East Sheen Primary vs. Lowther

[Zizi1981]

I am in a bit of a quandary regarding local schooling. My son was offered a place at the Lowther school, not on our list, which we accepted. Since accepting that one he has now been offered a place at East Sheen, our original choice. East Sheen is just a few mins walk from our house whereas Lowther is a car ride away. I have seen both schools and think the Lowther looks more friendly and has a lovely grassy playground, however the children come from a lot further afield. They are both considered outstanding schools and I just don't know what to do. I wanted to hear from some mums with children at the schools to help me make my decision. Any advice and info would be much appreciated. Thank you.

i think its quite clear what school you should pick. if east sheen was your orignal choice why have you changed your mind. a walk to school is far more better than a car ride to school. not from that area but from the trends i have seen on richmonds schools i would say east sheen seems better. so many trends on this already

avoiding traffic etc in the morning and you can leave your house later and it avoids the stress that comes with it and youll also be doing it for 7 years dont forget that with each child

I have only lived in the borough less than a year and had never heard of the Lowther school before. I don't want to choose East Sheen just because its on my doorstep, I want to choose a school where my child would be most happy.

have you visited both schools seen head teachers and spoken to parents coming out of the school and also asked the local community e.g sure start centre what they think of the school. happiness is very important but i think you are lucky to be offered east sheen because lots of parents after that school. if you have done all these things that i have said what conclusion did you reach and i do agree do not choose it because its on your door step but to be honest you got a brillant one on your doorstep that everyone else wants

if you like the other school go for it seen website seems like a nice school but most of the gossip on mumsnet is about east sheen, sheen mount, vineyard etc so i think the one on your door step is more popular and they get good results. your lucky

East Sheen. It is close to you. Your dc will have classmates on their doorstep, which is important. I have friends with kids there, all very happy.

I live a stones throw away.

Even if lowther is better, go for the one you can walk to. Six years on, I still appreciate this (and oldest now walks alone and loves it).

im not the type of parent to send my child to the local bad school was very lucky also and got my child into a very good school which like you 5 mins away and good results and friendly but if did not have that would have applied to another school futher but like i said lucky. friends etc are important too

Thank you so much for all your help guys. I went to have a look at the closer school again and have settled on that one. So great to be able to come on here and get advice.

Just FWIW, I have two children at Lowther and absolutely love it - as do they - but East Sheen is also very good, and if I were you I'd pick the one close by. Not just for convenience, but in terms of children walking to school when they're older, and having friends very close by, and so on.

Hope it all goes well

ps I honestly don't think mumsnet gossip is a good indicator of best schools

Well in richmond all the schools are excellent so cant really go wrong but i think what parents have to say about a school is important elibean so yes i do look at what parents are gossiping about especially when it regards my childs happiness etc. Most of the mums on mumsnet that are talking about the schools are either interested in the schools and the parents are replying are parents with children at the schools so i think you are soooooo wrong. Have learnt alot from mumsnet

Richmond is top brough for primary schools so cant go wrong either way op child will do well good luck

Mumsnet is useful to gauge general perceptions. You've made a great choice and distance is really important at primary school. I hear really good things about L too but ES is very friendly, has large all weather playing field, new climbing frame coming over the summer, trim trail, allotment, wonderful reception outdoor environment etc. I hope your child is very happy.

Ah well, will agree to disagree on that one Fizzy

I think you get a very specific group of mums on MN - not that what they say isn't important, or that I haven't learnt lots, because I have. But it does sort of skew certain pictures in terms of demographics.

I suppose what I mean is: 'general perceptions' yes, MN does reflect those.

But 'general perceptions' from a given area aren't always accurate. When we chose it for our first child, Lowther had a reputation (outdated and inaccurate) for being less 'nice' than the other Barnes primaries. I had to look for myself to find out how good it was - if I'd gone by MN perceptions at the time, I wouldn't have bothered and would have missed out.

Hence I listen and learn from MN, but am aware that there are biases - for all sorts of reasons.

We are in complete agreement about that, Elibean! My sons' current school is sometimes mentioned on here and really it's nothing like some of the descriptions. Also def skewed demographic - like Lake Wobegon where every child is above average!

Elibean your childs school is beautiful and gets very good results you and op are lucky got nothing against the school seen website and its looks beautiful would have a hard time choosing myself

Totally agree, Elibean. My daughter's school is sometimes referred to on here and if I listened to MN I most certainly would not have sent her there. Fortunately, I didn't! DD's school's reputation on MN hasn't ever really reflected what the actual school is like, as far as I can tell. Also in Richmond, btw.

I didnt listen to mumsnet to decide what school to choose as i said above it seemed that east sheen was more popular (SEEMED) did not say other school was bad and maybe elibean is right maybe there is only a certain group of parents on here i dont know either way its good to see elibean praising the school her child goes to Both are good hope all parents are happy now lol i was just trying to help because i know how much of a nightmare it is travel by car to not a localish place. Was just trying to help without upsetting anyone. Sorry

And as confirmed on this forum east sheen IS a good school so its not like i was wrong was just telling op whati have read no harm in that

I'm pleased that you are happy with your choice, OP!

Given the choice between two good schools, I would take the one nearby. As children get older, having all their friends within walking distance adds hugely to the quality of their social life - and yours. And I would do my best to avoid a car journey at school drop off rush hour.

Fizz, you certainly didn't upset anyone afaik

But you did make me slow down and explain my comments, which is good!

I agree, both schools are excellent. Richmond has cracking primary schools, we're very lucky in that respect.

My daughter's at Lowther and loves it. But we lived nearer to East Sheen when we first applied (we moved nearer to school since) and if she'd got in there, that's where she'd be now! Both school are great, I know loads of people whose children are at East Sheen and are very happy with it. I'd go for the the one that works best for you as a family.

I would definitely go for East Sheen. Hands down a better school