Been offered brand new free school or last choice

[Lazymama2]

We're not sure what to do as have been offered a place at a brand new school which is with walking distance but has not been 'fitted out' yet (buildings are there). There is very little concrete info on term dates, start and finish times, curriculum and obviously no past performance on which to base a decision. Also no older kids to look up to. Other school is our last choice and has improved from satisfactory to good. DH does not want Dd to go to this school and would prefer private. I, on the other hand, quite like idea of a brand new school.

Thoughts/ideas anyone?

PS please dont turn this into a debate of state vs. private as I believe every parent does what is best for thier child/family circumstances and im not for/against one or the other.

@nlondondad

Your argument is flawed because it ignores the fact that the place left vacant at St Michaels by highgatedad choosing Whitehall Park will have been filled by another local parent glad not to have been left with a choice of a failing school in Tottenham or paying exorbitant independent school fees.

@nlondondad

Oh and despite various people having already answered your question about the number of children at Whitehall Park School I will happily reiterate that it is 5 times the number that you gleefully predicted with the exclamation "THEY WILL BE LUCKY TO REACH DOUBLE FIGURES" (your capitals)

Actually no one has actually answered the question: it is not a difficult one.

"How many children are actually attending Whitehall Park School?"

(telling me its five times another, unspecified, number, does not help).

Although an equally interesting question is:

"How many of them live in the Whitehall Park area?"

Its true that neither of these questions could be answered precisely until term started, but it has....now.

@nlondondad
A lot of the children are local to Whitehall Park and the immediate surrounding areas both on the Islington and Haringey sides of the site.

@nlondondad

Do you have reception age children that you are looking to move to Whitehall Park School? Speaking to the Headmistress will I am sure give you the information on numbers of children and their precise journey time/route to school.

So the supporters of Whitehall Park School are, it seems, unwilling to give actual figures on Mumsnet for the number of children attending the school. Despite the fact, that, if as you all claim, you have children at the school this must be really obvious, I mean a mere glance around the portocabin would do it. Yet you appear to have figures for other schools.

I note, by the way that the school web site still announces that "reception places are still available" Odd, as during the summer, the Head teacher described her school as "oversubscribed" and earlier still demand for the school was described as "overwhelming"

The information is publicly available nlondondad.
When you have consistently been so hostile to the school and our decision to send our children there why would we give it to you.?
As your prediction was single figures (so at best 9) and another poster has already told you it is 5 times that number then I am sure you can work it out and will be first to congratulate the school on such a fantastic achievement against all the odds.

Again, I am sure that if you contacted the school they would be in a position to provide you with the figures.

I need advice plzzzzzzz
As we moved to a new house , my soon had offered a place for reception in Ark academy school
To be honest i don't know this school is just opened last september , and i don't know what is the difference between a normal and academic school
Plzz plzz someone give advice
Thank you

@Meissajj

One of the key differences between the two is around control - academies and free schools are run independently of the control of the local authority but for more info here is a link to the official gov website which might assist.

www.gov.uk/types-of-school/overview.

Best of luck

I think the game is up. Nlondondad with his Sherlock Holmes-esque sleuthing skills has discovered the conspiracy. I admit it, there are only actually 4 children at the school. We take them in the front gate, sneak them out the back and bring them in the front again several times each morning to create the illusion that there are more of them.

None of us even live locally. I myself commute from Glasgow every day and one child even flies in from the Channel Islands.

Thank you wihtehallparckdad

@juniorjones

if the information is available publically please tell me where we might find it.

The only public information I can find is on the Whitehall Park website where:

1. No numbers are given

1. Applications are still being solicited for reception places, which indicates vacancies, (but actually you seem to accept there are vacancies)

@whitehallparkdad

When I contact the school I get no response. I am not the only person to have had that experience. Perhaps you could contact the school on my behalf as you seem on good terms with them?

What I am looking for (to repeat) is the number of children in the school and how many are from the Whitehall Park area.

Autumn school census day this year is 2 October.

@nlondondad,Your obsession about this subject is at best odd and at worst downright intimidating. However I'm sure the detailed freedom of information request that has been put in my someone who seems to share your passion will give you the information you are after. Perhaps you know him?

It is a simple question and I think it now speaks volumes that you decline to answer. Indeed FOI is a possible route: Interesting that you would appear to be in good enough touch with the school to know what FOI requests they are getting, and yet unwilling to say how many children there are. Its very relevant information to any parent considering the school for next year, and who would like some reassurance regarding its long term viability.But there are a number of people in the area who share my concern, (there was you recall, a whole public meeting full) so I am not surprised an FOI has gone in.

Hi nlondondad
seems like you can wait until October and all will be revealed.

You don't seem to have answered my question? How odd. Do you want to repeat it?

Actually nlondondad another parent told me about David Barry's FOI request so nothing to do with the school.
In terms of answering your question about number of children, as stated earlier you only wish bad things for the school and as you don't have reception age children so have no personal need of this information, why would we give it to you?

Your continued refusal to answer a simple question regarding numbers of children at Whitehall Park School conveys an obvious message to any parent seeking to use Mumsnet to find out about Whitehall Park School. And to find out how well it is doing. And what the risk of it failing to attract enough children to its portocabins to continue might be.

Your descent, not for the first time, into personal comments also speaks volumes.

Bringing my children into it, is however a new low. You do not know whether I have school age children or not.

Apologies nlondondad

I was simply assuming that your interest was based on a personal requirement for schooling for your children which I would have anticipated would be young enough to attend primary school reception class. I cannot think of any other reason why you would be so interested in this primary school.

I think it's a reasonable deduction that you do not have children at Whitehall Park school. After all, if you had, you'd know the numbers.

All schools do their numbers in October. In most parts of London there is significant churn at the start of a new academic year, and it takes a few weeks into term for the numbers to settle. Much better for all schools to wait and go for the more settled figures. Especially as the pan-London predictions for shortages of school places in the years up to 2018 run to thousands. Undersubscribed schools will be like gold dust

@nlondondad

This is a quote by you in an earlier thread about Whitehall Park.

"both my children went to Ashmount School. The youngest now 18,"

I made no comment about your children other than they were not of reception age, which is something that you had already stated. Quite how that constitutes me 'bringing your children into this' or 'sinking to a new low' I'm not sure.

I will happily speak to any prospective parents reading this thread who want to contact me about Whitehall Park, the class sizes, the enthusiasm and impressiveness of the teaching staff and head teacher, the positive comments that have been made to me and to my daughter my members of the local community in recent weeks, the future viability and building plans of the school and, most importantly, how happy my daughter is and how much she is enjoying it

Ditto. Like Jakecate, I also have a child at Whitehall Park School and would be happy to talk to any prospective parents about the wonderful experience that my child is having.

relevant press stories.

In previous stories Islington Gazette relying on press releases from Whitehall Park School reported the school as "overwhelmed with applications" then in due course "oversubscribed". Now it seems the school is prepared to be more forthcoming about the actual state of affairs....

www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/oversubscribed_hornsey_rise_free_school_still_has_empty_seats_in_the_classroom_1_3777611

Assuming this is now accurate it would still be interesting to know how many of the children are from the local area.