City of London Academy - Highbury Grove Secondary school

[anyaroz]

Hello everyone,
We’re currently deciding between two areas to rent in for the next year, and one of the properties we’re considering is quite close to City of London Academy Highbury Grove Secondary School. I’ve come across a few older threads about the school, but I’d really appreciate hearing from parents with more recent experience.
We’re relocating from the US this summer, and our son (11 years old) would be starting Year 7 this September, most likely through an in-year application. From what I can tell, there aren’t too many options for boys in the area—some schools are heavily oversubscribed, and others are just a bit too far.
I’d be very grateful for any insight into the academic standards, discipline, and overall social environment at Highbury Grove.
Any thoughts—positive or critical—would be extremely helpful as we try to make this decision.
Many thanks in advance!

Thanks so much for the suggestion! Chelsea Academy is oversubscribed, as many popular/good schools tend to be, especially in more central areas of London. Unless we rent something next door, we are unlikely to get a spot.

i don’t think David Cameron would have actually sent his son to CA in a million years!

Of course not - but he did send his daughter to a state school, albeit The Grey Coat!

@TonictheHedgehog, Thank you. We haven't really thought about it in terms of age groups -- interesting perspective. In terms of commute to work, it's not going to be great for either me or my husband, regardless of which of the two areas we end up choosing.

Work is in South Ken for my husband and Oxford Circus for me, but not every day for both of us. So, yes, I see the District line in our future. :)

What about Chiswick - an easy commute to South Ken and Oxford Street and a great place to live.

www.chiswickschool.org/

Chiswick was definitely on our wish list, but we just couldn’t find any reasonably priced, furnished 3-bedroom rentals in decent condition. House-hunting from abroad has been really tough — the good places tend to disappear before we even wake up here in the U.S. 😂We were in London a couple of weeks ago to look at properties, and it was clear just how challenging the market is.

Indeed - but CA and Grey Coats are a world apart!