Recommendations for an excellent state primary school in (semi)central London

[Aspasia3]

Hello, first time writing here after reading countless threads! Hope to get some advices from this community.

We have a 2.5y daughter and a second (and last!) daughter on the way. We live in Greenwich and we love it here, but we’re not in the catchment of any particularly good school, and since we’ll need to upsize quite soon anyway we are considering to kill two birds with a stone and move near a very good school. Education quality is our priority (we’re both PhDs ourselves), but we would also like to live in an area and home that we would enjoy as a family. Can anyone help us by recommending some excellent state primary schools? We’ve researched the ratings, statistics, leagues etc, but I believe that reputation, direct experiences and some word of mouth can be at least as valuable.

Here is what we’re looking for regarding the school.

• We’re not religious, and we have a strong preference for mixed-sex schools.
• Academic achievements, according to the children’s talents, are very important for us.
• We both work full time, so wraparound care and possibly a good choice of after-school clubs would be important.
• Ideally, but I appreciate it might be too early to judge, we would like to have some good perspectives for secondary schools. E.g. grammar schools within reach if they turn out to be bright, or a very good comprehensive school in the area. We are also open to consider independent secondary schools.

And for where to live.

• We would like to stay pretty much in central London - let’s say zone 1-2-inner3. Both for the commute but also because we still like the city life!
• Our budget is around 1-1.3M, can be stretched up a bit if needed. We can consider renting for a little while first (we would need to sell our flat first and we’d be happy to avoid the chain), in which case we’d have a budget of around 3-4k per month.
• We would be very happy with a 3-bedroom flat. Indeed, we’d hate to look after a garden or a bigger house!

Thanks in advance! We’re naturalised British but not having been educated here makes us feel quite overwhelmed and a bit lost in this important decision.

Walthamstow. Good primary schools everywhere, OK secondary schools but the amazing Walthamstow school for girls if both your DC are girls. Latymer grammar catchment if your children are super bright and you can afford the tutoring later. Zone 3 on the Victoria line.

Really though all can change a lot in the next few years, amazing schools can go downhill and appalling schools can be turned around.

Eleanor Palmer in NW5 - can then aim for Camden School for Girls (state comp) but check distances carefully.

William Tyndale in N1 - more buzzy and central area, though state secondaries are less appealing. Could aim for Dame Alice Owen (selective in Potters Bar but reserved places for Islington residents), or City, or the North London selective independents.

You'd be looking at flats rather than houses, and would need something that falls within the last distance offered in the past few years, not just nearby.

I know you said zones 1-3 but the Twickenham/Richmond/Teddington area has excellent primary and secondary schools and is in catchment for Tiffin. There are good private schools too. Richmond is on the district line and the trains from Twickenham and Richmond are only 20 minutes into Waterloo. You’d get a lot more for your budget than in zones 1/2.

We are both academics too. We are very happy with our choice of primary but it’s catholic and we live in outer zone 3 so doesn’t sound like it would suit you.

All schools in the UK are to some extent involved in religion with acts of collective worship (humanist UK has very thorough information on this) and religious schools do need to be inclusive for all children. Ours is, I think, very good at this. All primaries will have a mixed intake but in more affluent areas this will be different as the groups will be different and PTA/parental pressure will provide additional activities. There are thousands of primary schools so you will be able to find ones you are happy with in most areas. Friends are very happy with Christopher Hatton in Bloomsbury, Aldgate school in Aldgate, and various places in Crouch End, if any of these help at all.

Brockley/Telegraph Hill for Haberdashers (automatic transfer to the secondary) or one of the SE4 schools which is near Prendergast Girls school for secondary. Myatt Garden and John Stainer seem to be having an almighty wobble at the moment, the other local schools are good (Ashmead, Prendergast, Beecroft, Gordonbrock).

You can buy a decent house for that budget and it’s a super family area with lots on.

I would probably rent for a bit so you try places out. I wouldn’t really count Greenwich as central, so if you’re wanting something similar then I wouldn’t recommend Z1. Walthamstow has a similar vibe. Where do you need to commute to? Muswell Hill could be an option but the transport links aren’t as good. I’m not about schools, but the area around Battersea Park and Clapham North feel quite Greenwich like and would be in your budget.

Thank you all, I really appreciate the detailed suggestions.

@jernitn I think we'd love to live in Islington indeed, and this William Tyndale school has popped out a few times already in our researches - if anyone has direct experiences please share!

Same for Camden - seems to be a good area for schools, and a good mix of residential possibilities, including some modern buildings which we'd like. Any further recommendation on specific schools would be appreciated.

@Spreadsheetsrock we've considered Richmond, is such a nice neighbourhood, very well connected, and apparently with several schools with a good reputation. We had a look to the housing offering though and it looks like one can mainly find big houses which we really don't need.

Similar for Dulwich, which really seems to have it all regarding schools. But there seems to be mainly period converts, and the idea of renovating (with a toddler and a newborn around!) scares me a bit. I would also prefer to have the tube nearby but yeah - we can't really have it all :)

@Torganer we commute to Bank/Canary Wharf. We've had a look at Battersea/Nine Elms as we kind of like the renovated areas, but not sure regarding the schools either. Everyone seems to mention Honeywell/Belleville schools which are quite down south.

Word of warning - primary schools in London are closing down or at risk of closing due to falling numbers of children. You could move near a school but it could be gone within a couple of years.
Don't only focus on schools as a reason to live somewhere.

Clapham Jn is 8 mins from Waterloo and most folks who live in catchment for Honeywell or Belleville work in Bank/CW. Or if you lived on the Honeywell Road end of Northcote then you could also commute from Clapham South which is 20 mins max from Bank. If it’s a house you’re after, £1.3 is unlikely to get you one in HW catchment however. You’d probably need £1.5.

@Aspasia3 Education is a priority for many people who don't have PhDs.....

@Alyosha and @Needmorelego , I know things can change. As we have to move now anyway and primary schools for the first daughter is around the corner, we'll try to make the best decision for know keeping in mind that we might have to regularly reassess.

@CurlewKate sorry, probably I didn't express myself well enough (education was a priority also for my parents who didn't even have a university degree). What I meant is in the context of those times when I read about schools being more or less "academic". I guess that's what matters mainly for us, having ourselves an academic background, and considering that where we are originally from schools are all "academic", and sports, arts etc are mainly extracurricular activities offered outside of schools.

@Lolaandbehold thanks for your feedback. Do you know what kids from that area/those schools usually do for secondaries?

I’d say 50% go private so all the usual SW/SE London day schools.

They’re also two of 5 feeders for the local comp, Bolingbroke Academy, which is newly opened (well 5 ish years?) and gets great results. Lots of happy parents. It’s strict though.

You’re right to have Islington on your radar.

Here’s an example of what your £1.3m could get you, suitably close to William Tyndale:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139194137#/?channel=RES_BUY

Have you considered Hugh Myddelton? Excellent school

Tbh limiting yourself to mixed & non religious schools really does narrow your options if choosing state.

Have you looked at the Gov website?

Apologies you wanted primary recommendations, most in London are very good. But as pp said be aware of reducing headcounts as funding is based on headcounts.

Charles Dickens in Borough?

http://www.charlesdickens.southwark.sch.uk/

Hi I’m reading this thread from last year and wanted to ask why you said that John Stainer has been going through a wobble at the moment? Applications are due tomorrow, we’re having a wobble ourselves! Thanks