[PureQuintessence]

My oldest son is in Y6, so we have just had the whole Secondary application stress this year. He is in an RC primary. We are too far away to have applied to the CW, but Gunnersbury is high up on our application form, along with the CVMS. We find that there is a much bigger emphasis on regular church attendance than actually being in a Catholic primary. It wont mean a thing to our son, as long as we dont also have a reference from the Parish priest saying that we have been to Church 3-4 times per month plus holy days of obligation.

I think you could possibly be better off at your more local primary, if you keep in close contact with your local parish and the children there.

Many people also opt to move their children to an RC primary in year 4/5....
By then they are so firm friends with their local children, it seems like a boost to have both their neighbourhood friends, coming from a Catholic primary and make new friends there. Especially if the school is in the Parish they have been worshiping.

[swanthingafteranother]

I think you pay too high a price friendship wise living 4 miles away in London. Especially if you have a lovely school round the corner. Seven years is a long time and all secondaries can change a lot over that period, especially the ones which are local to you, in addition to CW. There are clusters of people living 2 miles from our primary, and even that to me seems a long way off. Most of the people who live much further do it because they have grandparents round the corner from the school to cover emergency pickups or after school. Or because they moved and could not immediately find space in new area school.

[PureQuintessence]

Ah WhatKindofFool, I see. Our RC primary only do Harvest Mass at the Parish Church Next door, everything else you need to go for evening mass.

In addition you have Mass for the New School year, and a special mass for each class, and School leavers mass. You wont get any credit for attending these though.

[swanthingafteranother]

And of course you could always transfer when kids are older. Plenty of people in our school only moved here [our primary] when their kids were in Year 4/5/6. Possibly to faciliate transfer, although I suppose they were always Catholic even if they didn't go to the Catholic primary

[swanthingafteranother]

and proof of Catholic education can be an endorsement from your priest. Still I can't see why there isn't a Catholic primary a bit nearer you, even if it isn't on that CW feeder list.

[swanthingafteranother]

There are other Catholic schools both for girls and boys if you are near Cardinal Wiseman! Unless you are very far North from CW.
There is Gunnersbury, CV, Oratory, Gumley, Sacred Heart, St Mark's (a bit too southerly) all of which don't have feeder schools but have quotas for each district, so not necessary to live next door. And some don't insist on institutional Catholic education just regular attendance at Mass, Baptism and usually First H C.
There is also the other Catholic primaries in Ealing to consider, are none of them nearer you? We are one of those primaries. I don't want to say which one. Holy Family does look good though. Might you end up moving a bit nearer HF anyway, as it is nearish CW by bus (on the Westway)

There is also the new C of E flagship school with no faith criteria called William Perkin in Greenford. And assorted comps all over London with Good or Outstanding if you don't want to go for a faith school necessarily. Certainly I don't think other Catholic secondary schools demand a feeder, just proof of Catholic education.

[WhatKindofFool]

I was thinking more about the holy days of obligation than Sundays. Catholic schools tend to have a mass on those days. I know you can go in the evening but sometimes mass times are a bit late for little ones.

[PureQuintessence]

I would rather ensure you go to mass 3-4 times per month plus every Holy day of obligation, which I assume you do already if you are Catholics?

It is easier to do that if you go to a Catholic school.

Why is that, then?

Is it not possible to get to your local Church on a Sunday unless you go to a Catholic school?

[WhatKindofFool]

I would rather ensure you go to mass 3-4 times per month plus every Holy day of obligation, which I assume you do already if you are Catholics?

It is easier to do that if you go to a Catholic school.

[WhatKindofFool]

I think it might be worth it if you can do the journey. It depends on your work circumstances. Only you can decide. People who choose independent preps often travel that distance and more to get to them.

[scaevola]

4 miles in London doesn't sound like a trivial journey.

What would other secondary options be? For if Holy Family isn't added to the feeder primary list in the entrance criteria, going there won't help you one whit. Also, are you regular churchgoers - it sounds as if you won't get in without the weekly attendance chit as well as being in a feeder primary.

Also, by secondary age, your DC will be able to travel alone to school and easily cope with more or less any journey. The need for an easy 15 minute walk diminishes, not increases, as DC mature.

[PureQuintessence]

Can you move closer to it?
In addition to inconvenient location for drop off and pick up (which you will face for 7 years, in truth) it will be difficult for your dc to make friends and do play dates, when living so far away and possibly also outside the parish.

I would rather ensure you go to mass 3-4 times per month plus every Holy day of obligation, which I assume you do already if you are Catholics?

[4goingon14]

Holy Family is a new school with only 2 classes of reception this year and it was undersubscribed but is now full in the two reception classes. My daughter goes here and it was undersubscribed because alot of people did not even know that the school was being built or open for September 2012. We are not Catholic and it was a 6th choice school. There are many Muslim children and children from out of borough going there as there are so few primary places in Ealing they filled it with a mixture of children that did not get spots elsewhere.

There is a good chance that if you apply you will get in, particularly if you put it as your top choice.

[musicmusic]

RosemaryandThyme, so do you take your kids to school 4 miles away or do you leave them with CM?

[musicmusic]

RosemaryandThyme, so do you take your kids to school 4 miles away or do you leave them with CM?

[RosemaryandThyme]

Yes it is worth it.
Four miles is not far by car, we travel it daily.
Put down catholic primary and then look to chenge jobs or work patterns so that one of you can drop off and collect each day.
Better for child and much less hassel than having a CM.

[musicmusic]

it is a new called Holy Family school in West Acton

[ZooAnimals]

My DC's go to one of those schools. The whole area is so oversubscribed I would be wary about why this school is undersubscribed. Is it a good school?

[admission]

Purely in terms of admission process, there is no reason why you could not put the school as first preference, on an assumption that the likelyhood is that you will not get the offer of a place and then out the local CE school as second preference. Putting it as second preference will make no difference in terms of your chances of getting an offer of a place for the school than if it was first preference. The only time it will be different is if a place could be offered at the catholic school, when as first preference that would be given priority.

Having said that, it is 4 miles away and your mother will actually have all the hassle of getting them there. You need to think quite carefully about those facts as they are important.

Looking at the data for Cardinal Wiseman the admission number is 300 pupils and last year the last accepted pupil was in category 4 at a distance of 0.9 miles. From that I would suspect that you are correct, unless your child goes to one of the named primary schools you are unlikely to get a place, especially as the level of pupils going into primary schools now is considerably higher than into secondary school at present.

[musicmusic]

yes, I was taling about Cardinal Wiseman. The catholic primary school was undersubscribed last year as they only had a nursery class last year - they are building a new school

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Unless it serves an unusually large parish you are unlikely to get a place at a Catholic (or any other) primary school that is four miles away. What are its admissions criteria? What was the farthest distance at which it awarded a place last year (this should be on the LEA's website)?