Camden primary school advice please

[DianaXXX]

Hi all

I have moved from Islington to Kentish Town 3 month ago.

I have two boys one at school nursery at Kentish Town Church of England ( very happy with it) also the closest school to me and the oldest child in year two is still at Hanover in Islington as had to spaces.

I have viewed 5 schools so far that has got places for him bu have reservations about each one so wanted to hear from parents that children go there or know of.

1. st Patrick's catholic school in Kentish Town

Pros:
Small school
Local

Cons:

Underachieving ( has low grades)
Headteacher is less then impressive
No after school club
Hardly any extra activities
And heavy on religion

2( Richard Cobden )

Pros:

Outstanding school
Amazing facilities
Exellent head teacher

Cons:

Hardly any extra activities
NO BREAKFAST club or after school club
No good nationality mix at all

3. Carlton

Pros:

Good school with reasonable results
Exellent and affordable enrichment clubs
Swimming twice per week

Cons:

No after school club

Very dirty and run down school

4. Rhyal primary school

Won't even bother describing it just awful

5. Brecknock

Pros:

Wonderful nursery and reception ( station and state of art outdoor area)

Has a different approach to teaching where children decide for themselves what they want to play with and so on

Cons:

No after school club
Can only take max of 2 Richmond clubs
Headteacher isn't all that helpful

It takes me an hour each way to take my child to Islington and I don't know whether to try and hold out till we get a place at Kentish Town Church of England place under sibling policy which could mean years or take one of these schools that currently have places

Please shed some light in regards to these schools so I can finally come to a decision

Thank you

I know some of these schools slightly so whilst I can't give you a big insight into them individually, a few things stand out...

If the wrap-around care is crucial, you'll need to sort that - have you asked the schools that don't have their own after school club what provision there is in the area? Child minders? A local club perhaps?

It strikes me you have 2 potential courses of action here: either move your older son to a closer school and wait for a place to come up at KT (it is very unlikely to be years, though will depend on your position in the waiting list!) or at another nearby school like Torriano or Gospel Oak if you prefer them to the ones currently on offer.

Or take a place at one of the schools you prefer (I'm not sure the HT at Brecknock not being very helpful is a reason to decline the school if there are lots of other things you do like about it) and find other ways of dealing with the wrap-around problem. I'd be astonished if there aren't other families at all these schools who need breakfast/after school care.

People in Camden school hop all the time. Primary places are very fluid at the moment.

Lastly: try posting this in Local for a more detailed response on the schools themselves.

Good luck! Kentish Town is a great place for schools both at Primary & Secondary, your boys should be fine either way.

Hi,

I’ll try to help but I hope you don’t mind me bringing in some other points that you may have overlooked?

All the schools you mentioned are just fine. I can say this as I know people with children in most of them. Don’t believe the middle class hype that only Eleanor Palmer or Kentish Town will do.

If all the schools are fine then you need to narrow your choices maybe? I don’t know where you live in Kentish Town, but this should make a difference to your choice. Do you really want to be walking past St Patrick’s to get to Carlton? Obviously if you live nearer Carlton that’s not an issue.

As the previous poster said there are other schools. You don’t just have to apply to Camden schools either. Have you contacted Tufnell Park to see if they have spaces.

Now to the biggy. Your younger child does not have a place at Kentish Town school- they have a place at the nursery- different things. A nursery place does not automatically give your child a place at the school. It doesn’t even mean it’s likely. Plenty of parents don’t use school nurseries for various reasons, but they may be higher up the admissions criteria for the school than you.

Where do you stand with KT on the admissions criteria? 3 places go to children in The Base. That takes it down to 27 places. Am I right there are places for previously looked after children? Then siblings of children with special educational needs and then other siblings. After this a church child, then a distant child, then another church child and so on. Always church first. Do you attend the church?

You need to think very carefully about your primary school admissions choices for your youngest child. I don’t think you’ll find out where they have a place for months, April? Obviously you might be lucky and a place comes up at KT in year 2 before September but I can’t see it myself? That would be your way of trumping church people by having the sibling link.

If you move your eldest child then your youngest child will probably get into that school as a sibling BUT you can’t guarantee this for St Pats I don’t think.

As for after school clubs St Pats use the Blue Hut thing in the estate next to KT school. I’m sure other schools have similar off-site after school care. Tufnell Park takes the children elsewhere.

Sorry, maybe you’ve thought about all this but I would say if you keep your eldest at the school they are at now make sure you put that school somewhere in your admissions choices for your youngest. Even if it’s 6th place.Otherwise you’ll lose out on an almost guaranteed sibling link.

Good luck!

A shorter way of saying that is...

... be careful what you do as you only have a certain sibling link at KT school until July 2019. Make wise choices on your youngests PAN London primary school form. Come April 2019 you’ll have better info.

Hi girls thank you so much for your reply

In regards to Kentish Town Church is engkand I am two roads away and even though I know I am not guaranteed a place but I did apply online for reception online already.

My oldest child is second on the list but I do appreciate that it could be years if ever!

In regards to no breakfast, I had an hour discussion with the head teacher ( she is amamzing honestly) they wasn’t able to get the grant and she was very frank stating that the parents in this school don’t require one, which I would amazing considering they have 420 students in now!

There are provisions in place for all the schools for after school club !

The reason Carlton stood out to me personally.

The headteacher was very informative.

Many enchrinebte clubs

Swimming twice per week

A lot of trips

And breakfast club.

However not the closest school to me for sure.

St Patrick’s if looks on the gov site has the lowest grades across from the 9 schools I shortlisted.

I am going to see one more school tomorrow which is good ofsyead st Michaels Church of England and I really hope that it would be the one!

Otherwise I would between Carlton and Richard one.

Just to mention if anyone is intestted Brecknock has a wonderful early years provisions !

If you really like Carlton, put it on your list. You never know how things will pan out!

I don't know St Michaels but their ASC is at Fairfield play centre, run by the wonderful PACE www.paceforall.com/after-school-club

The London Schools Atlas is very useful as a rough (and I mean rough) guide to where distance places usually go/have gone in the past (not always the same thing!). Church places tend to skew it b/c in many cases church trumps distance, but worth a look. maps.london.gov.uk/schools/

Also presume you are familiar with the Camden primary school admissions brochure? That will give you cut-off distances (on offer day, i.e. not accounting for children who subsequently got places from waiting lists) for each school - also no. of applications received per school. Bear in mind though that this is the total number of application forms with the school named in them, i.e. where people put multiple schools on their forms, these figures will include all those schools. If that makes sense.

You’re oldest child I second on the waiting list because you’re youngest child is at the school. I hope this doesn’t change come July, but it might. Do you know exactly how far you live from KT school? Can the school give you an estimate of number of siblings? There are at least one set of multiple birth children who im assuming will want KT and could skew the intake. I do t know if you live closer or further than them.

I think you’re right to go for Carlton, it’s a nice school, I know a lot of people who were placed there. It wasn’t their school of choice but they liked it. Somecchose to stay at Carlton when a place at a preferred school cane up although this was mainly due to practicalities. It’s a long walk from Kentish Town and the fact it doesn’t have a breakfast club makes it difficult for working parents- they get back to the tube too late for work! Also it’s a pain as all the kids from the French school, st Pats and Carlton are milling around at the same time. It’s a scrum.

If you’re younger child doesn’t get a place at KT they will get in to Carlton if their elder sibling is there, that’s if you’ve put it on you’re list? Although to be fair they’ll probably get in eventually anyway.You couldn’t guarantee the same for St pats.

We are 0.1 miles away from Kentish Town

All the schools I have mentioned are fair distance from me but all have a year two place and willing to take my son in

Is there any other schools that can be recommend that I haven't already mentioned ?
Thanks

Pretty sure everywhere near you has been mentioned - unless you go towards Hampstead (Fleet) or Camden Town (which you are doing already) but not sure I'd bother with the hike when your options in NW5 are so generally good... Torriano has just got an outstanding Ofsted so will no doubt be mobbed in this application round (even more than usual!) Gospel Oak is a terrific school but a bit far from you maybe?

Off the top of my head I can think of

Torriano
Gospel Oak
Eleanor Palmer
Holy Trinity and St Silas
Gospel Oak
Tufnell Park
Hargrave Park
Brookfield
Hawley

You know you can put your name on as many waiting lists as you like? If it’s a Camden school you’ll stay on the waiting list indefinitely while Islington schools ask you to reapply yearly.

When you’re eldest child enters year 3 and is a junior you would have a better chance of winning an appeal for a school place than at the moment when they are an infant.

Do you know if there are 30 or 31 children in Kentish Town’s year 2 class?

Not sure about schools but if it's helpful the C2 bus runs from Kentish Town down through Camden and then onto Victoria via Baker Street so Camden schools that border Westminster might also be in easy reach for you. There's one in Albany street that looks nice as I go past on the bus but no idea what it's actually like I'm afraid! Also a short walk from that bus stop is netley primary which is in a new building only about a year or two old I think.
Good luck with it all.

St Josephs on Highgate Hill is a fabulous school, and often not fully subscribed after Reception stage, because it’s not on the fashionable m/c radar. It’s a bit further, but straight up the 134 bus route, so easy to get to from KT.

Hiya

I went to Torriano and filled in year application form
The bevy show round is November bits that's full so will get onto December one.

I don't know how many children is Kentish Town school in year two I spoke to the headteacher explaining that I travel an hour each way to Islington daily and I really need the space as the little one has to go breakfast club and after school club so I manage to collect both but he said there haven't got spaces and that's that

I know there is special media reasons to appeal but don't even know what that is

The C2 bus stops at Regent Street now. It might be completely dropped soon anyway :(

You could appeal for the KT place at any time. There are very strict reasons for schools going over 30 in infant class sizes. Nothing you’ve suggested seems to fall into the categories. It’s much easier to appeal for a junior class. Once you’re eldest gets to year 3 you could ask for help on appeals on this board. If you put “appeal” in the heading you should get some great advice.
The head can’t change the admissions criteria however sympathetic they may be.
0.1 away is a reasonable distance to expect an infant place at KT. Usually distances are given in two decimal points. I’d be happier with 0.12 than 0.19 but for the last couple of years you’d have been fine.

Just an update

I went to see abucas Belsize Park primary school ( they are in Camden for a short period)

And now it ticked most of the boxes !

Will transfer him over next week, but do worry how he will take it

Good you’ve found a workable option.

Just make sure you put Abacus and Kentish Town school somewhere on your youngest child’s reception application

Hi
Me again lol

So we accepted abacus and even have a start date and out of the blew Torriano calls me yesterday and offers me a place I go and see it and really like the school
Now I am stuck as they are both so different and each good in their own merit !

Anyone know anything about Torriano now ?

Oid take Torriano if I was in your position.
Torriano infants and juniors always had good reputations. Then a new head took over at Torriano infants-things went quickly downhill for them. However as a primary school they have picked themselves up again. Lovely school, well regarded. As a bonus it’s really near Kentish Town school so your two children will both feel part of the local community.

I know people who had children at both schools-siblings didn’t always take priority at KT. They liked both schools.

Thank you so much for all your lovely feedback.

I am still overwhelmed with it all but everyone is telling me to go for Torriano.

I just wish anybody could tell me about Abacus

I'm sorry I can't give you information on Abacus but I'm your position I wouldn't choose it for two reasons: first the Belsize Park catchment when you live in KT, you'd be forever traipsing over there for play dates etc; secondly given the choice of a Camden school I'd go for that every time over a free school. It's a top-notch LEA and the benefits of that provision are incalculable in the long term.

I agree. I’m sure Abacus is great. I think it filled a gap in the KT area for children who couldn’t get a local reception place in 2014-15? You don’t need that though because you’ve been offered Torriano.

As long as you haven’t applied for reception places yet you could be in any of these scenarios come September.
1- youngest child at KT, oldest at Torriano.
2-youngest child doesn’t get KT but Torriano was on your list so both kids go to Torriano.

If you’ve completed your admissions and it doesn’t contain T I’d see if you can change it before January 14.

Don’t underestimate the community nature of KT. It would be a shame to lose that by commuting to Abacus. I don’t really see what you would be gaining from your current situation.
If you are new to the area you might not understand the difficulty of getting children into local schools at reception level. Abacus was created to fill a school gap in a slightly different area.

Zinnia thank you so much for all your support and advice in this major decision for my child

Tomorrow we start Torriano I am anxious about making the right decision but all I can do is hope now that I made the right one x

That's great Diana so glad you were able to come to a decision and really hope your DC settles in quickly. It's a great school, hope you're all very happy with it.

Just to update
He seems happy I still have few reservations but so far so good )

Diana - I am considering moving into the area and want your advice.
How are you finding Torriano? What were your reservations? Many thanks.