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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Anyone know schools in Edgware area?

14 replies

petelly · 04/07/2009 21:15

We're trying to find a school for our dd as we're moving to Edgware. She's in reception now and needs a place in Year 1 in September.

We seem to have been affected by the whole baby boom thing going on in London right now and ALL the local schools are full.

We've put her on waiting lists, and fingers crossed, something will happen over the summer.

If you have any opinions on the local schools, I'd really love to hear them.

These are the schools we've put her down for so far:
Stanburn
Aylward
Stag Lane
Broadfields
Courtland (no chance there though)
Fairway
Deansbrook

Thanks!!

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missile5 · 15/07/2009 22:35

Deansbrook teaching excellent - not so keen on the social side though

courtland excellent - have to live on the doorstep and no one leaves the school.

Fairway excellent - social side great all the children happy. If your move to one or two roads from this school you will probably be guaranteed a place at Mill Hill High

Broadfields has become much better since the new excellent head.

Stanburn - excellent reputation

Aylward - have not seen this school - good

Stag lane - not keen on this one.

Which road are you moving to. If you don't want to say, which part of Edgware.

missile5 · 16/07/2009 22:50

Original poster

petelly · 17/07/2009 21:00

Thanks Missile.

We got places at Broadfields and Aylward in the end and most likely go to Aylward.

I went to see Aylward and loved the school - the head seems to be really on the ball and in charge. They do fun things like lots of trips and class pets and a weekly coffee morning with the head for parents to discuss any issues. They have 30% kids on free school meals and 50% English as second languate but their latest SATS are just above average which says something about the teaching. Their ofsted is 'good' but 3 years old so I think it might be even better now. I also saw that they're sending leavers this year to Habs and NLCS - I thought that was a good sign as well. They also have a really good, informative and updated website which I thought is a good indication that they're organised.

dh went to see Broadfields. He didn't like it at all. He said that the teachers didn't impress him, the Year 1 children were reading books that dd is reading in reception and 22 out of the 30 kids in the class she'd join are at the early stages of learning english. He also said he saw some disruptive behaviour while he was there. He even said that one of the teachers (who was leaving) hinted that the school isn't good

On the waiting list for the others....

We're going to be living off Hale Lane (not far from Edgware station) and we're about half a mile from both Deansbrook and Edgware schools. But your feelings about Deansbrook echo what I've been hearing! And I've also heard that Edgware is pretty dire (in Juniors especially).

Thanks again!

OP posts:

missile5 · 18/07/2009 00:10

Don't send your dd to Edgware juniors. I saw this school 8 years ago and the head at the time seemed to be away with the fairies.
Also the classrooms were so noisy I couldn't hear what the person showing me around was saying.

I don't know about Broadfields infants but the juniors is supposed to have an excellent head who used to be the head of St Pauls in the Ridgeway in Mill Hill (COE primary)

Deansbrook the teaching there is great, they have a lot of clubs and they really do cater for Gifted and talented.

Go for Aylward if dd settles in nicely leave her there if not by that time you will have been offered a place at Deansbook. By the way Deansbrook are having a new head starting in September who is a very nice man and great with the kids. I know, he used to teach at my dc's primary school.

Where are you on the waiting list for Deansbrook and for which year group.

Original poster

petelly · 18/07/2009 22:19

I didn't even bother putting my dd down on the waiting list for Edgware.

Deanbrook will be more convenient than Aylward - but I just liked Aylward so much (year 1 go on a trip to Legoland every year - when dd heard that, her mind was set as well ). I haven't even checked where we are on the waiting list. Guess it's too late now. We need a place for Year 1 in Sept.

We're also appealing to Mathilda Marks - they only take 28 each year so may have a chance as it's not an infant class size appeal. I know the school's meant to be outstanding but they're being such &^*$£ about the appeal that I don't if I even want to send dd there. In the words of the secretary 'No, parents don't appeal, they understand when we tell them we're full'. . Also head's changed and the new head is supposed to be not as half as good.

Out of interest, where do/did your dc's go to primary?

OP posts:

missile5 · 19/07/2009 01:12

Fairway primary

lovingthesummer · 18/08/2009 18:35

If you have applied to Mathilda Marks then have you spoken to Rosh Pinah and got on the waiting list there? There's a steady turnover of pupils moving to Israel so places come up quite regularly. It's an absolutely lovely school, excellent discipline, high academic standards and the kids are extremely happy there.

I would strongly advise against Broadfields, it's very rough and there is no way that it would even feature on my radar, I think it feeds into the Edgware Academy, where Kian Prince was stabbed, again, not my first choice of secondary.

Aylward is a nice school as is Fairway and Courtlands. I don't know anything about Deansbrook but again I would avoid Edgware school.

If reasonably priced privates are an option then Holland House, Goodwyns and St Martins are all good, local and around the £2k a term mark.

Original poster

petelly · 24/08/2009 23:24

Yes, we're on the waiting list for Rosh Pinah - I went there a long time ago!

We looked at Holland House and St Martins but decided against (Goodwyns are full) . They were both too strict and didn't seem right for my dd. Holland House was way too focused on the 3 r's and even had reception children taught very formally facing the front.

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lovingthesummer · 25/08/2009 12:50

Totally agree with you on all counts on the private schools, exactly why we didn't persue them although we had Radlett Prep as a back up at the time.

Good luck with wherever your DD ends up, we're very happy with Rosh Pinah, it has its flaws as any school does, but most of my friends are in agreement that even a lottery win wouldn't persuade us to take our LO's out of there. People on here argue that state schools can't possibly offer the same as a private school but I think that Rosh Pinah gets most of the way there.

Original poster

petelly · 26/08/2009 00:13

Thanks LTS.

Do you maybe know anything about Sinai? We're 3rd on the waiting list there so may have a chance as it's 3 form entry.

I'm not sure where we are at RP but we're not members of a synagogue (and in any case we're planning on joining non-orthodox so it probably wouldn't help) so that would presumably bump us down the list.

OP posts:

lovingthesummer · 26/08/2009 12:44

Not being a member of a synagogue may not matter once you are asking for places after reception as, if there's no / hardly any waiting list they'll be keen to just fill the place and so long as you have yours, or your parents ketubah that will fulfill the main requirement.

I don't know a huge amount about Sinai other than friends who have kids there are very happy with it. I think that they also get a steady turnover of children moving abroad / into private and we've had a couple join from there, purely because they're Edgware children and it's closer than driving to Kenton. I expect that if you're 3rd on the list you'll get a place fairly soon especially as it's perfectly possible that numbers 1 & 2 may not want their places anymore and haven't told the school. There are plenty of Edgware children there so if you do go there then it shouldn't be too hard to arrange a rota etc if you want to.

I cannot believe that from all the schools you've applied to there are so few places.

mum0071 · 04/05/2013 15:38

My child goes to Stanburn and I believe it was a right choice as they support all children in every possible way they can. There is also a strong bond between the teachers and children which makes it an outstanding school not just with an excellent reputation. My DD is now going to Watford Girls after all the progression she has made in Stanburn

horsemadmom · 04/05/2013 21:55

My DD at NLCS regularly did things with Aylward and thought the children were really nice. I think they have a mentoring arrangement and joint events like maths days. They have access to some of the NLCS facilities too.

singhekta · 15/03/2020 18:58

Hello,
I am looking to move to Stanmore later this year and was looking for feedback/reviews on Aylward, Stanburn and Whitchurch schools. Been searching mumsnet since this morning but couldn't find much information. Glad to have stumbled upon this thread at last and good to see positive feedbacks on Aylward. @petelly did you end up sending your child to Aylward after all? How was your experience ? Really eager to find any information I can on those 3 schools or suggestions for other schools around the Stanmore/Edgware area.

Thank you

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