Talk to me about Primary Education in Glasgow

[unlimiteddilutingjuice]

DS starts primary school next year and I'm beginning to think about where I'd like him to go.

We are in the catchment area of Parkview (in Summerston) but actually live quite far away from the school, in the extreme southern tip of the catchment area.
The journey to Parkview from our house is inconvenient and also dangerous, going along a main road and through a tunnel with very narrow pavement.

We are closer to Kelvindale, plus it is the "naice school."

We are also quite interested in the Gaelic School.

I'm currently leaning towards registering for Parkview but also putting in placing requests for Kelvindale, the Gaelic school, or possibly both.

I was wondering if anyone on here has any experience with any of the above schools. Obviously I will visit them and talk to the teachers, but I would also be interested in what Mumsnetters have to say

This might be bollocks as it's a while since I knew anyone who went to the Gaelic School, but I think they like your child to have attended the Gaelic nursery so they're not starting absolutely stone cold with GME, so if this is something that you're interested in it might be worth investigating the ins and outs quite soon.

(unless you're a Gaelic speaking family of course - sorry to assume!).

No, not Gaelic speaking (yet!). I think being in the nursery would be an advantage but not essential. I know some kids who have started at P1.

"The thing about Glasgow schools is that they are all bursting to the seams, especially in infants."

Yes, I know. I wouldn't even be in this position (catchment school bloody miles away along a busy road) if the primary school on my estate had not been closed down a few years back.

Loads of schools were closed at the same time- it was total educational vandalism.

Still far better than London, say, but even so...

The insult to add to injury is that they then plunked said estate in the catchment for Parkview in response to pressure form the parents at (much closer) Kelvindale. If you look at the catchment map we're an extra southerly blob, stuck onto the bottom, seemingly at random.
Its a really unnecessary class division and I'm tempted to put in a placing request for Kelvindale on that basis alone, because seriously Fuck em. (I will word the placing request differently obviously )

"However, you won't know until you try."

Exactly- I'll give it a go

"You're about twice that distance, and don't speak Gaelic so I wouldn't rate your chances."

Ah, but that article relates to the Pollockshaws campus. There's another one in the West End that we're closer to.

Pollokshields thank you very much

Oops!

I posted on your other thread but you need to think long term about this - and strategically.

If you apply for a P1 place in an out of catchment school and get in, that's great. Your child does P1-P7 in a school you're happy with. Then in P7 - depending on the school you've chosen on a placing request - you may have to go through the whole placing request thing again for secondary. There is the very real risk that secondaries don't have space, and your child is split up from all of her friends.

This happens a LOT with our schools. We are in Bearsden and there are children in our school from Glasgow Council, West Dunbartonshire, and Stirling Council. Bearsden Academy is a new build but small, and cannot take extras. Last year, two of the boys in my child's year applied to go to Bearsden Academy with the rest of the year group, one lived in Glasgow City, other in West Dunbartonshire. Both refused. I think one ended up getting into Douglas in Milngavie, not sure what happened to the other one. But they're not in the schools their parents intended.

Just something to think about - if your catchment school and chosen placing request primary are feeders for the same secondary (and you're happy with that secondary), no problem. If they're not, you have to consider secondary too. Not just cross your fingers and hope for the best as the parents of the kids in my child's year did.

Hi there, I've got 3 dc who have been in GME from the start of their school days and are now all in Ardsgoil Ghaihdlig Glaschu (the gaelic high school).

Firstly theres likely to be a change to catchment for the Glendale school in Pollokshields, as it should never have been done on distance and there is uproar about it. GME is to be placing request only.

Secondly- both the primaries are massively oversubscribed and more and more the decision is made based on interest and social factors - we used to live in the Outer Hebrides and still have a house there which was our basis for application (my dd1 was already in GME when we moved to Glasgow). The school now expects non-gaelic speaking parents to learn the language and many, many pupils are either from gaelic nursery or from Gaelic speaking families. In fact I can only think of a handful of my dc's friends who don't have a Gaelic background - parents or grandparents who speak the language.

At the moment those from the primary school get a place at the High School but theres going to have to be a huge amount of expansion in the Ardsgoil to take in all those who want to go.

Anecdotally, bilingual education doesn't always suit dc with additional needs and I know of several children with ASD who have moved elsewhere following diagnosis (but also some who have not).

We've been exceptionally well served by the school and would highly recommend it but its not the easy option by any means. Increased class sizes mean its not the "private education by default" that it was once thought to be. I'm not trying to put anyone off though. The headteacher is lovely (Donald McComb) and worth getting in touch if you're really interested.

The head is DONALDA, not Donald! And she's Dr McComb!

Apart from Weegiemum , I had another friend whose children were at the Gaelic school and I remember her commenting about all the Gaelic classes she had to attend (I think iirc, her dh spoke Gaelic but she was still expected to go)

It's been quite a while since I've seen her though.

Glendale (the original, non-Gaelic medium school) is a fantastic school but there's no way you'd get in if you're not in catchment (think this year they struggled even with siblings).

Thanks for all the replies people.

I'm afraid I wouldn't consider a Catholic school Luna, just because I feel it would be unfair on him to be the only proddy in a Catholic school. Added to which St. Mary's playground is seperated from a scary main road by the titchiest little fence. And while DS is not the kind of child to vault fences in order to run into traffic, I'm afraid his wee sister coming up 2 years after, very much will be!

Trust me, I am very much aware of the problems facing Glasgow primary education. My husband was involved in a campaign against school closures when we met. This is the outcome he had hoped to avoid.

Apparently there is a consultation on to consider a new school for Maryhill- good news but too late for us. They could have tried not shutting the old one!

I think the plan must be to register at Parkview and put in placing requests for Kelvindale and the Gaelic School.

"Glendale (the original, non-Gaelic medium school) is a fantastic school but there's no way you'd get in if you're not in catchment (think this year they struggled even with siblings)."

Talk to me about catchment areas, pretty bird The "Find my catchment" function on Glasgow City Council website shows two massive catchment area's for the Finneston and Pollockshields campus's- taking up the entire North and South of the City respectively.

Obviously- I am nominally in a "catchment" but they seem so big as to be meaningless.

T'wasn't me who suggested Catholic schools ;-) I know the one which is right on Maryhill road and it does appear very noisy and busy!

Good luck and hope you get your choice - what is your catchment secondary and would you be happy with them progressing there?

There are effectively two Glendales.

The local primary school (English speaking although with a very high proportion of EAL pupils ), which ds went to, which serves a defined catchment in Pollokshields (bounded approximately iirc by St Andrews Drive, Darnley St, Nithsdale Road, St Johns Road and Maxwell Road: gets a bit mixed up with strange dogs legs in the catchment boundary with Pollokshields Primary ). That was the school I was referring to when I said it had problems accepting sibling requests this year.

Then there's the Gaelic Medium Primary which shares the campus with the "original" primary and has a different head teacher (I know the "English speaking" headteacher/school, but the Gaelic school and its headteacher is a totally new entity). It must have the amorphous "big blob" catchment you're talking about - although as Weegiemum says, it shouldn't really be a distance catchment per se as it still requires a placing request. I think to be fair on the council and I'm not often , they were clumsily trying to demonstrate that if you're in the North of the city and you get accepted, you'll go to the one in Berkeley Street/Finnieston, whereas if you're in the South of the city and you get accepted, you'll go to the Glendale/Pollokshields one. It also makes a difference to whether the council will pay for transport.

It was indeed Glendale. Iirc, the Parent Council did point out the new flats and social housing that had just been built across the road (the other side of which is the railway, then industrial waste land, then the motorway then more industrial estates ) so no other primaries (unless you count Scotland Street Primary ) for them to go to, were likely to increase catchment demand for the school......

.....they were told by the Council that when if that happened, the Council would then just change the catchment on the other side

....the fact that Pollokshields Primary, which is the one on the other side, is now approaching (has reached?) capacity is a wee bit of a problem....

So you end up with a major cascade effect with children ending up having to cross busy roads as opposed to go to their "local" school.

My DF predicted this when they started closing schools in the late 90s

When GCC declared they were closing Shakespeare primary and NK secondary in particular he said to them "you'll be building family homes on the NK site then?"

Not at all was their reply

Of course we are 16 years later, the houses are up (and all around Firhill too) with maryhill bursting at the seams for places

Sorry I have nothing constructive to say. But I'm shocked and annoyed at your situation.

What about the bishopbriggs schools? Clutching at straws, sorry.