North London secondary schools - faves please!

[ZucchiniPie]

DD is in Year 4 so the secondary school question is beginning to loom. Having rented for years in Whitehall Park N19 and driving myself crazy that we haven't bought, I guess it does mean that if we want to think about moving house for schools, we are in a good position to do that.

So, without any dramatic geographical shift (i.e. I don't think we're contemplating a sudden move south of the river or way out to the west), which schools/areas might we want to consider?

I know bits about all the usual suspects near us (Highgate Wood, APS, Fortismere, Acland Burghley, Parliament Hill) but not necessarily the most current information. But for instance I only even heard of Hornsey School for Girls' existence yesterday and it sounds quite good! So that's an example of my general ignorance on schools.

And no doubt there are others further away from us (Hackney, etc.) which we might seriously consider doing a house move for if we found out we loved them.

No definite preference for mixed or single sex. The main concern I have (other than wanting a good standard of teaching and value placed on music, art, etc., not just strict academic performance) is behaviour. Just somewhere where kids treat each other with decency and respect.

Thanks all!

[MercedesDeMonteChristo]

If you end up in the catchment for AB, I can also recommend William Ellis for your son. I am opposed in theory to single sex schools, but DS1 really excelling and he picked it even though he wouldn't know anyone there. I think actually relocating closer to AB/PH/WE etc is a good move as the schools are really all good in their different ways. Our friends at AB are also really happy.

[MercedesDeMonteChristo]

Oh, I missed the Green Space comment - Hampstead Heath here too :-)

[ZucchiniPie]

Thanks Mercedes. We're currently in the catchment for PH where we are - a neighbour's daughter a few doors down from us has started there this year. Our son is only in Yr1 so we have several years before having to make a decision for him anyway.
That is good to know that William Ellis is good - I know people who went there in the 80s (!) but had heard anything recently.

[Surelyyoudontmeanthat]

further east but closeish to your old stomping ground, have you thought about Stoke Newington comprehensive?

[Mediumred]

Sounds like you have some quite good options without moving. How does your neighbour’s girl like PH? One of the older sisters of DD’s friends goes there and seems to like it and her mum is pleased with the pastoral care and the academic side and the girl has made some good friends. I like that it does not have a uniform and the mum told me they mix up the forms every year so can address friendship issues that way. I don’t think we are in catchment and it would be quite far for DD to travel. We are def closer to Hornsey girls if we go the single-sex route. A previous poster said Hornsey was predominantly Muslim. It does have a large number of Muslim girls but I wouldn’t describe it as ‘predominantly Muslim’ and it wouldn’t worry me or DD if it was.

A couple of people at work have kids (boys) at AB and are happy with that too. Seems like it has loads of extracurricular stuff for the kids.

[Maths9]

I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but if your dad is academically inclined, she could try for Henrietta Barnet school in Hampstead. From what I’ve heard, the school is hot on academics, but has a very good pastoral side too. They don’t give too much homework in the younger years.

[Maths9]

Oops I meant DD, stupid autocorrect

[MercedesDeMonteChristo]

We know a lot of girls at PH due to where our primary is and all are very happy, any issues addressed quickly and overall very positive.

[ZucchiniPie]

Sorry to have gone quiet on this thread and thanks for the last few replies. I'd forgotten about Henrietta Barnet - thanks. DD is bright and fairly academic, but not top-of-the-class academic. Is it extremely competitive to get in?

[NWgirls]

Yes! But could be worth a try if she has a knack for those kinds of tests, which include VR and NVR, can work fast, and you see it as a free lottery ticket. (Tons of tutoring going on for this, not to mention enormously oversubscribed/selective, so please don't expect a place)

[endofthelinefinally]

You won't find a school in North London that doesn't have a drug problem. You will find that some acknowledge and tackle it and others pretend it isn't happening.
I would rather my dc had attended one of the former tbh.

[BackByDopeDemand]

Barnet (borough) has good secondary schools and of your thinking of buying it’s going to hurt a lot less than further in (especially N1).

Fortismere and the like have stupidly Tony catchment areas.

What sort of vibe of school are you looking for?

[BackByDopeDemand]

tiny

[BackByDopeDemand]

Barber has Compton, Archer and Wren (all good). Henrietta Barnett down the road.

On the selective side - Henrietta Barnet, QE Boys and school buses put on for Dame Alice Owen.

[BackByDopeDemand]

BARNET (my typing!

[mollymawk]

If you are in N19 I think you are in the catchment for Latymer. It’s selective but not as fiercely difficult to get in as Henrietta Barnett because there are more places. It’s co-ed and seems to be a happy sort of place.

[avel]

Just going through the same thing here, N19 and anxious... we visited COLA Highgate Hill which is very near us, and absolutely hated it. There is no way we'll send our DS there, but the options we think we like (Acland Burghley top of the list, Highgate Wood, maybe William Ellis, Fortismere) are all far enough away that we're on the fringes of past year cutoffs.
We are in a position where we will home school while sitting on waiting lists if we have to - but that would be last ditch!

[ravensmum]

Just wondering because we are very early on in school years, but do you think north London schools in these areas are negatively affected by the huge number of seemingly amazing/full on/insane private schools? I just remember that Starbucks in Hampstead on the hill being overrrun by private school kids (channjngs, ucs, Highgate, etc etc) there seem to be so many private schools in the area!

Do the two systems ever interact, is there snobbism, rivalry? We are from the area and currently seconded away, tbh it put me off coming back for schooling as having such a two tier system where one is costing 300k per child and the other worrying about knives is bonkers.

Unfortunately i have tended to meet much more of the ‘of course we would have killed to get little Seb into The Hall’ types, so forgive me if my questions seem ignorant, this is the first thread I’ve seen talking about good state schools in the area. I’d love to come back to a good state school (was Mansfield road area) so this is all so helpful.

[FanDabbyFloozy]

There are always those who will not even consider a state school regardless of how good it is, so that attitude does exist. Additionally, it's fair to say that school kids rarely mix with other schools unless they do outside activities, like cricket or scouts - regardless of whether the school is private or state.

But I disagree that state school kids are worried about knives! There are so many schools in London where this just doesn't happen - Fortismere, Alexandra Park, the Archer, JFS etc. There may be issues in certain areas and that's awful of course.. But move out a little to the burbs (Highgate and North) and it is hard to find a school that is like that.

[Stilllookingfor]

@crackingeggs where do you think can get data of which years are the high birth years? it looks like in North London the current Y4 was high birth. On the other hand from anecdotes and also school allocation results, I know that the Reception year in SW London had low birth rates. is there any source that provides a hint of what is coming for future years?

[Zinnia]

I'm not sure about data (you may get somewhere by Googling) but I do know that the current Y6 was a big year, and the boom continued through to birth years 2010-11 but then drops off. There are empty places in current Reception-Y2 across N London, nearly all schools in Camden (my area) affected by this. Am assuming this pattern repeated in other areas. Current birth rate data indicates it's picked up again since 2014 and places likely to fill up again in the coming years.

[Terezita]

As an ex employee and parent at Fortismere .... Well, I think you need to look at your child! It does not suit every child! No point asking other people and reading Ofsted reports!

[Crouchendmumoftwo]

Yes this year 6 is a big bulge year and next year is too - although not as big as this years. A head told me there are 2 classes of year 6 children extra looking for places that don't exist. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens. Im on the cusp of a catchment and we are in a very difficult position as we just may not have a school at all!

[Skimmedmilk1]

Henrietta Barnett has about 30 applicants per place

[Zinnia]

@Crouchendmumoftwo yes this Y6 is the year that - when they went into Reception - had 50 unplaced children in my borough on offer day. The LA opened up a bulge class to take most of them, and they all found places in the end through the usual moving around. A friend whose summer born DD still had no reception place in September that year, despite applying to their 6 nearest primaries, got a place about 2 weeks into term at their first choice, closest school. My guess is similar things will happen this year, with the difference being there should be capacity in the secondary school system to accommodate everyone. I for one will be holding my nerve after 1st March ...