Primrose Hill v Brookfield Primary Schools Camden

[Bandita88]

Hello dear parents! Honest opinions please on Primrose Hill and Brookfield Primary Schools in Camden. My son and I have recently moved to Kentish Town and have been told that these two schools may have places available. He is 5.5 and already started reception. Unfortunately his former school is too far, he won’t be able to finish this academic year there. He is a self learner very bright and loves challenges. Interested in how things work and are built, also into sports and very good at them. I would like to know how schools push kids that love challenges and work on projects and also the downsides ... especially with re discrimination if you’re not a child of wealthy English parents and mixed raced. I’ve heard hot and cold about Brookfield, especially teachers and the head, how money oriented they are and the good results are because of lots of private tuition not the education kids receive at school. Primrose Hill is a mistry to me, I’ve been told it’s a very good school but no more than that. Every opinion counts! Thank you all!

I don't think there are any problems with discrimination at Brookfield. It's very socially and ethnically mixed and the kids seem to get along across all boundaries. They're very hot on "rights of the child" and anti-bullying and the school makes a real effort for pupil premium kids and in general is very good. Active PTA with lots of events too. In the way of most North London PTAs, it's pretty middle-class.

I don't think tutoring is an issue... haven't heard of any of the m/c kids getting tutored except the few who went for and got in to super-selective secondaries (CLS/CLSG/Highgate). Most y6s are off to Burghley this year.

What has been noticeable - and this will be true of all Camden schools - is that they're struggling for money. Huge turnover of staff, one TA per year group rather than class, fewer trips (though there are still good trips inc. Paris), fewer clubs, minimal homework, no big all-school arts projects as there have been in the past. That, plus curriculum changes, has meant a deterioration of ambition for some kids, but as said, that's down to funding and will likely be the same at Primrose Hill. Brookfield has been very good for our child, who's thrived. I would be a bit more worried about starting y1 now, but that would be the case with Primrose Hill or any other primary in current conditions.

PS. Sports at Brookfield are very good especially at KS2. They have a genuinely inspirational head of PE and seem to at least medal in all the Camden schools swimming/athletics/football competitions they enter.