North London schools

[whatandindeedwhy]

We are considering buying in Tufnell Park, in north London. DS is only in primary but hoping this is a long term home, and thinking about secondaries if we lived there till he finished school. Is Ackland Burley a good/nice neighbourhood school? What other options are there in the area. And if we wanted to consider alternatives and are prepared for him to go a bit further if needed, are there more options in the wider area/further north, and is realistic they would accept us if we are not in the immediate area?

hmm I realise there are some threads about schools here but I couldn’t find one that is recent enough

Depends on budget. Most people in that area send girls to Parli and boys private if they can afford it but Burghley is the more popular choice out of the options. William Ellis isn't that bad too and probably more structured than AB. AB is non uniform and very hippie vibes, can be quite overwhelming for sensitive kids but they have good SEN support. WE has uniform and is boys only but a lot more structured.
Where are you moving from? It is a very central area and I think could be a big shock if you're not used to it. You can't see it at first but there are a lot of council estates in the area which has caused a lot of problems with gangs and knife crime too. If you can afford it, people tend to buy up the hill a bit by Parli/ WE.

thank you @Foxesandsquirrelsyeah I am not sure our budget can stretch to private education, so I am mostly looking at state schools. I am not too familiar with William Ellis, I will explore it. I am not sure I am too convinced a boys only school is right for DS, but who knows…

we are moving from another central London location so not worried about that aspect too much, I admit. But I’d love to be as close to the Heath we can! It’s so pretty. We will try..

These things change by cohort, but Burghley has seemed to have a better local reputation than Ellis for the last decade or so. Most of the (let's face it, middle class) boys from the very good local.primaries go to Burghley, while Ellis is more out-of-area. Girls split between Parli, Burghley and Camden School for Girls. Some people do move after primary to get to Fortismere or Alexandra Park.

Sixth form, things open up a bit more with CSG taking boys, plus commutes to Marylebone, Woodhouse etc.

Thank you @tortoise18
do you know if Fortismere and Alexandra palace have strict catchment areas and waiting lists?

No idea about waiting lists, but you'd have to live near Fortismere (about a mile) and very near APS (about half a mile)

Ah I see @tortoise18thank you. I will take that into account. It would have been good to have those options but sounds like it was an ambitious thought if we do live in TP.

Barnet has lots of good secondaries. Some don’t fill their places. There are buses from Archway and Tufnell Park.

Interesting @Romanbathers! I don’t know Barnet schools at all, I will do some digging, thank you

In terms of further afield options there are a few selective options or religious ones. Latymer, Queen Elizabeth boys and Finchley Catholic, for example. St Mary Magdalene in Islington also reserve 10% of places for those who scored highest on their aptitude test. We are a slightly different area but I think Acland Burghley has a decent reputation.

Burghley and Ellis are probably about the same academically. AB seems to be more in favour with local middle class families at the moment - but bluntly, it’s not without problems. It wouldn’t suit a very sensitive kid (there are a fair number of disruptive children) and more academic kids probably wouldn’t be stretched enough. Alexandra Park is generally viewed as a ‘better’ school, but some families find the strictness and constant testing a bit OTT.

If your DS is educated in the borough of Islington and is academic or musical, Dame Alice Owen in Hertfordshire takes a number of Islington kids each year, though the journey each day is an absolute pain.

Also if very academic - Latymer or QE boys worth thinking about. Good luck

thank you @BonnebonDS is good at school but not sure yet if he is very very academic. To be determined! So I was hoping to be in a neighbourhood where there are some solid options beyond grammar schools, in case those don’t work out for us