Good primary schools Kingston (near the Fairfield)

[bdot86]

We are in the early process of buying a flat in the Fairfield South/ Knights park area in Kingston. My son is 2 months old so it's early days but I'd love to know what good primary schools are nearby?
It seems like many of the good ones are
I'm North Kingston so I'm getting a bit anxious about this.
If anyone has any experiences with the St Joseph’s, King Athelstan and St John’s (or any others nearby) please share!

West London has a lot of schools with faith criteria. Of the three schools you have named realistically the community school is your only option unless you plan to go to mass weekly (St Joseph's) or regularly to a C of E school (St John's) but check the admissions policy. I don't know the schools but I do know clergy in West London who have parents demanding they sign admissions forms when they haven't seen them in church beyond the crib service at Christmas.

Are you sure? I've not seen 2020 numbers if they're out, but in 2019 almost a half of St Joseph's was via distance, and living on Fairfield, you'd have to assume they'd go close on that.

Generally all the schools in Kingston are currently good, and their results reflect their reputations - and the big problem of secondary schools. So people move to the north of Kingston if they hugely value the academic side of school, 'cos that's where the reputation for academic is - if academic performance is not quite so important to parents, they save their money and live in different areas.

Five years is enough time for a school to completely change both in reputation and in results. Personally the religious ones would be out for me, both for their religious character (although I've not heard of any particular zealotry) but also the fact they are small single entry.

Thanks so much for the information. Academic performance is important to us.. are the primary schools near Fairfield that bad?
I've done some research online but would love to hear from other mothers.
You're right that a lot can change in 5 years.. this gives me hope but I'm still worried!

No, they're good schools, currently all the schools in the borough are I believe, I don't know of any bad certainly. But if every parent who thinks academic performance is the most important thing is at a particular school, then those schools will get better results. 'cos those parents will also be the parents who intervene with tutoring, more out of school work etc. if the child isn't achieving.

So the schools with "academic" reputations end up with better "results", 'cos the parents get the kids to "perform" - the schools will often be more focused on SATs performance too 'cos that is the feedback they get from parents saying they want.

I certainly can't see any reason to be "worried" about any of the schools.

So useful, this makes total sense. Thank you!