Crouch End parents - The Avenue v Coleridge School

[northlondonmama78]

Hi everyone

We have moved to Crouch End and are in the very fortunate position of having a place at The Avenue and being in the catchment area of Coleridge. I know both are very good options but I wondered if anyone had opinions (positive or negative) of either of these schools or even made a choice between them. I suspect there is a bit of private v state but I know Coleridge has a great rep and I worry about my child being at a private school from so early on surrounded by other v privileged kids. Coleridge is also much closer so I suspect may be better from a local community perspective. Both DH and I went to non-local schools and thought this was quite a big disadvantage, ie no super local friends. Other thoughts are quality of teaching (I assume better at the Avenue because of class sizes and teacher salary), extracurriculars, and how hard it would be to get our child into a private secondary from state primary if that was the route we wanted to go down.

I should maybe add that we wouldn't have to make any dramatic sacrifices for private school so financials aren't a factor (not a humble brag but just wanted to flag it's a pure school v school question rather than factoring in any lifestyle changes).

Sorry for the ramble - would appreciate any views!

I don't think it's fair to compare state vs. private. If finance is not an obstacle, then Avenue is your better option. However, it's a 7+ school, meaning it will gear towards 7+ prep, so you need to change schools at Y3. Coleridge is a state school in a nice suburb. It will follow a classic Ofsted circular, and some parents will do extra tutoring to catch up. The teacher-per-pupil ratio is also higher. Saying all thet both schools are decent (one as a private, another as a state, but cant be directly comparable). How long does the commute to Avenue door to door, does this involve public transport/driving?

Thanks tiredmum! I agree won't be directly comparable in some ways but I can't figure out it whether the extra expense / loss of locality / sense of normality is worth it. I worry a bit about it secondary state options in CE but taht may just be a lack of information on my part. Avenue is just over a mile so would need bus or car realistically. Coleridge is under 10 mins walk.

@northlondonmama78 , do you have a 7plus school in mind, are you ready to start visiting prep schools / paying deposits in 18 months time, have you followed the 7plus thread in this section? The answers to these questions will help you decide whether you want to drive to a pre-prep school or take up a primary school place.

Just over a mile away is not very far away, it would still be considered a local school for playdates etc. I mean having a school within walking distance is better but a short bus ride away is also ok providing Avenue is winning on other points. In terms of community, you will get well-off kids in both schools owing to the location, Avenue is not all rich kids it's a common misconception about private schools in general, you will get normal middle-class kids that you will find in Coleridge. We have three DCs in private (which went to state school for few years as well) and we are a normal middle class family like the majority of kids in my DCs school (they are all in three different schools at the moment so can get some stats and compere).

Personally I'd go for the state primary. Coleridge is a great school and it's much better for children to grow up with a diverse community of friends from different backgrounds and levels of wealth.

Coleridge is non-uniform, The Avenue is all blazers and hats. I think that says a lot about the vibe of the schools and the parent communities.

Very many kids in Coleridge catchment will be pretty well off given local property prices- we live on the other side of CE and can afford school fees at a different private school (with a very minimal uniform) but not a house in Coleridge catchment!

In your position I’d go for Coleridge and enjoy walking to school and consistency up to Year 6. We do a similar short school run in the same direction that you’d be going and it can still be a total pain with traffic. I think a lot of Coleridge kids will go independent for secondary so you will find plenty of others going through the 11+ process if that is what you want.

Thank you everyone for your help. I think it's probably a broader question about values (which we feel v strongly about). I went to a London private school and definitely know that most parents will be two parent working families rather than aristocracy but equally I don't want my child coming home distraught because she isn't going skiing at half term! We are lucky they are both great options.

Has anyone had to do state primary to private secondary? Wonder how hard this now is.

In answer to your earlier question, we'd consider schools like Highgate and Channing but I guess it will depend on how academic DC is - she's too little for us to have any clue yet!

This is a bit of a tangential question, but do you see skiing generally as an indicator of excessive privilege/entitlement, or is it just skiing in Feb half term that says “not my values” to you?

We never ski at Feb half term as it’s too expensive, but we do try to go in the Christmas holidays or in April because we really enjoy it as an active family holiday. Our son (Y3) doesn’t pay any attention to where and when his classmates go on holiday other than the ones who go to theme parks in Florida.

Haha nothing against skiing but just a general sense of kids not feeling like they're hard done because all they did was a normal holiday to Cornwall (which obviously is very privileged by a lot of UK children's standards). Although skiing at Feb half term is obviously next level in terms of cost!

In my experience it’s less about the holidays and more about what they see when they go to their friends’ houses. I’ve had to nip a few “Timmy has a cinema room” conversations in the bud.

Will you have a nanny for the Avenue - 12pm finishes every Friday, two week half terms etc. That puts me off as a working parent.

Think they are extending to school hours but it's a good point. We would have a nanny as we work long hours and don't have family nearby for sickness cover. It does feel like private school costs just stack and you have to run pretty fast just to stand still!

I had a child at the Avenue (10+ years ago) and then did state primary (not Coleridge but similar) and private secondary.

The atmospheres are very different. I found Avenue very snobby and the primary much friendlier. There are some very rich parents at Avenue (think Bali and Dubai at Feb half-term rather than skiing), with amazing houses next to the heath, though of course there’s a variety, and I know other parents I respect who loved it. The teaching was meh. In the nursery, a lot was done by young assistants and it felt impersonal and that all that mattered to the staff (and parents) was getting offers from Highgate/Channing.

Although I didn’t see the value-added, they had good contacts with the local private schools. The 4+ offers were disappointing in DC’s year, but most eventually got places at desired schools through occasional vacancies/ 7+.

I loved the state primary - friendly, lovely local atmosphere and DC are still in touch with local friends. However, it could be a bit chaotic and although very middle-class, I was surprised how few did private secondary. It was much harder for boys than girls, as there are fewer boys schools.

So, if private secondary is the aim, you may be safer at Avenue. The 11+ is stressful and those who pay for prep do seem to get in much more often than state kids. However, the downsides are real.