Best Primary schools in London

[rinxxx]

Please suggest names for some of the best private Primary schools in London - north, south and east are absolutely fine as we can move to rent close-by. I just don't know where to start my research from.
Thank you so much in advance for your inputs.

I was going to suggest a couple of outstanding ones near me....but they are state. Any reason why it has to be private?

You don't need to rent close to a private school, as distance isn't the criteria.

What are your DC like? And what sort of schooling do you want for them long term?

At what points can you contemplate a selection process?

My DC is a very bright boy and very friendly and easily makes friends which is why I would like to find a school where he can shine and progress. Ideally a school which he can start at 3 (he's 2yrs now) and can go on till 18. That saves us from looking for a separate senior school etc. The reason I mentioned location is because I will still have to drop him and my DH will be picking him up on his way back home. So if its too far out, we wont be able to manage.

I would like for imy DC to go to a school that not only focuses on academics which is a priority but equally on extra curricular activities as well (like cricket/drama etc).

Please suggest xxx

Radiatorvalves - We live and work in Canary Wharf at the moment and none of the state schools around here have interested me so far. So its difficult to move to another place for a good state school and then not getting through is another headache. therefore the decision of a private school.

We are in Balham, and round us there are lots of good schools...Henry Cavendish, Telferscot, and then for secondary, the options are also great. Your DS sounds similar to mine (I have 2) and while we have thought about private which we could just about afford, I think that we like what the local schools offer. We both have serious jobs involving travel, and so have had a series of APs.

If we change our minds about state for secondary, there are a lot of private options near by....Dulwich etc. I think both boys would be likely to pass the entrance exam. Some people go through 3-18, but I don't know anyone who does that. Not entirely sure that there are any guarantees though.

Ibstock?
Harrodian?

Though arguably west rather than South....

Radiatorvalves - That sounds really good but I think we have just become so used to living here in Canary Wharf (mostly due to the convenience to work and central London which gives us so much time together as a family. Wouldnt want to really give that up. What are the good private primary schools in Balham if you can suggest some please?

timeforachangeofusername - Thanks for the suggestion although isint Ibstock in Leicestershire? Harrodian looks good but its soo far away! :(

But irrelevant but how do people know their 2-year-old is 'really bright'? Aren't all two year olds an enchanting mixture of really bright and bafflingly dumb?

She'll mean the Ibstock School in Putney!

It seems to be getting more popular, but can be difficult to get to (not well served by public transport).

The obvious 3-18 choice for a boy is Dulwich College, but the journey between Dulwich and Canary Wharf isn't great (assuming you continue to work there).

Eltham College. Easy ish commute to Canary wharf.
As is Colfe's.
They are just the local private boys schools I wish I could afford.
You should look toward Essex too for commuting.

thankgoditsover - Irrelevant for sure and Im sure just like all 2 yr olds are not the same, I can see if my child easily socialises or not. Which is where the "bright" observation comes from.

AnotherNewt - Ahhh! But of course - I think its becoming obvious that I havent really started my research properly :) I would've loved Dulwich College for my DC - Im still trying to figure out a way so will go ahead and apply anyway :)

Well it's not irrelevant because I'm suggesting you can't make decisions about secondary schooling based on a 2-year-old. And I speak as a parent who's just turned down a place at City (one of your favoured schools) for a son who couldn't speak at 2, and was v much middle table at his low achieving state primary until end of y2.
You honestly can't tell yet.

Another thing to consider is that schools that go 'through' may have weeding points within that progression. If a child doesn't seem to be a good fit for the next stage of the school, the parents will be advised (usually well in advance) to start looking for another school.

You'll have a better idea of what your DS will be like when he's a bit older. Have you considered using your current local preprep until 7/8+ and them looking for a prep with a close feeder link to a school you like the look of for secondary?

AnotherNewt - Thats exactly how we would like to proceed as well. Ideally a preprep and prep which gradually progresses on to the main school. There are very few of those that I have come across. HABS being one of them but seems quite tough to get in. So if you do know of other schools that have their own preprep and prep, plz do let me know.

It's good to have a plan for the next 16 years, but I don't know anyone that has not changed track in some way (school, job, house, marriage, etc) in such a long period of time. Don't bank on long term predictions!

There is a lot that can change, not just academic ability, at different ages - imagine a boy at all these ages: 2, 5, 9, 11, 13, 16 and 18!

You may find that the "one stop shop" school was great for your 5 year old but there are better fits for your 11 year old. Take care not to get locked into a school that won't support you moving but just as happy to kick you out when "brighter" kids turn up at key stages (aged 7, 8, 11, 13, 16).

As for the "private" question, you sound pretty die hard on that point.

For what it's worth I did a quick search on the DoE database for state primary schools within 1 mile of E14. There are several that have a very high cohort of children achieving a level 5 or above. Given they don't have academic selection that is (I suspect) easily as good as any prep school.

For example Bygrove Primary got 57% of pupils to level 5 and above and their "value add" scores are pretty good. There are a 5 or 6 others with similar outcomes. Statistics don't mean much, but have you actually visited these schools to dismiss them as possibilities?

I think it's pretty clear the OP doesn't want her PFB mixing with the great unwashed MN164!

I can believe that there are some areas where the state primary schools might not match up to local prep schools, but, especially in London, the reason people seem to avoid state is the "fear" that when it gets to 11+ they will have somehow "missed the boat".

This is a common misconception. Most decent private secondary schools I have seen have a very good policy of bringing in a state primary school cohort.

So, even if you do go private from the age of 24 months (!!!!), the great "unwashed" will keep mixing in with your child's class (whilst their smug parents try not to rub your nose in how much money they saved and how "naturally" bright their child was to get in without being prep'd for 9 years ).

State primaries are overlooked and discounted far too much.

Surely this thread is begging for controversy (even if it was unintentional). It should have been titled best Prep school in London. To ask for best Primary (which generally describes a State school) and then to state that you have discounted all state schools already, is by definition suggesting that the fee-paying are better.

If someone wants (and can afford) to send their child to fee-paying schools, for whatever reason, then fair enough. But surely it must be clear to any fool that the there are many very excellent state primary schools, and very many rather mediocre fee-paying prep/pre-prep schools.

OP the Education board (rather than primary school) often has a heavier weight of private/public school questions. It might be worth you asking about pre-prep and prep schools there.

I think it's unintentional. E14 is a historically poor working class area (docks and then industrial decline) and despite a lot of shiny high rise residences the school buildings are typically old and on tight urban sites. Medium-high FSM, EAL and SEN percentages a given but as MN164 says outcomes that are good or better by national standards. No white MC honeypot schools.

OP, if you want a private primary school then realistically you need to move. Posters above have suggested the main SE London all-through schools, and other posters have correctly pointed out that going to a 3-18 school does not guarantee entry to the senior school.

If going SE for a short commute to work, Colfe's and Eltham College are both considered good schools but are in pretty suburban locations which are rather meh places to live but that's just me
Blackheath Prep is better located if you are working in CW (but I would not suggest it if you were still living in CW - it would be 1hr at least) and a local school with a good reputation for preparing kids for entry to Kent grammars or the highly selective London/Kent schools but everyone tutors anyway

There are good and excellent state primaries in both Greenwich and Lewisham. A few have tiny catchments or strict churchgoing requirements so if moving you need to be pretty certain you've understood the admission criteria correctly, but most others are larger and so more relaxed. Bear in mind that Greenwich borders Bexley which retains a grammar school system so that tends to skew state school SATS results due to 11+ preparation.

It's also well worth asking someone who actually understands DFE statistics to take you through what they mean for individual primary schools. I really wish I'd known that when DD1 was 3.