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Hi DVnewbie, thanks for thinking of me. :) Hi Sanne Panne, Congrats on getting a place. That#s brilliant news. Sadly for us we are now only 18 on the waiting list so it's not looking too hopeful. Do you know if DVI has had a day when the children come in to meet their future teachers yet? I was hoping when that happened some parents might ring in to say that they no longer wanted the place....

Thanks for the excellent advice. We really loved what we saw and heard at HH but are just anxious about whether there will be a lot of pressure in Year 2. It seems risky to take our child out of the school she is now happily settled in but we don't want her to miss out on a better educational experience and perhaps a better choice of schools as she gets older.

Thanks for that info, it's really appreciated. I suppose what we are still trying to decide is whether a lot of children find it stressful near the end. It sounds like quite a few do and some parents have said that although the teachers are lovely and caring up to reception, from year 1 they change and push the kids very hard...

Thanks for both of your replies. HH does seem very relaxed about their settling in policy and have said that they are happy for parents to sit in the class with their children for as long as it takes for the child to settle so that is reassuring but I still feel awful about her having to get used to a whole new environment and making friends again. We did look at Rosemead and liked it a lot as well but it is too late to consider that school for Sept, we just want to focus on choosing between these two. Are there any Herne Hill School parents out there who can please let me know if their children are given lots of homework, take a lot of practice exams, feel stressed in their final year about competing for places at other schools and maybe as a result might feel less confident about themselves if they don't get in to the same schools as their peers? We aren't sure how pressurised things are at the school and have read mixed comments in the forums. I have one friend with a shy child who felt her child lost confidence as a result of being there and was acutely aware that she wasn't performing as well academicallya s her peers. We want to avoid that sort of scenario but I am not sure if that is a common problem. Thanks for your help.

Hi, We were planning to send our daughter to the reception class at Herne Hill School this September 2012 but are starting to get cold feet based on what we have been hearing about the down sides to the school. Our daughter is a rather shy, sensitive child born in August so will be one of the youngest in the class. We really liked the Herne Hill School teachers, the music and drama programme, the fact the school gets good exam results, seems very aware of the needs of 'summer babies' and the children go on to good schools at 7. However, our daughter has finally settled in her current school (Oakfield School) and has made some good friends. At first we thought that school was a bit too strict for her but now think it was just the teacher she had and the fact the school did not allow parents to come into the class at the start of the year for any sort of gentle 'settling in' period. Though Oakfield doesn't seem to have the same sort of good reputation for academics as Herne Hill School and less children seem to go on to the more academically selective local private school, we are now wondering if Herne Hill School might feel too high pressured for our daughter and if she will again struggle with settling in and then have a hard time when she has to leave at 7 and settle in somewhere else. She is still really young (not yet 4) but seems to be rather average in her current class academically so not a child genius of any sort! At Herne Hill School we have been hearing that there is a lot of time spent taking exams, lots of homework and lots of stress towards the end with children sometimes feelin they aren't as clever as peers who go on to Alleyns or JAGS. All of this worries us. We really just wanted to find a school which would be the best fit for our daughter but are now worrying that because of her personality she may need stabililty and a low pressure environment so perhaps should stay where she has been for the past year (Oakfield). I know each child is different and this is a very personal decision but if there are any parents with experience of either Herne Hill School or Oakfield who can comment on their experiences of either school, I'd really appreciate it. It feels like it is hard to get a true sense of any school until your child is actually attending. Thank you, A worried mum who just wants her daughter to be happy

Hernehilly, thanks for your info. I just wondered, when you say you were 'quite low' on the waiting list do you mean you were one of the first 10 on the list so a low number close to the top or low as in a higher number like 19 and further from the top? That's also really interesting to hear that they do not always get enough Faith applicants to fill the 45 places.

I agree! Just found out all 5 places offered were Open ones so we are now number 23 on the list. DVI say it's unlikely we will be offered a place. Oh well but you are right, this isn't worth getting stressed over just very distracting. :)

Thanks for all of your thoughts. I think it is highly unlikely we will get in but a friend with children at DVI has told me that a few parents she knows put there kids names down for private schools like Herne Hill School and Rosemead as a back up in case they didn't get a place at DVI. They have now have had to pay a ?1000 deposit and will have to pay a full term's fees if they withdraw their children now so in all a total of approx ?4,500 which will be painful to pay out if their children don't attend but I guess will still save them loads of money over the next 3 years if they accept a place at DVI. I was hoping that some of these parents may stick with the private option. I was also hoping some on the waiting list might be on Turney Rd/Stradella etc and also on the wait list for Rosendale and happy to go there if they were waitlisted but got in during the next few weeks but I doubt there will be many in this situation... Sanne, do you know if the 5 late offers went to Open Places or Faith? Does that mean in theory that the wait list for Open Places may have reduced since yesterday? Did they tell you how many have gotten in from the wait list for Open places in the past? I don't want to become obsessed by all of this but is hard not to keep wondering and hoping we may be incredibly lucky and get a place.

Hi, We live 799 meters from Dulwich Village Infants (DVI) School and didn't manage to get in under the Open (non CoE) Places as the furthest distance this year was 636 meters. I found out today that we ae number 28 on the waiting list. I know we could also move down the list and it changes every year but does anyone out there think we have a chance of getting in? Has anyone else gotten in after being this far down the wait list? I can't imagine that many people would choose not to take up an offer of a place unless they are tempted by the independent school option but am keeping my fingers crossed...