Primary Schools around Haywards Heath

[AnnaNotNow]

Hi, we are moving back from France to the UK this summer with our 2DS. They will be due to enter YRs 2 and 4. We will initially be renting a house to make things easier and hope to get somewhere around the Haywards Heath area to make DH commute into London bearable.

I am finding it a nightmare to identify schools that have space for both of them. On a really long shot does anyone out there no someone who is leaving a good school in the area? The boys are baptised so we can go down that road as an option but don't want to go down the private route.

Until I can work out which schools have space it makes house hunting nearly impossible! I really want to avoid 2 different schools and would love to be able to walk them to school. I have spoken to the admissions office who have told me that there are spaces where I have been told there are none by the schools themselves???? The only 2 schools that def have space are strangely enough the poorly rated schools.

Can anyone offer advice or point me in the direction of a school they know will have space.
Going quietly mad.......

I dont live in the area anymore but I did do and know quite a lot about the schools as used to work in some of them. Your best bet would be harlands as its one of the biggest , well rated and in the most desirable area of h heath as its by the station. St Wilfrids is the other large one and a good school. If you go out to the villages (linfield/cuckfield) it is much more tricky unless you go for a small village school,(bolney/staplefield/danehill) as , i believe ,if you actually live in their village they let you in as they only have small numbers in a year group but worth checking as you wont actually get the place until you live there. The other school is Bolnore village, I can't believe they dont have places in both year groups. HTH

Bolnore might be a good option as it is new. I believe it was connected to St Wilfred's last year so should be good. Should be easy enough to find housing at Bolnore which is new development.

Harlands is big, lindfield is also very popular and relatively big. Generally there are no BAD schools, but if there was one is would be Heyworth.

Thanks so much for all that everyone and apologies for my shocking spelling that I just spotted ( no instead of know, really!!!!)
I thought Bolnore would be a safe bet as well but I have been assured they have waiting lists for both year groups??

Oh well there was a few months ago, situatuations change all the time. I wouldn't worry too much. I expect that when you actually get here you will find there is a place in both years at one of those schools. In the worst case scenario, you will probably get a place for one in Bolnore and maybe one at Harlands ( they are not far from each other) and by the end of the summer a place willl have freed up as often one or two children leave a year. WHen are you going to be moving?

Thanks Laura, I feel a little more encouraged. Several of the schools are supposed to be increasing their numbers in 2014 so I hope an appeal would go through more easily as they will be increasing then anyway, fingers crossed.
The boys finish school in France at the end of June so we will be moving in July, although DH may move sooner to start work which would at least mean we will have an address to use.
Do you know from when you worked here which of the schools would be a good one for my DS1 who maybe getting diagnosed as dysgraphic, I'm not convinced myself but the Ed Psych will get to the bottom of it I'm sure.
Thanks for your help x

I think theres a special unit at Blackthorns primary for additional needs but that school is almost impossible to get into. I should imagine its a case of the individuals teachers /sencos and how they cater for your son/what experience theyve had in a relatively uncommon area and thats not easy to predict. My sense is that all the schools have SENCOS that would work with you on it .

Hi annanotnow, my eldest 6yrs attends warden park primary in haywards heath, it's often seen as a poor relation by much of the town but with my youngest starting in September as well we couldn't be happier with the school. Definitely worth a visit to check it out. Btw our head and his team are up for teacher of the year this year which is a national competition for some of the best teachers in the country!

just wanted to say, my sister lives on bolnore and my nephew is in the school yr2 class. its a fairly new school with mixed year classes and numbers are increasing as the classes move up, if that makes sense. she is really pleased with it and my niece will be starting there in sept. even as a sibling numbers were tight and also dependant on distance, so some on bolnore didn't get in. its a lovely place but I would make sure you are at the right end of the village, which is still expanding with a new phase being build just up from the school. hope this helps and good luck with the move.

Hi Annanotnow,
There is only one school in haywards Heath and the surrounding areas with places and that's Warden Park Primary. It has a bad history which is why it has places, but things are changing rapidly. In the 2 years I've been there I've seen only an outstanding school with excellent staff and happy children. Please look at our Ofsted report. And like Estag said, we won the award for most outstanding school team in the whole of London and South East and are competing nationally in October. Please don't overlook this school!

....And...as there are places in both those years you have more flexibility in where you live as you're not bound by catchment. Win win right!? ;)

Ok last after thought I promise!

A friend has a child with special needs and had her heart set on a village school (none mentioned). When it came time to put choices down she went to see her first choice and also Warden Park. The village school had a 'we'll cross that bridge' type attitude to her son's needs, whereas she found WP knew exactly what he needed and how to deal with it. The SENCO is brilliant here as not only do we have a head and deputy, but we have a third head devoted to inclusion and SEN.

There is so much more to say, but I'll stop now! Please feel free to contact for more info.