Primary Schools in Camden

[KaranTatt]

Hello ladies, was wondering if anyone has any experience of primary school admissions in Camden?

DS is due to start in September and we have to wait until May to find out where he is off to. We have a C of E school right around the back of us (literally the next road) which is technically our closest. It's our first choice but apparently they are heavily oversubscribed and we don't attend church. I'm hoping that we'll get in by location but chatting to another mother, who lived about 20 meters down on the same road as the school, they didn't get their daught in!!

Has anyone got their child into a C of E school on location without being a church goer?? Or am I just being unrealistic on our chances.....!!?

You can but try. Do you have to fill in a supplementary form with a statement of reference from a minister? We didn't for our CofE school - which is in Westminster (where religion is very low key)- so didn't need anything from a Vicar. But when I was looking into Camden primary schools, it seemed that they did require those forms.

Hi, the supplementary form was optional to complete and we didn't do one. There didn't seem that much point as we weren't able to put down that we went to church etc etc. I applied on-line and there was a space for you to state your case as to why your child should go there. I wrote something as grovelling as I could manage and now have fingers x !

Well, if it is optional then there is a chance. It will just come down to whether there are places available, after siblings are allocated etc. I am sure you know that there is a huge squeeze on places in Camden - especially around Belsize Park/Primrose Hill but they have set up a new new intake at Primrose Hill, so perhaps it will not be as bad as last year. In the South of the borough there seem to be more available places. But these things change year on year, of course. Depending where you live, it is worth looking at neighbouring boroughs too to extend your options.

It depends on the school, if its Emmanuel then you won't as they have so few places. I've heard of non-church goers getting into HPS if they live locally.