Primary schools in Epsom

[Nitts]

Moving to Epsom this summer. My little would be going to year 1. Can you people out there suggest some best school in Epsom and Ewell?

None of the schools here are particularly poor. Most sort after will be Wallace fields and stamford green, but you'll almost certainly be on a waiting list and placed at Epsom primary to start with. St Joseph's is good but you need to be catholic.
Not so sure about ewell schools tbh, but as I said none of them are poor, and you'll be on waiting lists to begin with i expect as the schools are generally full.

Thank you so much PatriciaHolm

Do you know whereabouts in Epsom you'll be living? School admissions here tend to be very location based, with the most popular schools having tiny catchment areas.

Surely you should be thinking secondary. There's quite a difference in the secondaries and being close enough to Roseberry/Glyn would be a priority for me.

Will be in noble park,Epsom .

Ah.

Noble Park is a bit out on a limb when it comes to schools. You'll almost certainly be offered Epsom Primary, as others will be full. Get onto the waiting list for Stamford Green, sometimes places come up, but you are quite far away; Wallace Fields is far too far, and you wouldn't want to make the journey across Epsom anyway. Epsom has a primary school place squeeze, partly due to the new developments.

Secondaries are an issue too; you won't get into Rosebery or Glyn from there, will probably end up in Chessington or possibly Epsom & Ewell High, neither of which are great options.

I agree with all of the above comments. Stamford Green or Southfield Park would be nearest options. Would also agree that you need to strongly think about catchment areas for Glyn & Rosebery, in my opinion the best secondaries in the area.

Saying this, some schools like St Martin's are under consultation to move to become 3 form entries. Last year the school took on an extra reception class with a promise that the year will be accommodated throughout the infant and junior years (rumour has it that there is still some places remaining to be filled)

Also, there are good private schools ... And being on the Sutton boundary, there is the prospect of getting tuition to enter the 11+ exams ...

Sorry to hijack thread but where would you need to live for Glyn?
I'm considering a move and have a primary aged ds but secondary is my biggest concern.

Last year, the furthest distance Glyn admitted boys from was 1.642 miles; that gets you most of Ewell and three quarters of Epsom (seefindaschool.surreycc.gov.uk/Default.aspx for distances from postcodes)

Noble park is outside of that distance, as is much of south Epsom/the downs.

Sorry to see that Southfield Park seems to have been overlooked here. In 2010 Ofsted found this to be an 'outstanding school' whilst Stamford Green was rated 'good' in the same year. I think all the fuss about Wallace Fields and Stamford Green is more to do with where they are situated i.e amongst some very pricey property than anything else.
My advice to Nitts would be to go and visit the schools nearest to Noble Park which would be Stamford Green or Southfield Park to see what you think. Choosing a school is a bit like choosing a house you instinctively know when one feels right!

Not deliberate, honest! Southfield park is another good option. Further away from noble park than stamford green I think a bit, and with an odd catchment that excludes noble park so it might be more of a long shot.

Thank u so much for all your help

Southfield Park was our second choice. I was almost sorry we got our first choice as SP is about 2 minutes walk :)

Nitts - I had exactly your issue last summer with my DS needing a place in Year 1. There were no places in the whole of Epsom so it was very stressful. My advice would be to phone Surrey CC now and find out where you would be on the waiting lists of each school with your proposed postcode. Surrey won't take your application forward until you have completed on your house but at least you can get an idea of which schools you have a chance of getting in to and visit them (my boy was placed 16th, 19th and 7th for the closest schools so we really didn't have a chance of getting a place in any of them unless lots of children moved out of the area). You need to keep ringing Surrey once your form is in - they are not at all proactive and in fact ended up making a mistake and withdrawing an offer they had made to us (so watch out). You may be luckier if you need Year 1 this September rather than the current Year 1 as St Martin's took a bulge class in 2012 so there may well be a place there. Also - the Voluntary Aided schools (including St Martin's I think) hold their own waiting lists so phone those schools yourself.

Epsom schools are quite tricky IMO, catchments for the most popular primaries are very small, and property prices high, suspect the catchments for glyn and roseberry will shrink in future years due to baby boom/families moving into the area. Some schools (eg wallace fields) are removing the sibling criteria to favour distance from school.

The Sutton and Nonsuch/Wallington grammars are super-selective, so unwise to plan on them.

St Martins infants is a church school, so unless living close might have to attend church to gain entry. Although they did have a large intake so places could come up.

Hi

We have moved onto Noble Park and have been offered a place at Claygate Primary school in Claygate

FWIW, Epsom Primary and Ewell Grove have had 3 class intakes this year so the catchments for them are much larger. You've got no chance with Wallace Fields, Stamford Green, St Martins or Southfield Park unless you are very near to them, the catchments are 400-800m for these schools.

Epsom Primary gets a bad reputation locally but I think it is mainly historic and quite unfair, they had a new head last year who I thought was very impressive. Lots of families who aren't getting into the "good" schools (Wallace Fields, Stamford Green etc) are getting Epsom Primary so as I understand, the school is on the up.

Good luck with your move, we love living in Epsom (even though we might be moving soon its not because of the area!)

Hi Nitts
jus wondering if you moved to Noble Park and if so how did you get on with the schools?
I moved to NP almost 2 years ago and both my childern were on the waiting list for Stamford Green, after 18 months my son got a place in Yr2 and due to the sibling rule my daughter moved from 9th to first!!
I hope things worked out for you as I know moving location and schools are both very stressful.
Loretta.

I know I am seriously late to this thread but wondering if anyone has some words of wisdom as we are in the exact situation. We are looking at areas to move outside of london and will be placing my daughter in year 1 as well. We very much like the epsom area but I am starting to feel as if because we have no real direction with rent/buy/area and equally very late to enrolling (will move in the summer from international location) so we will be the bottom of any list. I fear that we wont get a place at all anywhere? Any suggestions?

The LEA have to offer you a place somewhere; the issue will be that the space may not be in a school of your choice, as you will be placed where there is a space, but then you can of course go on waiting lists.

Ps - waiting lists are organised by how you meet the criteria, not by how long you have been on them, so moving close to a school is likely to get you higher on the list.