Hammersmith and Fulham primary schools

[WhereInWestLondon]

Is there anybody about who has children at state primaries in Hammersmith and Fulham? Our DC1 will apply for primaries this year and we are very lucky to live in Hammersmith near 3 good primaries. We have been to the open days but can't chose between them. Does anyone here have experience of John Betts, Brackenbury or Greenside primaries??

While I am asking can you also tell me where your child did/will go to secondary school. We are thinking of state primary and then trying to transfer to somewhere like Godolphin and Latimer for secondary. How easy is that?

hi there

ive heard good things about all of those but have a view that John Betts is a bit pressured so might depend what kind of child you have and environment you want

Godolphin and Latymer and the other localish private schools are pretty competitve but do take kids from state schools in reasonable numbers - its just a matter of doing well enough in the entrance exams and being confident enough to cope with interviews. Probably best to do a bit of tutoring in year 6 to get familiar with the entrance exams, working to time etc

But its a pretty common strategy in both Chiswick and Hammersmith where some of the state primaries are good

good luck!

Hi there, my thoughts are from about 2 years ago, so it might have changed since then. John Betts is the best academically and the least socially/ethnically diverse, Greenside has more emphasis on being happy and friendly, and Brackenbury can be an overwhelming environment for younger children (I've got a few friends whose children have struggled to settle there - find the classes too noisy and chaotic).

Thank you both.

It is interesting that John Betts has the reputation of being the most academic. It still has that reputation but Greenside gets the best SATs results. I know SATs are not everything but I do find it interesting that John Betts has scored lower for several years but still has the better reputation. In fact Brackenbury also seems to have a better reputation than Greenside and its results are considerably lower. I am really interested in why Greenside has not got quite the reputation of the other two despite its results.

Bumping this for you as I am interested too.

I'm afraid I do not know anything about these state schools- we are slightly west of you so in another EA.

However, I do echo what was said by Mittenkitty that Godolphin and Latymer will be extremely competitive for entry at 11+.

It would depend on how able your dd is as to how easy it will be to get a place (which I guess is true for every child regardless of what school they are coming from).

As State schools do not prepare for 11+ entrance exams, most private schools advise tutoring. How soon to begin this would be difficult to say and probably depend on the amount of work needed to bridge any gap, iyswim.

There is apparently an 11+ website where all these things are discussed in great detail and by all accounts somewhat obsessively

Speaking from experience of 7+ from this year. Ds was expected to have covered all of the year 2 syllabus by his exams this January i.e. in one term! Had he been in a state school, obviously, he would have not covered all the work in time. His school also gave them lessons on verbal reasoning which again, would not have been covered by a state school.

Not sure if that is any help but my message, I suppose, is that you may have more work to do yourselves when coming from state at 11+ and to do your homework in plenty of time so you know what will be expected of your dd.

Good luck

Agree on the analysis above, John Betts is less diverse and more focus on the academic - 3Rs, penmanship certificates, bit light on after school clubs, very disciplined environment. Small and friendly tho. Greenside is also small and is more diverse and has a lot of special needs experience - both learning diffs and G&T. More focus on the sport/music/arts than the others. Brackenbury is twice as big and in an old Victorian school building but otherwise similar in focus to Greenside. The smaller schools take from a very restricted area - literally a handful of streets in the case of Greenside, Brackenbury being bigger takes from a wider area - this only an issue for after school activities/playdates etc.

In terms of the results, it depends on the cohort - a bright year at Greenside will achieve higher scores than an average year at John Betts or vice versa. Brakcenbury as twice as big those differences are less magnified. Greenside Ofsted possibly effects the reputation - but parents continue to move house to be close enough to get in so the feel of the school when you go round still clearly counts for a lot.

Children do transfer from all 3 to private schools at 7/8 and 11 but schools don't tutor them for it.