Winchester primaries

[VestaTilley]

Hello everyone,

I’d be grateful for any insight in to Winchester primaries, please. We’re viewing several in order to get a good overview of the local offering for Sept 2023 intake, and are safely in catchment for St Bede and at the edge of catchment for Westgate all-through.

We are Christian and would like DC to attend a Christian primary. We’ve looked at St Bede and St Peter’s RC primary, and are due to visit All Saints soon, (as well as Westgate for a further comparator). We liked St Bede and St Peter’s, but St Peter’s is really too far away to be practical to get to and from each day in traffic (even if we could get in). I’m also concerned that both of those school’s have out of date Ofsted’s, though I know Ofsted isn’t everything, and the data doesn’t seem that informative because of all the interrupted Covid years.

Obviously like everyone, we’d love DC to go to St Faith’s, but the tiny catchment makes that impossible.

I’d be grateful for any insight, please. DC seems quite bright (though I don’t think you can really tell at this age), and I’d like them to be somewhere they’ll be stretched and have opportunities to try new things, beyond just coasting because of attendance at a naice middle class school surrounded by the children of other sharp elbowed parents.

I’m sure I’m over thinking this as I know Winchester schools are meant to be good, but my own state education was a bit poor, and I’m desperate to avoid making any mistakes with my DC’s schooling. Private isn’t an option. Many thanks for any replies.

Hi!

We've just been through this as we had the same choice of catchment schools, although as a side note we are not at all religious. It was important to me that my daughter attends a school where curiosity and enthusiasm for learning is encouraged and the children want to try their best.

From my experience talking to teachers at my daughters wonderful preschool and other local parents it’s true that you can’t go wrong with any Winchester primary. Have you considered Western C of E? It might be too far for you but they often take children out of catchment and has a good reputation.

We know a few families living in St Cross who missed out on St Faiths because of sibling places so I agree it’s probably a long shot. It might be worth thinking ahead to secondary schools as the kids often want to go where their friends go.

We chose Westgate- it is within walking distance and I am very happy with it so far. My daughter loves her teachers! I like that there’s a real mix of nationalities in her year. As you know it’s not a church school. I don’t know how they differ these days, from memories of my school decades ago I assume group prayer, hymns and having a school chaplain? Ultimately I imagine they all have a similar ethos and a child would have a similar day to day experience at any of them but I could be totally wrong! If church links are the priority St Peter’s might be THE school that many other parents will have chosen with that in mind. I don’t think you have to live super close to get in. I’ve heard good things about St Bede and All Saints and would ignore the out of date inspection if you got a good feeling from visiting.

I have it on good authority that the sharp elbows are one of the reasons Faiths is good, and I think you’ll find it’s pretty much the same at any of the local schools. I know what you mean about coasting… in a class of 30, which seems huge to me, that’s always a risk. Teachers are stretched very thin at every state school (thanks a bunch government!).

Having said that, I was privately educated locally and the fees would have to be pocket change to us (they aren’t- not even close!!) to consider it a worthwhile expense, so on balance I think we are lucky here.

Thank you so much for your reply! It’s a huge help, particularly from someone who has just been through it. I’m so glad your DC is happy at Westgate. My DC goes to football there and I always think it looks lovely. I am going to look around there next month.

We’re looking at All Saints; I’ve heard great things about Western too. I’d thought it was too far away, but good to know they sometimes take out of catchment. I’ll see if I can fit in another visit just to make sure I’m not missing a great school!

We viewed St Peter’s and really liked it; DH and DC are Roman Catholic, so would suit us, but DH’s view is it’s too long a drive when we both work, though I’d be willing to do it. St Bede would suit us best in terms of easy walk to school and being near to friends.

It’s almost the tyranny of too much choice - all the schools seem good here (I appreciate we’re very lucky!) but it’s hard to know which adds real educational value, and which is just the parents input. But maybe at Primary that doesn’t actually matter, provided they’re all happy in the end and set up well for starting Secondary. Sigh.

I really liked the look of St Faith’s, but thought their PSHE policy looked a bit mad in places … and we wouldn’t get in there anyway, so better just to let that one drop I think. Will talk to DH once he’s viewed St Bede.

Reassuring to hear you don’t think private is worth it in Winchester! A colleague of DH’s said the same, so good to hear it’s a fairly commonly held view. Many thanks indeed for replying.

My friend loves St Bedes and the lifestyle of walking to it, and taking the kids to the park after school with the other parents and kids. I would not go anywhere else if I were you.

There is no way I would drive to St Peter's in Winchester traffic from the St Bede's catchment. You also have to go to church every week for two years and get your application signed off, which may not be a problem for you but was not for me. St Faith's is of course in an idyllic setting but you can only get in if you live in about three massively expensive roads where houses sell in five seconds. So not particularly diverse shall we say.

I agree with DorritLittle. I walk my daughter to school which is a huge quality of life thing for us.
As you say, figuring out which school is the best in itself and not just the parents input stressed me out so much! I came to the conclusion that you simply cannot truly know. It depends on many factors, which could change and that are hard to guess for a child so young. It may be that the further we get from the Covid years a sort of up to date hierarchy of schools emerges, but I’d be surprised if it made that much of a difference :)

Thank you both for very helpful comments! It’s much appreciated.

So much to think about, and so many unknowns when you take in to account out of date Ofsted’s, Covid legacy (including barely any data!) and the influence of active parents.

I want DC to go to a nice, happy school with a good ethos, but one where a good education is also offered too - and it’s that bit I’m struggling to get a definite answer on thus far- but perhaps that’s always the way…

Can I ask does anyone know what the in year waiting lists are currently like for Winchester primary schools?

It will depend which one as some are small and some are big. I'd just give the ones nearest your house/where you are considering moving a call because traffic in Winchester is not good at rush hour.

Afraid not, the local authority might be able to help?