Help - which primary school! Chiswick W4

[Lotusflower08]

Hi all
My child had been offered a place at strand on the green infants which is currently a 7 minute walk from our place - however we have just been offered a place at Grove Park primary which was our first choice (tough choice as both schools appeared great but we knew due to catchment Grove Park looked unlikely) I don’t know any parents/children at either school and was keen to see who on this group could perhaps provide their experience on either school? Grove Park would be a 15 minute walk currently from our place.

I know it’s a deeply personal choice but feel this is quite a difficult decision as both schools are lovely!

Thank you for your help!

I’m the other end of W4 so only know both have very good reputations. What I will say is my DD goes to a school that had the best reputation (for the last 15 - 20 years) and is a bit further away from home than another local school. For the first 2 years it was exceptional. This year we have been less impressed and are a bit concerned about how next year will play out (experienced teachers retiring/leaving being replaced with ECTs). The closer school now also has a brilliant reputation and I guess we could move DD if we wanted to as we live so close we’d be 1st on any wait list, but we won’t (well not yet anyway) as there are ups and downs with all schools. What I’m saying is that 7 years is a long time and things you like or don’t like about the school will change in that time and it’s only once you are there that you will find out what it is really like (and even then some parents are pretty oblivious to what’s going on).

If GP was first choice then you picked it for a very good reason so why wouldn’t you take up the offer? (It would have been my choice if I lived in that area - if that helps). If you’ve changed your mind then go with SG. Both good schools and regardless of who tells you of how good one or other is you won’t know until you get there. It would be so much easier if one school was just really awful wouldn’t it? Lucky us for living in W4!