2019 reception starters in Islington

[mummyfier]

If you are like me researching about primary schools in Islington to apply from September 2018, and if you're starting to get panicky what's best out there then you're on the right thread :)
I wonder if anyone can give advice on Islington primary schools? Ofsted rating is important, but more important is positive school atmosphere and child support by the staff. William Tyndale is out of our catchment area. Anyone with recent experience (2016/2017/2018) with Christopher Hatton, Thornhill, Kings cross Academy, Hugh Myddelton and Laycock? Also, as I'm new to this application process, do schools release updated catchment area when applications start in September 2018? Thanks.

Hi, I know people with children at Kings Cross Academy and Hugh Myddelton who are happy with their choice. Christopher Hatton (in Camden) is very well regarded.

The best way to find out for yourself is to tour schools. This website is very handy for working out which schools you are most likely to get a place at.

www.schoolcatchment.co.uk/

Terentia thank you for info. I have booked visits with few schools already, so I agree with you. But it is always better to have insider info, as for couple popular schools with outstanding rating I have heard massive issues to exist with bullying, staff attitude etc, that can not be spotted during visit.. Hopefully will get good one, this process is so stressfull

Hi, the Islington council website does have maps which show the previous years cut off distance for schools (this can vary year to year). It does also tell you the last distance a child was admitted on the distance criteria for all schools.
There is a lot of movement in Islington primaries so you may not get first choice on offer day so it is definitely worth staying on the waiting lists. If you are very close to the edge of cut off for a school don't let it stop you applying but make sure you do have one you will definitely get into on the list!
I know of a couple of kids at Laycock who are happy there.

Vinorosso74 Thank you for this info, it's good to know waiting list is an option!

Hi,

Thanks mummyfier for starting this thread, I'm hoping there'll be some more experts along as I'm keen to hear real life views/opinions/ knowledge on:

Hugh Myddleton
Hanover
Shoreditch Park

This is our shortlist. All incredibly different schools and we only know parents at one of the schools.

Are any local parents happy to share their insights.

Thank you!

Hi

As I said I know parents with a DC at Hugh Myddleton who are happy but I don’t know much about the school personally.

The parent I know with a DC at Shoreditch Park is very pleased by it and quite evangelical about the school, persuading another parent she knows to join. I get the impression the school has taken a strict, academic approach, which is getting them good results. Kids come from a variety of backgrounds but there’s a middle-class contingent especially in the lower years.

My DC is at Hanover, happy, settled and learning well. It’s quite a relaxed school but with a lovely feel to it. Recently it received another “good” rating from Ofsted which perhaps disappointed some parents who were hoping for an improvement. However the head is still relatively new (less than 2 years in charge) and is working on change and i’d recommend the school.

Whereabouts are you?

Hey Terentia!

Thank you for that overview, it's really appreciated. We're just off of Arlington Square.

If not too much trouble, could you tell me a little about how the combination of Jack and Polly is working out? They're both relatively new to their roles, so I imagine this means they are enthusiastic and seeking to make an impact re the direction they wish to take the school. Does the school seem to be going through a state of flux/ transition? I'm aware of impending changes to the phonics system and certain staff being let go and/or on long term sick.

Are you aware of parental or staff concerns about prep for KS2? I'm aware that the results in recent years have at times left some parents and staff confused and disappointed.

Have you come across the School's Google and Ofsted Parent view commentary? Common themes seem to centre around lack of leadership, concern about management of bullying and lack of support/sensitivity around children with SEN.

Could you shed any light on any of this?

Hanover is our nearest school, DC knows a few children there, it's close to all of our extra curricular activities that we already do on week-day afternoons, so on paper it's where DC should be going, but as you may be able to tell DP and I are a little concerned about what's been happening since Mandy left.

Hence why we're exploring Shoreditch and Hugh Myddleton although HM in particular is an age away on foot.

Any information or insight that you'd be happy to share would be really appreciated.

Thank you!

Kia

We looked at Shoreditch Park last year when deciding on a school for DD and really liked it. A close friend chose it for her DC and loves it, very active PTA and engaged staff. The huge green space nearby obviously a big plus too.

My only slight concern (and I may be incorrect) was that I thought the school may be part of the proposed leisure centre redevelopment and so would be moving to a new site with all the disruption that entails (temporary pre-fab buildings etc).

We didn't choose SP in the end but only because we are spoilt for choice with a range of really good schools a bit closer to where we live so opted for a different school. I'm in Hackney by the way (and think SP falls in this borough?) so don't have any advice regarding any Islington schools - sorry!

Hi Eastie77,

Thanks so much for discussing your experiences and observations on Shoreditch Park, they're very helpful. And especially good to know that yourself and Terentia have friends who have chosen it and been very happy with their decision.

Any more views on Hanover and Hugh Myddleton would be greatly appreciated.

With thanks,

Kia

Our DC is in one of the lower years and hasn’t attended another school, or Hanover with another head, so our experience is of course limited. I know other parents with broader experience who are happy with Hanover, and the few kids who have left my DC’s year group have mostly done so because they moved to another area. I also know of two children of Hanover teachers who attend the school, which speaks well.

As you may know Jack was deputy head before taking over. Polly was at Christopher Hatton, an outstanding school in Camden. On paper, that sounds like a winning combination (knowledge of the school combined with an outside perspective) which was perhaps why there’s disappointment about the Ofsted and the SATs. One of them is usually on the steps of the school at drop-off time and parents can approach them, so they are accessible, and both seem enthusiastic. The one time I had to contact Jack, he responded promptly. There may well be deeper problems with leadership but I’m not best placed to know about them.

In terms of SATs, they are troubling but represent the results from only the first year of the new regime, and there were a few teachers who left at the end of that year who may have been part of the problem. The school sent a letter to us explaining the steps they were taking to improve things, which was reassuring. I’m taking a wait-and-see approach to this.

With SEN, there’s one child I know of in my DC’s class who has issues and I know of accommodations that have been made for that child. I also know of one child whose SEN information was not passed from the nursery teacher to reception teacher, though that’s perhaps more of an admin error. My DC does not have SEN so I’m not well informed about the topic, although classmates with allergies and medical conditions have mostly been dealt with well.

Google reviews can be a bad guide (even William Tyndale has few negative ones). Some of the complaints seem to be about parents, kids’ behaviour out of school and accusations that some families are “common” or have no “class”.

The Google reviews about bullying do trouble me and if that was happening to my DC and was not being handled well it would be a deal-breaker for us. I know one of the parents who left a bad review as our DCs were in the same class before she moved him out of the school. My child strongly disliked hers and I do personally doubt her account from what I saw of her, the teacher and the rest of the kids. There are other instances in the reviews. However, at the moment, DC has not reported any bullying and bad behaviour in her class is addressed.

Hope this helps, do feel free to ask anything—I visit these boards to give and receive advice.

Thank you so much Terentia for returning to the thread and sharing your experiences and knowledge, it has helped immensley.

It's so difficult trying to understand a school from the outside and it feels like such an important decision that one really wants to get right first time.

As our local school it's great to know that its so well regarded by its parents!

Heard some good things about Canonbury. Anyone got experience of this school?

I'm also concerned about what's going on under the new Head and DH. Was told by a friend about their experience when Mandy was head which was all really positive. Felt happy about what I'd heard and thought about trying to move my d there as it's closer to us now. Then I was told that things had really changed. Also heard about a lot of staff change there. Think 4 people left last year. Asked my friend if staff left a lot because I know this can happen in other schools, but they said that wasn't normal for Hanover. Getting to know different mums in the area now and one told me people about long term sick also, but that it had to do with a teacher who had been bullied out of the job and that other staff had been treated badly too. This seems strange, but apparently he just left and no one has heard anything else even though they said that they were told he would be teaching their child this year.
I heard a lot of things that worried me from a lot of different people. Was also warned that Jack and Polly are not what they appear to be. I tried to find out what this meant, but could only get that there was some sort of division now in the staff with quite a few being unhappy.
Decided to look at the Ofsted report, but also at Parentview. The two do not match up at all. Under Mandy there were over 90% saying the school was well led or managed and 97% said they would recommend the school to others. Now it is only 66% saying well led and managed and 70% recommending it. I think there are different numbers of responses, but even so, I would have thought that the percentages would have been similar.
I'd rather go with what other parents are saying than an Ofsted report. It's a bit weird that the report says something about ICT being very good, but my friends s says that they when they use computers they have to share one in a group because most of them don't work or take too long to log on to.

That's interesting, NotBeenHereLong! I will try to find out more about the teaching situation. The school newsletter lists two new ones.

I know of one teacher who was/is long term sick. She put her back out. That instance in particular doesn't reflect badly on the school.

Thanks for that Terentia, I hadn't heard anything about anyone hurting their back, and I agree that someone hurting themselves is not a bad reflection on the school. I'd only heard that some people that had been affected by bullying and that people had been ill or had left because of it.
The Parentview part on Ofsted doesn't look good though.

Hi, my daughters both go to Thornhill (year 2 and nursery) it’s a great school with a brilliant head Jenny Lewis. It’s a happy, creative place with a very engaged parent body. And the sats results in the last two years have been outstanding/, rating above schools like the yerbury.

Hi I have asked around and haven’t found out a whole lot. There is one teacher on long-term sick leave who I get the impression the school would like to replace. Someone told me that they had heard some stories about the SEN coordinator which weren’t positive.

DC is still happy at school and I know many parents who are. I have also heard about people who had a problem and the school didn’t resolve it so they have left.

If you’re considering Hanover, visit the school and see what you think and then go from there…