Schools in Westminster

[Tiasmummy]

Hi. Does anybody's child go to a school in westminster? I have to apply for a place for my daughter for september and I am currently reading up on various schools in the borough. Could you tell me which school they go to and your opinion of it? eg atmosphere, results etc.

Thanks

We applied this year for DS for reception. In Westminster because of the high population density proximity to the school can be a major issue. If you look at the primary schools admissions brochure they produce it gives the furthest distances away from some of the schools that the last pupil admitted for whom this was the nearest community school. For popular schools like it was Gateway - 590m. Hampton Gurney another good school had 129 applications for 30 places. St Joseph's and also St Vincent's both allocated all their places to practising Catholics both receiving about 4 applicants per place.
You need to identify the best school near where you live and consider if there are any requirements such as church attendence that affect your chances of getting a place.
Realistically, you don't have a great deal of choice.
Where in Westminster do you live? We are in W9.

Thanks for the response :-) I am in Bayswater W2. My first choice would be hampden gurney but as you say it is oversubscribed so not sure how likely this will be. Which school did you apply for your DS? How come you have applied already? I thought we all had to apply in september...or do you mean that he is going to start school this coming septmeber?

He starts in September so we have just got our places. We are in W9 so he's got a place at Queen's Park. I'm assuming your nearest community school would be Hallfield. I don't know much about it other than it does reasonably well in the league tables etc. If you are looking at Hampton Gurney you really need to be a regular Christian Church goer ideally in the schools parish. Looking at last years admissions brochure they filled all their places from church goers.
It was our experience that we put another community school as our first choice (we live c10mins walk away) and we didn't get in - we probably live c8mins away from QP.

Hiya. I have been at work all day and for some strange reason the works comps wont let you go to certain sites including mumsnet! So have not been able to look at this thread all day.
I saw a little girl today with her dad and she had the hampden gurney uniform so I had a chat with him. He only lives 2 roads away from me and his daughter got in so maybe I have a slight chance of getting in! lol! Very slim though. My daughter is baptised and we are church goers so I will try my luck. The thought of my daughter not getting into at least one of my three top choices is just heart breaking though :-(

It is really hard. We are in the fortunate position that we can afford to go private if we are not happy with the school we have been allocated. We are still debating what the best choice is. We didn't have the option of applying on the basis of church going as DP & DS are not Christians so we were always reliant on proximity alone which does narrow your options.
I suspect we may end up going down the private route at some point. I think I found it all a bit frustrating because I didn't feel like we had a very good pool of schools to choose from where we were. I think you may be better off in W2

I so wish I could afford to send my little girl private but finances will not allow. You really are lucky that you have that option. I dont know anything about queens park school but I really hope that it is ideal for you and it all works out for the best for your ds :-)

Hi Tiasmummy; just saw this thread and wondering if you applied to Hampden Gurney? My son goes there, and we live quite far away relatively speaking - beyond Paddington Station - but some of his friends live further away than that. Also people do come and go, so it's worth being on the list if you're very keen on the school, because even if a place doesn't come up for the beginning of nursery or reception you might well get one later. We got a last minute place off the waiting list after the nursery year started, and two children left during my son's reception year.

Hiya Mei. Oh my gosh its so weird that you should write that! I would LOVE my daughter to go to Hampden Gurney!! A teacher at my daughters nursery always speaks highly of it and is always urging me to apply. It will be my first choice place no doubt about that :-)

I was wondering about the distance thing as I live in Bayswater which is only down the road from paddington. Would you mind telling me whereabouts you live so I could gage my chances??

What are the schools best features do you think?

I cant believe your message as I have been driving my partner mad going ON AND ON about Hampden Gurney! :-)

Thanks :-)

No problem! We live on Gloucester Terrace, so a bit of a walk in the morning, but in my son's class there are people as far as Westbourne Grove.

It's a lovely school I think; quite strict on discipline - not everyone's cup of tea but I like it - but also very encouraging. They give good feedback on progress. The building is terrific as you probably know. Have you been to an open day? Give Rose a call in the office. Church attendance is taken quite seriously when you apply (although I know one parent there who says they don't go and were open about it, so MAYBE it's flexible.. but I've heard that the application form now requires a letter from your vicar about your contribution at church).

You don't have to wait to apply, incidentally - the school has its own form you can fill in any time before the deadline (which I think is the March before the September you start). Are you applying for a nursery place, or reception?

Hello :-) Thanks so much for your reply. I live on westbourne grove! Its quite near to whiteleys...you know blockbuster video shop? Just the road opposite that by lloyds bank.

There is a little boy who used to go to my daughters nursery who left to go to hampeden gurney and I am sure he lives in Kensington! So maybe my chances are not as near 0% as I thought! lol!...then again I suppose he might have a sibling there...

I did ask about an open day earlier in the year but was told that they will only do one in september due to such high interest, as it would disrupt classes too much to constantly have people walking around. The lady in the office told me they had enquries from Holland!

We do go to church but as for the contribution aspect...we just attend...and thats it really. Do you think you have less chance if you dont do other things. I attend a very small church so they do not really organise many things.

I did pick up an application form from the school a few months ago and one of the questions they ask the vicar is "how long has....been attending your church for...please state EXACT length of time". whoa...they really are getting serious about this church thing nowadays huh?
We will have been attending my current church for about a year by the time I apply (You can apply from Sept up Feb) Do you think this is considered too short a time?

What year is your son in?

The building is lovely :-)

Sorry I have written so much I am probably boring you!

Thanks

:-)

Sorry forgot to ask one more question! I really would like my daughter to go to a multi cultural school. Do you think hampden gurney reflects different ethnic backgrounds well?

The actual ethnic mix may (I suspect) be on a bit of a downward trend; a big majority in reception, anyway, are white despite the school being in the middle of a very mixed area. (Because it's C of E? Or just being colonized by the desperate middle class who can't afford private fees any more?! Who knows eh. )
But you don't get any sense of cultural exclusivity in the school, bearing in mind of course the Christian orientation.
It's such a awful thing, isn't it - worrying about where you'll send them? I was pretty obsessed too. After I applied, I didn't hear anything at all from then even by June, and finally I picked up the phone, thinking I should at least get a polite "no thanks", and it turned out they'd LOST my application! Had never heard of us! And I'd been thinking about nothing else since the application deadline.. but then bizarrely we got a place anyway, so luck plays a big part I reckon. Since it is oversubscribed I think the longer you've been going to church and the closer you live must help them choose between equals, (they have to stick to published criteria after all) - but ultimately they need bums on seats.
One practical tip - I don't know how old your daughter is now, but if you can apply for nursery (rising 4) instead of reception, you'll be better placed, because all the children in nursery are given precedence for the reception places (I think it says there's no guarantee of a reception place for nursery children on the form, and you do have to apply again, but in practice no one lost their place).
I know some people go specifically to the Church of the Annunciation because of its link to the school; officially they give preference to the congregation there -it's quite "high" though so maybe not for everyone.
BTW did you know the head at St James' & St Michael's primary used to be (deputy head I think) at HG? I've heard very good things about her; perhaps a second place choice?

I'm in Westminster too but not a church go-er. All the schools near me (All Souls, St George's Hanover Square and St Vincents) prioritise church goers and then other religious people so what am I meant to do? Lie and cheat my way into school? I don't really understand where they expect non-religious people to go to school and of course, if you get into a school a distance from your home you can't drive them because you can't park

Very angry about schooling actually.

Am thinking about moving to Camden where the schools are meant to be better but then you have to put up with pc crap like doing the Christmas Scarecrow at Christmas instead of a nativity play...Am not religious but would like my daughter growing up to understand the basic traditions of this country.

Grrr.

I know what you mean M&J; I wasn't a regular church go-er before (I'm confirmed and used to go as a teenager but hadn't for years) and felt very angry about it for a while. But in the end I took the view that I could consider it just a "requirement", like, some schools require you to pay lots of money, some schools require you to go to church. And I so wanted the best local school, and I also wanted my son to have the traditional grounding. So I couldn't throw money at the problem, but I could go to church if I had to without selling my soul. And it turned out well; the one I go to is very open and liberal, which probably helps, and I started really enjoying going even though I still have serious doubts, philosophically speaking. The music is lovely, the sermons are always thought-provoking, the clergy are really friendly, I've made friends and got a sense of local community for the first time in London. I kept going even after the precious school place was won.

meiwenti - am seriously considering doing that...Plus any excuse to sing hymns again!

Hiya :-) Thanks so much for your responses. They have helped a great deal and are very informative!

My daughter already goes to a nursery near me which we are really happy with, it was the first nursery in Westiminster to get an "outstanding" grade by ofsted! :-). So putting her down for a nursery place at the school would not be an option.

Now you have talked about the reflection of races in the school it makes me kind of reconsider my preferences....I would like my daughter to see other children like her! I have changed preferences in my head SOOOOO many times!! lol! At the moment it is:

1.Hampden Gurney, 2.St Mary of the Angels.....and thats it!! haha!! I think I am turning into a major snob as other schools just dont seem good enough. We all want the very best for our kids so I am finding the thought of her not getting in to either of my first 2 choices hard. No doubt my preferences will change again soon!

I have heard of St James and St Micheals....but....you know last years "school book" that came out....well it said everybody who applied got a place or got a higher preference. This does not sound like a good thing to me....ooohhhh I know I am being snobbish again!! lol! But now you say the head used to work at hampden gurney.....hmmmmmm.....

:-)

Prompted to look at the Ofsted reports by this thread and came across this in the report on St George's Hanover Square:

"Parents choose the school for it?s religious background.."

Am I Being Unreasonable in thinking that's pretty shocking for the body charged with overseeing educational standards?

Hi M&J

How old is your child? Are you applying for this year or next? Its such a palava is'nt it!

She's only 10mo! But I'm trying to work out whether to move to Camden or not so browsing all the schools now...

Really depressing tbh. My local school - All Souls - looks pretty poor tbh. Best one near me looks to be St George's and that's very near my work but I doubt we'd get in being heathens and all!

haha!! No surely they must have to accept some kids that are not christian...surely???

You really are thinking forward though! 10 months! But to be honest its better you start going to church from when she is this young so it look really good by the time you come to apply! Only being honest so hope nobody comes along and slates me!! :-)