Esher and Molesey Primary Schools

[coffeeandwalks]

Hoping to hear from anyone with advice/ thoughts on primary schools within the Esher and Molesey area? Particularly Esher Church, Orchard,
Cranmere and St Albans. Or any other recommendations? I’ve been getting mixed reviews on some.

Are you looking for Reception / KS1? As a general rule re the area, the housing is mixed so the intake is mixed and due to the drop in birth rate primary schools are not particularly over subscribed although maybe for some of the schools you have mentioned. The private pre prep sector is not full at all.
It's worth visiting in person or driving past each of the schools mentioned to get a clearer idea of the differences. (There is also a Catholic primary school on Hampton court way, St Paul's, and an infant school in Thames Ditton near the train station).

Thank you very much for the info - Yes, it would be for a Reception place. I’ve contacted the schools and plan on visiting but I am just waiting for those visits to be organised. We were meant to be moving to a slightly different area and therefore the schools we have already visited are no longer an option. So I’m kind of stuck in a position where I need to decide which completely different school/s we would like to prioritise going for. Reviews online from parents that I’m finding typically tend to be from some years ago.

@coffeeandwalks , you can tell quite a lot by driving past them (or looking on Google maps). I live near all the schools mentioned, you can message me directly if you want to but my dc are older now, 1 of my dc went to 1 of the schools you mentioned.

Also was the other area you were looking in Richmond upon Thames or Kingston? I would say there is a difference between Richmond / Kingston and Surrey state schools.

@coffeeandwalks Another school to consider in this area is St Paul's Catholic Primary on Hampton Court Way. My 3 girls went there, and I'm now a governor - I love the school. You don't need to be Catholic for admission (about 50% of current Reception is non-Catholic). The headteacher, Mrs Townsend, would be happy to show you around - just call the school office to arrange it. 0208 398 6791. website is https://www.stpauls-thamesditton.surrey.sch.uk/

My son will start Reception @ St Albans this September and we live in Molesey. From speaking to lots of other parents in the area both the Orchard and St Albans are excellent schools in the area. St Albans is very academic (google Parliamentary Review) whilst Orchard is nurturing but still academic. It really depends on your child and which school you see fit their personality. St Albans is harder to get in if the child is not Catholic although not impossible and Orchard is dependent on how far you live from the school. Both schools have changed head teachers within the last year so yet to see impact of this longer term but both new head teachers have been promoted within.

Hi @coffeeandwalks - we are in a similar situation in that we are deciding between a move to East Molesey and Esher. Interested to know what you decided on, how it's going and if you have any more perspective on the schools you list (including Cranmere and Orchard). Thank you!