Public primary in Hammersmith

[GreatNavyLurker]

Hi all, we have a 3-year-old daughter who will start Reception in September next year and we’re currently trying to decide between public (state) vs private (independent) primary school in London.
A bit of our situation:

• We can technically afford a private primary but it would be quite a stretch financially, so we aren’t sure it’s the right choice long-term.
• We are considering moving to Hammersmith so that DD can attend a local state primary school (good ones locally seem to be well-regarded).
• One thing we would definitely like for her is to go to a private secondary school in the future.
• Has anyone been through this — i.e. child does Reception–Year 6 in state primary and then successfully gained a place at a private (independent) secondary?
• What are the chances generally like for that — e.g. academic expectations, entry assessments/exams, what private secondaries look for, whether coming from a state primary matters?
• If you’ve lived in/around Hammersmith, are there particular state primaries you’d recommend (or ones you’d avoid)?
• Any other advice on this choice?

Thanks!

Can't comment on particular Primaries in Hammersmith but it's perfectly possible to get into a Private Secondary from a state school in Y7. Yiu may need a bit of tutoring to cover exam technique etc but totally doable. Save your money!
Latymer Upper in Hammersmith, for example, takes around 50/50 state and prep pupils at 11+.

I assume you are targeting the secondaries in Hammersmith? Plenty of people get in after state. I have two in the private Hammersmith secondaries coming from state. One did not have much time to prep and the younger one we started Jan year 4 because we knew we would do 11+. I suggest starting mid year 4 introducing some light prep for 11+, like the right books to read, practicing writing more often, making sure no gaps in math etc.

Thanks for the advice — this is great, and yes we’re targeting secondaries in Hammersmith.

Do you have any recommendations for particular state primary schools in Hammersmith? Anything we should look out for?

We haven’t moved yet, so we’re planning to target areas within the catchment of our preferred primary schools.

Nope, I have no clue about the primary schools there. I would not move there for that reason alone.....I would wait and see if the Hammersmith secondaries would even suit your dc first and you would not know that until year 4 or 5! I would select a primary in your area that is good, but if there are none and you must move, research the ones in Hammersmith and check out their SATs results.

I have 3 dc and even though my older two are thriving at their secondaries, I would never just assume my 6 year old would go there. People ask me if I plan to send her to the same school as my eldest and I always say, I am not sure. I might or maybe I will send her to the coed option my ds goes to, or maybe another private school. It depends on her and how academic she is in a few years. At this age it is hard to really tell. You want your dc to be happy in secondary and not feel pressured or stress.

I agree with you, but where we don't like where we currently live and there are not good primary schools (let alone secondary...) around here

Okay, then research Hammersmith primaries and the areas surrounding it to see if you can find a good primary. And check out the distance for admissions, as usually the good schools you need to live close by. We were lucky that we live near a good primary by chance and did not even think about this when looking for a house....thankfully we got lucky!! 😅

Not super familiar with hammersmith but I definitely know two of the public ones west london free school is really good excellent academics and St Peters Primary school (is a religious one).

If you are targeting Hammersmith independents for secondary – no need to live in Hammersmith, they don’t select on distance. It’s too soon to tell if they would suit your preschool anyway, but there is plenty of choice in West London if you are set on private for secondary – see multiple threads on the secondary ed board on here.

Common in this area to go ‘state till 8’ or more commonly to 11 and move to private for secondary, so you won’t be alone in that, but don’t expect schools to help with 11+ prep at all – if you want that you need to go private sooner, or use tutors.

My advice would be a find a neighbourhood you like in West London, and then research local schools – you will find faith options, academies/free schools and maintained, single and double entry form – lots of choice basically. Once you have narrowed down your area, people on here can help with specific schools.

I'd agree have a look around West London more generally. There are lots of areas with great schools. Chiswick has Belmont which is very well regarded. There is Fox primary in Notting Hill which also ranks very well. Ealing has several Outstanding primary schools I believe.

The state secondary schools in this area are also pretty good, particularly if you're Catholic. Plus you've got a wide array of great private schools too.