Alexandra Park School vs Highgate Wood (APS vs HGW)?

[chillberry]

We're currently in catchment for HGW and liked what I saw on a pre-covid open day. I had the impression the school has improved a lot in recent years and results look almost as good as APS.

But I also really liked APS and we now might have the opportunity to move into that catchment. We do like the area we're in right now a bit more than the APS area, but we're renting at the moment so don't have to worry about selling/buying and I'm wondering if a move would really be worth it.

Would love to hear more from people with current experience of these schools. DC is quiet, sensitive, academic type. How do they handle y7 transition? How has their covid provision been? Any red flags?

How different is it in year 7-11?

Very. It's like they're different schools esp as sixth form is huge and forces you to take 4 a levels which not a lot of kids want. Y7-11 is mostly middle class well off kids. For that area, very white. Obviously there's still diversity but nothing on the sixth form.

Where do those middle class kids go at sixth form?

APS offers lots of places to external students at sixth form in addition to students staying on, but a lot of school sixth forms and some standalone colleges competition for students with good grades from a much wider area. It doesn't mean that APS students aren't staying on too. My son is still deciding whether to be one of those external students from Tottenham or to travel even further west to Woodhouse College in Barnet. A lot of the external students come from families who are also quite middle class, but settled in more affordable areas (and 5/10/15/20 years later would never have been able to afford Tottenham or Wood Green either!)

Fortismere, Woodhouse, Camden girls, latymer or stay at aps. The unpopular part of aps sixth form is the compulsory 4 a levels, not the diversity.

Back in the day APS used to be very diverse. I think because the catchment used to stretch to Wood Green. Clearly not anymore since the school became more popular.

APS catchment hasn't been more than 0.5miles for at least 12 years. This must've been a long time ago.

@owlmummy I am considering APS or Archer for my 10 boy who has an EHCP for ASD diagnosis. Would really appreciate if anyone has any insight or recommendations. APS looks great on paper, but we were not able to get a meeting to speak with their SEND department and hear that they are understaffed these days? Grateful for any info or tips!

Hi @owlmummy I heard from some parents that APS groups all SEN students together for interventions, wondering if this is still a thing?