Grazebrook or William Patten School in Hackney anyone?

[Feedtheducks]

Might be moving round there and while generally being quite relaxed about whatever the local school happens to be (well so I thought anyway, maybe not!) would love to hear from people who know these schools. More interested in the culture and vibe than academic success etc etc

I don't know anything about it but Jubilee school near it (on Filey Avenue) is mean to be excellent.

My experience of William patten has been very mixed. It's not as socially diverse as many other local schools and think largely due to it's size and intake its a little sink or swim. Far less nurturing than I expected so a shock for my little one. On the up side there are strong parental links and the older kids are very proud of their school.

Hi Adair, i will look out for you in the Stow, we are stepping up our search as we now have na asking price offer! Woo hoo.

Another person fleeing Stokey for Waltham Forest. We're off this year and it seems like mass migration of people giving up getting a house in the catchment for ANY Stokey school. See you all up there!

A fair few don't like the rather chaotic nature of WP, but for others it's totally what they want and lots will tell you that amidst the chaos there are a lot of very happy children who thrive. The safety does sound a mite alarming though!

fwiw, another parent I spoke to didn't like Holmleigh as she thought it perfectly nice, but tending towards the unimaginative and a bit old fashioned. Disclaimer here, I have children at neither!

Grazebrook has been in very serious trouble, 'special measures' 3 times in recent years. Betty Layward has just had a poor Ofsted. Depends what you want a school to do. Nice vibes are all well and good but generally standards in Stokey are pretty low.Partly historic, Hackney schools and partly high numbers of kids with poor English etc etc. Fact. Parents who thought everything was charming and hunky dory and then moved out of area find their kids are generally a year behind their peers. Parents who can afford it bus their kids out of area.Pick your N16 school very very carefully !!

Mendip, I disagree! Lots of people move to E8/ N16 because of the schools, which are often over subscribed because they provide a good education. Certainly in most both children and parents are happy. And what you say about standards seems a pretty sweeping generalisation. Yes parents move from Hackney out - but then you can say that about all London boroughs. The ones I know who have moved out of London, certainly haven't found their children a year behind. And let's face it it's easy in these regulatory times to check Sats results. Hackney schools are doing pretty well in those these days.

Also having lots of children with English as a second language doesn't equate with poor standards.

Finally Grazebrook's apparently doing really well now and seen as a well led, thriving school. Not denying they've had their problems, but it's in the past from what I've heard.

Well, it is certainly my experience, as a parent and that of my friends, that a great deal of denial goes on about Stokey school standards. Even those who when their children are very young would defend N16 schools to the death, find themselves in a panic as time goes on. The realisation hits them that they have to do something or hinder their children's future. And it is just plain daft to say that SAT scores count for nothing or that a sizeable majority of children with English as a second language has no effect. That's Stokey talk for you!

Ah Mendip I didn't say SATs count for nothing, I said it's easy to check them in these regulatory times, which it is. Personally I'm not a great fan of SATS, but hey they are there so parents can easily check if it matters to them. Also, I genuinely think having lots of kids with English as a second language can be a great thing. Depends a lot on how the school handles it, but Hackney schools seem to embrace it, which is surely the best way. From what I've seen at my son's school the kids whose parents have no English, are most often the newest arrivals and are highly motivated for their kids to achieve. In my son's school the children who started in reception with barely any English are all fluent now and he's only in Year 2. The school's SATs are good too.

Hackney Schools have improved soooo much since we moved here in 1995. Primary Schools go through times of good and bad results/ofsted and I would say that you should go and look around and judge for yourself the ethos, behaviour of children etc. rather than look at SATs. Sir Thomas Abney is a good school - well led, few pushy parents, calm purposeful learning environment. Very diverse with lots of kids with English as 2nd language (very well managed) and SEN (I see this as a positive) where children do well in a happy, safe and diverse environment. And the outdoor space is fantastic! Too often friends and relatives say I'm hindering my kids by staying in Hackney but that's total rubbish! The opportunities and experiences they have had going to school here (sailing, music festivals, carnival projects, cultural events... the list goes on) are great - my kids are thriving academically and love it here! After years of investment there are very few 'bad' schools in the borough - schools are definitely a reason to stay rather than stray!

Hi. You have to accept you are moving to a multi-cultural area with a variety of people and their kids. If you don't fancy that, you need to move to Surrey or somewhere else white and middle class!!
You need to ask yourself: what is EDUCATION FOR?
In Hackney, the schools are run by the Learning Trust - many parents are disappointed with them (they don't give us parents much information as to how they operate). As for schools - there are going to be so many changes over the next few months there is no point in trying to 'compare' them. Things like head teachers 'overseeing' a number of schools, for example Shacklewell school 'share' the head teacher from Grazebrook. Funding being cut for 'non vital' parts of your kids education (art and such). For the Learning Trust our kids are just commodities, they go through their system and come out like sausages in a factory. It's about pupils ticking the right boxes to keep the school's 'figures up', and looking good on a league table. The education bit happens at home. Don't think that Betty Layward or Grazebrook are the 'best' schools, they are not. Give your kids a chance to have friends from Africa or Vietnam. This is vital for them. Sorry to sound so cynical, but I have been a parent in Hackney for a long time, and I am also a teacher.

Hi, we live in Stokey and we are the parents to one of those notorious "English as a second language children". My 3 1/2 year old daughter has English as a second language (or third to be more correct!) She was able to speak it fluently by the age of 2 and a half. As both me and my husband hold postgraduate diploma and are multilingual a good, inspiring education and mentally inspiring environment means a lot to us. Can you recommend a school that has a high percentage of children from varied cultural and social background and has good record of success?

Just re connected to this discussion. No one, unless they are incrediably bigoted and stupid, would object to a multi cultural class. I was just pointing out what happens a lot in Stokey i.e. everyone thinks it's fine, dandy and wonderfully egalitarian until it comes to secondary school which obviously leads on to further/higher education. You have to look at the long game. I have friends who were firmly of the N16 'Party Line' (as per above) who, without exception, eventually moved area, fought to get their kids in schools out of area, privately tutored their kids to gain access to selective schools or - if they could - bit the bullet and paid for education. They did it at various stages - saw the last one in the street the other day! She swore blind she never would do it but she has a very bright child and eventually put him first.