Camden/Kentish Town (esp. Hawley & Kentish town)

[wicks]

Hello

I would like to pick the assembled brains re primary schools in the north camden/kentish town area. DS not yet at school age, but I'm thinking ahead as I realise that I'll need to look at pre-school nurseries fairly soon and should tie that in with consideration as to which primary school to apply to. Anyone have any thoughts on the following-

• Hawley Infants - probably the nearest to us. We went on an open day and liked it a lot, but my concern is that it's just infants not junior and so there will be upheaval when DS has to move on (and uncertainty as to where?) and is split up from (majority of) classmates.

• Kentish Town - not sure how hard it is to get into. Do most people whose kids go there tend to be churchgoers at the the local (or other) church?

• any other recommendations? I know that Holy Trinity & St Silas gets a good ofsted report but I understand that you have to be a regular at that actual church. Any thoughts on Torriano? (not sure how big the catchment area is). I don't know much about St Michael's at all. I have heard that Eleanor Palmer is good but we are too far from there.

Finally, do most children tend to go to the pre-school attached to the primary that they end up at?

Apologies for the essay! Any comments much appreciated.

We moved mid-year last year, so looked at loads of local schools (we're slightly further north than you, though). The fruits of my researches were:

For Eleanor Palmer you'd need to live in a tent in the playground, as far as I can work out. Headteacher was unbelievably rude to me when I phoned, so I went right off the place.

I thought Hawley kids moved en bloc to somewhere like Torriano, or may be I invented that? Check the admissions policies of other local schools, I have a feeling some prioritise Hawley kids at junior level. Or ask Hawley where their kids go. Torriano is quite a big school, not sure how far the catchment area goes. Liberal, no uniform, blahdiblah.

Don't know about kentish town, but there seem to be not a few muslim etc kids, so can't all be churchgoers.

One of my dc was offered a place at St Patrick's which seems nice enough.

Non-church schools are not allowed to prioritise nursery kids for Reception places, and indeed my dd2 has just failed to get a reception place at the school she's currently at (we must have been micromillimetres outside the catchment by my reckoning).

Finally (and we've just been stung by this) don't underestimate the no. of people who rent in catchment for 6 months before their oldest child is due to start school, and then move back to wherever. We live 5 mins walk from the school dd2 has just failed to get into (2-form entry, ie. 60 kids per year group), and the no. of people who drive past us to deliver their kids as we walk the few hundred yards from our house to the school is unbelievable.

Thanks AgonyBeetle. It must be frustrating for you that there seem to be a lot of people who live further from that school than you. I hope you are happy with the school that your DD did get into.

Re Hawley - yes, on the whole, the other schools in the area do have to prioritise kids from Hawley, but it's more the case that eg 2 children to school X and 3 to school Y etc etc, all around the borough. It's not a move en bloc I'm afraid.

Eleanor Palmer is ruled out I think.

I know the head at Eleanor Palmer; the problem is that its only a one form entry school. I dont think she would have intended to be rude, but she finds the admission process upsetting as she gets LOTs of people who want their children at her school, cos she is a good head, but as you say a tent in the playground would barely ensure it.

So each year she finds herself saying "no" to lots of people, some of whom live really close, and get really upset. Tears in the office that sort of thing.

In short their are two sides to this and the whole thing horrible.

My son is due to start reception at Torriano Primary school in Sept 11. Would like to hear from any other mums with kids starting there at the same time.

The Constable Educational Trust (which set up and runs The Moat School in Fulham) is considering opening a primary Free School in Camden, in September 2012 if can get enough Registers of Interest forms filled in on its site cetrust.net . Signing up would be a way of increasing choice even if you make another decision when the time comes