Primary Schools in Hampstead/Primrose Hill/Muswell Hill

[Claxonia]

We are thinking of moving to London in the next couple of months and are considering renting a flat in Hampstead or Primrose Hill. We will be registering our child to start reception in 09/2016. Does anyone have any advice on which are the best state schools in the area? Also is it tough to get a place anywhere good? We are not against moving to somewhere like Muswell Hill if finding a school place would be easier.

Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you.

Don't know state schools in Hampstead or Primrose Hill. Muswell Hill schools are very oversubscribed and there are big black holes so make sure you carefully check the last distance offered last year and assume it will shrink a bit year on year.

You're more likely to be able to find somewhere to rent near decent schools in Primrose Hill/Hampstead as more people go private.

Primrose Hill Primary, St Pauls', New End are all good. I agree, lots of people go private in Primrose Hill and Hampstead so not as hard as one would imagine to get into a good state primary.

I know of a woman whose child didn't get any state schools this year; later she got offered one at the extreme south of the Borough of Camden. She is 200 m from her nearest school. There were many like her apparently.
I would urge caution on moving to Hampstead for schools frankly.

See here from Giles Coren re being "gazumped" for Hampstead school places (though I think he/the school is on the other side of the Heath):

now-here-this.timeout.com/2015/04/28/giles-coren-im-not-going-to-send-my-kids-to-school/

The situation in Kentish Town, where Giles Coren lives, is very different to Primrose Hill and Hampstead. Eleanor Palmer School, which Coren applied to, had a final cut-off distance of 0.1 of a mile, whereas for Primrose Hill (0.5) and New End (0.9) the final distances are much greater because many more local children are privately educated.

Also EP school is one-form entry and has a historic problem with people renting nearby (I think last year there were four), which has a knock-on effect as younger siblings come through. For instance, if there were 4 renters last year and, let's say, 15 siblings and two SEN or other top priority, then there were only a handful of 'open' places left.

Thank you for all your replies. This is really helpful, lots to bear in mind when we make a final decision.

You could also try our MN Local site for Camden, which has a talk board where you can ask locals for advice & recommendations, plus thousands of listings including a What's On guide and local schools, where Mumsnetters can add their reviews local.mumsnet.com/camden