Help, my child has been offered a place at Millennium Primary School (Greenwich) and we are not sure if to accept or not.

[SarahChamberlin]

Our DD has been offered her 4th place choice school for Reception and we had a phone call today asking if we would be accepting the place. I have visited the school and was impressed by the calm environment and how polite and helpful the children were but I keep hearing mixed messages about the school. Does anybody have any advice?

DO you lke it more than the school you have already been offered? If so accept and you can also continue to stay on the waiting lists for your first 3 choices.

What have you heard? Presume Halstow and Meridian were above it?

I know people there who like it.

Accept and go on waiting lists. If you decline the council is under no obligation to make you another offer. Also if you find a school with vacancies that you like more you can always transfer before she starts.

Our ds is starting there in Sept, YR. In fact there's the induction day this Thursday (26th) at 9.30am if you can make it? I looked round the school twice and like you was very impressed. All the negative rumours about the school really annoy me. When I told a neighbour my ds had got into Millennium, she actually said: "I'm so sorry". Charming!

I actually preferred this school to some of the 'outstanding' local schools I saw. Naming no names!

I understand Millennium will be having an Ofsted in the next school year and I suspect and hope they will get back to 'Good'. The 'problems' the school team inherited were never in Reception/KS1 anyway but further up the school.

Yes, it is a bit of a 'risk' sending your dc to a school that's trying to turn itself around but for us there are more positives than negatives. For example I like that there's no uniform, it's round the corner etc.

I hope you decide to give it a go. As other people have said, you can always stay on waiting lists to keep your options open.

Accept. A friend of mine had the same dilemma last year and asked for my thoughts - I felt the problems were historic, and that they were largely resolved, it would just take a couple of years to work through and show on paper. If my friend's DD had been Y5 instead of YR, I'd have hesitated, but the school's results in the lower years have been great recently, which kind of proves the point about 'working through'. Her DD's really happy there.

You can always stay on waiting lists. Tbh, if a place at another school did come up (are you Greenwich or Charlton side?), you may find it's not worth the hassle of moving anyway. I think I'd only hold out for Invicta/Meridian/Halstow whatever if the journey to school was considerably better. Personally I wouldn't want to be crossing some of the roads we'd need to cross, especially the mess that is the A2/A102/Woolwich Flyover/Blackwall tunnel Approach, with a 4yo and younger DC in a buggy every day and then also have to go in the opposite direction for DC2’s nursery. That would be the main downside of Millennium for us, and depending on where you live, may not even be a factor for you. If you can walk via the river path, for example, it would be a fantastic choice.

Accept, the school has really turned itself around. My DD is in Y2, I did think about moving my DD last school year but am so glad I decided against it. She loves going to school. The staff and management have really turned the school around and I am very impressed with what they have done. The school looks great and behaviour of the children is very good. I suggest you go and have a look around, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I would accept! My DD and DS had a rocky time a couple of years ago when the old management was on the way out but the turn around by the current staff and Head has been phenomenal. My DCs couldn't be happier and the school is definitely on the up. The classrooms and outdoor area, particularly in Nursery and Reception, are brilliant. It's definitely worth the chance and I am so glad that we stayed with the school.

We moved locally a year back and thought it seemed a good school. It is! My DS is doing great - making much better progress than at previous sch. Really happy, with a lovely teacher.
Everyone's been helpful. :)

I agree with 999ib9 my DC loves the school and can't wait to join their friends every morning, running off into the playground. There is a calm atmosphere around the school and they get to have some amazing experiences, the Y6s have been talking about their recent school journey and the playground has been abuzz with the Y5s attendance at a big book awards ceremony in London. I really enjoy the parent reading mornings every Friday and try my hardest to make sure I can come in and read with my DC and their friends in the class. The staff are friendly, approachable and really care about the children. I think it is a definitely a lovely place for my DC to go to school, take the place.