Honeywell School, SW11 and private alternatives

[AnSW11dilemma]

We are lucky enough to live within the catchment area for Honeywell School, SW11. I understand that it's a great state school with outstanding Ofsted reports and happy parents and children. So far, so good.

It's also an option for us to educate our children privately, although not without some sacrifice. We would consider this primarily for smaller class sizes, although also for the extra-curricular opportunities and assistance with entry to upper schools.

The alternatives that we're considering are Finton House, Broomwood Hall and Thomas's. I've looked round all four schools, and thought they were all really good in different ways (and, equally, all had some disadvantages), but am struggling to come to a decision.

I DO understand that this is a nice problem to have, and that the dilemma arises from being spoilt for choice. I would, nonetheless, be very grateful for any advice that any parents at any of the above schools might have! Thanks in advance!

How old is your child?
Do you already have them registered at all four?

3, so would be going into Reception in 2011, and registered at the private schools (I understand we'd need to register for LEA schools in a few months).

sorry I should have asked when did you register your child? at birth?

Pretty much, yes!

I sent my DD to Honeywell, indeed pulled her out of a private school to send her there. It was a little while ago now, but we were very pleased with it, and they did very well by her. I would send my others there if we were still living locally, and I certainly wouldn't be inclined for fork out for school fees. I never really liked proprietor-owned schools anyway, which all the ones you mentioned are.

did you register at birth?

You can't register for a state school at birth. You apply in the spring before the September in which they're due to start school. But in DD's case we just bowled up and asked for a place mid-term, and living on Dents Road we got one on grounds of being the nearest applicants and able to start immediately.

Explain the term 'we just bowled up and asked for a place mid-term,' please.

sorry xposts and my previous post wasn't showing up

personally I would go with Honeywell
I would save any sacrifice for secondary

Sorry BoffinMum my question related to the OP's private regs

Sorry re birth thing.

I just rang Honeywell and asked for a place. They said there was a massive waiting list. I then asked to look round with a view to going on the waiting list. The head showed me around and we discussed which criteria would apply to us in terms of minimising our waiting list experience. He said it was helpful that it was our nearest state primary school, and also that if we were prepared to take a mid term or mid year place we would increase our chances a lot. I said that would be absolutely fine, and a week later the school phoned us up and reported that they had slotted DD in. A week after that, she had settled in and made friends, and it was all a great success.

Don't forget Hornsby House, btw, if it's still going. I used to know Beve Hornsby and she knows her stuff.

Sorry BM, I was mistaking you for the OP - ignore me!

OP having lived in that area until DS1 was 8 and leaving Y2 at Honeywell and DD was coming up for Reception (move to the country), and still having pangs of regret years later, I would say go for the private school option.

Plenty of families would sell their granny for a place at that school, but don't have the option of a private alternative (I'm sure that applies today even more than then).

Leave the places for people who'll appreciate their good luck.

Hornsby is still going but is down in Balham now

OP - have you looked round Honeywell yet or Belleville (as a comparision)?

If you're in the catchment area for Honeywell and it would be 'some sacrifice' to send your dc privately, I can't really see what the dilemma is especially considering the particular private schools you're considering

I had a look round Broomwood and Thomas' a few months ago, and frankly wouldn't touch either of them with a barge pole ....

Belville is supposed to be excellent as well and I certainly knew people that were delighted with it. Both schools are the sort of place teachers send their own kids to out of choice, which says something important.

I always warn people against using proprieter-owned schools. Having worked in one myself, I know all too well what the profit motive can do to undermine children's education. Some of the teaching is very poor, and unskilled young graduates are used to plug the gaps, something you would never get away with in the state sector. They only get away with it here because they are taking in the children of middle class, highly motivated families, which covers up a great deal of sloppiness, as these children would do fairly well anywhere tbh.

The moral of the story is that just because you pay for it, it does not necessarily mean you are getting something that is better than in the maintained system. However proprietor-owned independent schools rely on the fact that their customers want and need to believe otherwise.

John Clare, the education correspondent, advises that if you have a good state primary nearby, topping it up with a bit of Kumon (not that I am a huge Kumon fan myself, but some people like it), modern language tuition or musical instrument tuition gives you the best of both worlds.

Thanks to everyone for their comments. They mostly reflect my own thoughts - if there is an excellent state school so close, why would you pay to go elsewhere?

My main reservation is the size of the classes - my DS is quite shy, and I can imagine that he might be happier in a smaller class and/or a smaller school.

I also wonder why so many of the local parents do choose the private option given the above, which was why I was hoping to hear from some of them in case there are considerations that haven't occurred to me yet!

By the way, I hear what you say about propietor-owned schools, but don't think that applies to Finton House, which is a charity.

Many thanks again.

I live in tooting but hang out in the wandsworth common area from time to time too. I think lots of local parents choose private options because many can easily afford it and are v keen for their children to have the widest choice of secondary schools (e.g., get into the top private/state secondary schools) so want to give the best chance possible in their view... I may be wrong but my understanding is that state primaries never do practice papers for entrnce exams/11 plus things (including our joyful wandsworth state year 6 aptitude test) whereas private schools do thus giving them a rather unfair advantage even for getting into the best state secondaries (i.e., graveney). You're right about smaller class sizes too - look at any private vs state thread on here and people generally say this is the main thing you are paying for...

Last year you needed to live within 439 metres to get into Honeywell - that's pretty tight

Belleville expanded it's intake but still only went 383 metres

As LJB says some go private because it is easily affordable, because they went private themselves, due to class size, because they want to prep their child for boarding at 8

It's unbelievable how close you have to live to these schools! That also means that it must be a great way to get to know all the other kids/parents in the local streets which is a major factor that makes me prefer state over private in general.

I'd definitely start with the state school, you can always pull your child out and move them into private if you're unhappy.

We had an endless dilemma about this last year and I'm so glad we went state because a) it's close and free b) the teachers are excellent and very experienced c) dd is definitely not an academic at this stage and wouldn't like the pressure of some of the private schools and d) Now I know exactly what I do and I don't like about the state system and I know that if and when I move my dd into the private system it will be an informed choice rather than one led by peer pressure and marketing by the private schools.

Eldon Avenue - 383m for Belleville?? that's 100 m less than the year before. Do you know what's happening about the proposed expansion of Belleville to 4 form entry?

I simply have no idea what I do if ds doesn't get in, and we're just under 500m away from Belleville. What's the alternative??!

Comments like SF's above and the desperation I remember prevailing when we lived in that area are what make me repeat: if you can afford to go private, do so and leave the place for someone who'll appreciate it and not swap and change in later years to suit them.

It sounds as if you're half-hearted about the place anyway - and it's surely not fair on your DCs to put them in a school 'to try it out' with every intention of moving them if it suits you.

Belleville is an amazing school. Which is why the LEA are looking to expand it rather than Honeywell which is currently smaller.

The expansion is still 50-50 I would say. They did take an extra reception class last year but that is currently seen as a 'bulge year' as opposed to an expansion.

Current parents are very anti any proposed expansion and are making their feelings known.

recent stuff

I believe they are waiting for the outcome of the consultation
Looking at the detail it appears 383m is the distance at the 19 March 2009 offers and iirc they expanded after that so that's probably for only the 3 class intake

The school should be able to tell you what the final distance was

OurLadyOfPerpetualSupper - the OP has every right to a state school place regardless of future intentions or ability to pay