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Any experiences of Kelvin Grove Primary for Year 1 in Sydenham?

7 replies

ArcticTortoise · 09/05/2026 15:31

My daughter and husband are moving to Sydenham with their children this summer. Their son will be entering Yr1 in September. They'll be renting and have found a lovely place where the nearest primary school is Kelvin Grove. Does anyone have any experience of the school and can give me any insights about it / teachers & teaching in Yr1 to pass on? If you're not keen, names of good alternatives they can look at would also be good. Many thanks.

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Flubadubba · 09/05/2026 18:25

No direct experience of KG itself (though we used to live v close, we moved before school... we did research local schools, and all the kids we know are in y1 atm). It is large compared to many schools locally, has a diverse population and a large catchment. It also has a large population of English as second language. The parents also park like I haven't seen anywhere else (so the main road can be insane).

That said, I have heard a lot about the head being great, and they really have a decent reputation for SEND and helping bring children on - the demographic is just much more mixed than the others! I know a couple of parents who are happy with the school and the progress their kids have made/are making.

Most local kids we knew chose either St Barts and Elliot Bank over Kelvin Grove. Both of these schools are easily walkable if KG is your nearest school (one is up Kirkdale, the other is down Kirkdale and left). St Barts is generally oversubscribed in recent years with a shrinking catchment, but the way London primaries go with the flight of families during primary years, you can never really tell whether there will be a space.

Holy Trinity is also walkable if a Catholic school is their thing. However, the one person I knew whose child went there wasn't very enthusiastic about it at all, and ended up transferring to KG as they had spaces. Adamsrill may also be another option- it's another one I have heard mixed feedback on.

Can't tell you much about Hasletine, St P and Neri, St Michaels etc in Sydenham, and it's unlikely you would get into Horniman in FH from there as catchment is tiny and they tend to stay. Possibly Fairlawn in FH could have spaces- only thing I recall is that they don't have uniform and I have friends who chose St B over Fairlawn! Depending on where Dulwich Woods, possibly, but not sure what the situation there would be, and it could be a long trek.

(Added extra as it sounded so negative!)

ArcticTortoise · 09/05/2026 20:52

Thank you - that's interesting to know, and thank you also for being really comprehensive! They do not want any sort of religious education, so St Barts is not an option. I'll suggest Eliot Bank, though looking on a map I'm hoping they're not out of catchment for EB. They haven't signed the lease yet, so if they really dislike Kelvin Grove I suppose they could choose to look at other rentals.

I don't suppose you (or anyone, please) knows about the teachers/ teaching in Yr1 in KG or EB? It's one of the reasons they have moved, as their son didn't have a great reception experience in north London.

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Flubadubba · 10/05/2026 07:12

Afraid not! Although CofE, St Barts isn't particularly religious afaik. All I know is that I have friends who are happy with both (we live a hour or two away now).

Catchment is probably a bit of a misnomer for an in-year transfer - it's more waiting list and whether they have space. London primary schools can be more transient as people tend to move out in the primary years. Probably worth contacting the council to see whether they have space (probably Lewisham- though parts of Sydenham are Bromley, and parts of Sydenham Hill are Southwark).

There are some really good FB groups for the area that might help, e.g. Sydenham Mums, Forest Hill Mums, SE23 mums, East Dulwich Mums (they all tend to cover bits of each other - but the Sydenham and FH ones might be best bet)

Growlybear83 · 10/05/2026 07:27

Kelvin Grove is a good school but I don’t think you could possibly beat Eliot Bank in that area. It has always been an excellent school but is part of a federation under a really inspirational head, who has transformed the school in recent years. It has an excellent reputation for SEND, and its outcomes overall are among the very highest in the Borough. Mobility is quite high in the area and Eliot Bank currently has a small number of spaces in most year groups so if they are close to Kelvin GroveI think they should get a place at Eliot Bank.

Foresthiller · 10/05/2026 07:31

All Lewisham primary schools are good, but just jumping on this thread to say I am surprised to hear Eliot Bank feted for its SEN provision, I have heard terrible things about it. Perhaps it has improved in recent years, I do hope so

Happymchappyface · 10/05/2026 08:00

Sydenham is a great place to live and the schools are all pretty good.

Space for an in year transfer might be the biggest decider.

St Michael’s further down the high street is an amazing school. Real hidden gem.

ArcticTortoise · 10/05/2026 21:11

Thanks everyone - some great tips to pass on. Really grateful to you all.

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