London, Wimbledon primary schools advice sought.

[Skittles82]

Hello all,
First time poster on MumsNet here, but grateful for advice from the community.
We are moving to the Wimbledon area of London in the near future and are trying to shortlist schools for our child who will be moving into year 3 in September 18.
A faith school would not be an option for our family but we are keenly looking at West Wimbledon Primary, Joseph Hood and Wimbledon Chase. Does anybody have experience of these schools and able to offer their thoughts?
Also happy to receive feedback on other schools in the area that people feel would be worth checking out (or avoiding).
Thanks all.

In my opinion all schools in that area (Wimbledon & Raynes Park) are good. There is some natural snobbery for/against some of course! Wimbledon Chase is pretty much the top school in Merton with a small, defined catchment area (APA), it is very, very popular and a large 4 form school, highly regarded. I have no experience of West Wimbledon (which is actually in Raynes Park) but it is well regarded. Joseph Hood is looked down upon by some, wrongly so according to parents with children there who really like the school so don't be swayed by the opinions of others, see for yourself. Joseph Hood tends to be the school which will have places/be under subscribed. Other non-faith schools in that area (although note the 3 schools you've mentioned are not close to each other) are Dundonald, Pelham, Hollymount and a bit further out Hillcross, Aragon, Hatfeild. I may have missed some! Go to Merton's website for a full list. All the best with your search.

As monkey says pretty much all schools in Wimbledon are good.
You have to bear in mind that many of them are heavily oversubscribed and you would have to live within a couple of hundred yards (or closer!) to even have a chance of a place.
To add to the list there is also Poplar school and Merton Park school, both very good schools, round the corner from Joseph Hood.
I suggest visiting your top choices, or those closest to where your house will be, as they all have very different feel, demographic and ethos. If you're lucky there will be some movement of pupils, there is a chance of kids leaving if they have got through the 7+ for the indies.
So if you're close enough (and hence jump the waiting list) you might get a place in one of the more sought after schools. The council should be able to tell you what the waiting lists are like.