Finchley Catholic and other catholic secondary schools in North London

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I've name changed for this post. My dc are currently in a private prep school, but we have been hit badly by the credit crunch and are not able to pay their fees in full anymore. The school has been very understanding and accomodating so far, but we know that our business will struggle for at least a couple of years and so will be transferring them to the state sector at the end of this academic year.

I would really like them to continue in a Catholic school and have identified a couple of primary schools but I am concerned about secondary options as we will have to go through the LEA application process for a secondary place for DS later this year.

Does anyone have any information on Finchley Catholic boys school? It looks quite good in many ways, but I am wondering if we live too far away (we aren't in Barnet, but on the Haringey/Islington border) and I can't work out from their admissions procedure whether that comes into play. They have clearly put distance down as one of their admissions criteria in case of being oversubscribed and yet in the Barnet schools guide it says distance is not applicable.

I called the school to ask for clarification and the lady was quite vague and talked about needing to fill in a supplementary form.

Has anyone been through this?! I am SO confused by it all. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

I used to teach there! Its an average school. SOme of the kids are rough, others are nice and polite so a mixed bunch really.

The teaching staff are good. And kids are pushed to do thir best. The religious part is good as the kids do attend mass etc.

As for admissions criteria I dont know the rules, but there were kids that came from out of Barnet. It is overly subscribed and very popular.

HTH

Sounds like you're quite near us, crunched.

We looked at FCH last autumn. I liked it, and would def have considered it for ds if we'd lived close enough, but didn't love it so much that we wanted to move (which we'd have had to do). My younger dc are at a catholic primary on the islington/haringey border, and FCH is considered the most desirable of the catholic boys' options locally. Unlike the other desirable catholic boys' schools (LOS and CVMS) they don't select purely on catholicity -- as long as the chil is baptised and attends mass, it's done on distance. Anecdotally, you need to live north of about Highgate to stand a chance. My older dd is at a girls' school locally, so I get the teenage girl's take on the FCH boys as well!

If you get the FCH prospectus, they include a list of primary schools from which they have accepted kids over the past few years it's not an exact guide, as people might have moved house since their child started at primary, but it'll give you a rough idea. Actually I probably still have the list somewhere if you'd like me to dig it out and post it to you (I probably have the full prospectus, thinking about it), or you want any other info, do CAT me.

It's difficult to advise - is your dcs existing private school catholic. Are dcs baptised and from practising family. Have they made their first confession and holy communion?
If yes you shouldn't have a problem - only thing would be getting a place in the years your are looking for. If not to one or more of these questions then potentially problems for you, particularly at secondary level

zanzibarmum - yes to all your questions (catholic school, practising, baptised and first communion for my DS, DD is due to do so next year).

Frogs - thanks for your answer, and happy to hear you also liked the school. We live close to Highgate but not north of it so I'm still not sure if that would get us in, and we certainly can't move house at the moment.

Overall I'm still confused though. If FCH offer places based on (i) catholicism and (ii) distance, why don't they say how far the cutoff was last year on the Barnet council documents and their own prospectus? And what is the supplementary form for, if not for you to make a case as to how worthy a catholic you are??? The FCH lady on the phone was not helpful in this regard.

Anyone have any insight? Anyone with a DS at FCH that can explain it to me?!

Frogs - forgot to say, if your dc are at the catholic primary right on islington, haringey and camden border its one of the two I have been talking to about admission in September for my dc! We attend mass in a different parish but I rather liked the feel of the school.

That's the one, crunched. Is your ds in Y5? It's a really nice year, both classes -- there are a few kids with ishoos, as anywhere, but it's well dealt with and there are some really bright, quirky, motivated boys in both groups. My ds moved there mid-term a couple of years ago from another school (because of house move) and was made to feel hugely welcome and has made some fantastic friends. The mums are a laugh too. The school is very good on sport, which suits lots of the boys, and good after-school activities.

It is a v. mixed school though, so you have to be reasonably robust and laid back about that. There are actually quite a few who have come from private schools or who have siblings in a private school, but lots of kids off the archway estates as well. But a nice cheery mix, we're v. happy.

Wrt FCH, they don't put in the cut-off because it's not subject to teh council's admissions rules, and and they probably quite like it that way. They wouldn't want to give the impression it was just based on distance -- my understanding is that distance comes into play once assuming you meet the basic entry criteria, ie. baptism, communion, mass attendance.

A lot of kids from St J's do go to non-catholic schools though -- well, a lot go to St A's locally, but that really isn't considered a desirable destination by most people. The kids with more ambitious parents tend to go more in the direction of Alice Owens (if they live in Islington), Latymer, QEB, William Ellis, Acland Burghley, etc depending on where they live.

Bishop Douglass is meant to be on the up, but is still quite (ahem) urban, and would be a bit of a culture shock from a prep school, I think. People are also making very favourable noises about St Mary Magdalene Academy I know a parent in the Whitehall Park area who is hoping to get a dc in there. Apparently boys from the St J catchment also sometimes get into St Ignatius in Enfield we know the new head there, and it is definitely a school on the up. Bit of a hike though, depending on where you live. We're going to look at that next year for ds as well. New head apparently keen to up the catholic criteria rather than distance.

Do CAT me if you want to talk off-board.

Finchley Catholic Boys is our local school. It's averagely good, I'd say.

Mrs Mattie - I have resigned myself to averagely good at the moment (having a major downer at the moment) as the state school secondary options nears us are not much above that from what I can see. My dc have had the benefit of good education to date, and a great pastoral environment, but from what people have told me I don't think I can count on them getting into any selective, supportive, non-private school. I'm also keen to keep them within a community atmosphere and that's why I want to stay within the catholic sphere.

Frogs - thanks for all your insight, my ds is in Y5 and dd in Y3. I understand exactly what you mean about mixed schools, most of the catholic primaries in the locale seem to have a wide range of backgrounds but I/my dh/my DC have engaged with many of them through many extended parish activities, so I hope that won't become an issue.
As for my own attitude, it some ways I feel it might be a bit of a relief to step back from the prep school obsessives. To be honest, the last 6 months have been nightmarish and as long as my dc are happy, I no longer care which school they're at, or what marks they are getting for school projects that I have not had the time to complete for them..!

I'm a little downhearted about the about FCH distance criteria though. I can't see many alternatives for us as St A (within spitting distance of us) is NOT on my list. We don't live in Islington so DAO is out. Latymer and QEB are (I think) out of my ds's league and WE and AB are probably too far on the distance criteria (unless less people apply next year - hgihly unlikely!). Which leaves me with Bishop Douglass (not convinced my ds will survive), Highgate Woods (no 6 on my list) and, from what you say, St Ignatius (which I need to explore further).
We're not even by the tube, so the south / west london catholics are a dreadful option at rush hour.

Aggghhhh!

Sounds like you've had a rough time, crunched.

I'll look out for you in the playground when your ds starts -- are you starting next sept or earlier?

Yes, it has been (still is) tough, but my dh's parents and the school have been very understanding and supportive. I have promised the dc they can stay until the end of the year (this is where the grandparents are helping the most!).

I haven't been formally offered places for both of them in a school yet, and I want to keep them together initially so not sure where they'll end up - but maybe I will meet you, Frogs, in RL!

BTW I was told that CVMS are changing their admissions policy (less religious questioning etc) for 2010. Will be interesting to see if that puts another option on our list...!