Catchment Area for Dulwich Village Infants

[housedad]

Hi

I have just found this website and seems to be a brilliant source of good info, so here goes...

We may purchase a property on Red Post Hill opposite the The Charter school and up from N.Dulwich train station. I understand the policy for entry at DVInfants is 50% church goers and 50% non church goers measured by distance (after siblings etc). Our 3 year old will start school next September ('12), from peoples experience are we too far away to get in as non-church goers? Are there many parents on Beckwith or Elmwood Road?

I understand it is element of luck that year but would appreciate any feedback. Plus any feedback on Bessemer which is about the same distance away.

Many thanks

[DVnewbie]

Hi - we've just bought somewhere the other side of the school (2 weeks ago). Our 3 year old will be starting school then too. When I asked the school for that information, they gave me this:

"The distances below are for non church places

Sept2010/Jan 2011 825m (this is measure as the crow flies

Sept 2009/Jan 2010 854m - this was measured the shortest safest walking distance

Sept 2008/ Jan 2009 851m - this was measured the shortest safest walking distance"

However - I am not convinced this is the distance for first round offers to non-siblings for non-church places. We're pretty close to the school (under 300m) so will be v disappointed if we don't get in!

Also, there is a bulge class this September - so instead of only one 30 child class there are two 30 child classes for Sept 2011 (I think - somebody will correct me if I've got that wrong, I'm sure!!). It will go back down to one class for September 2012 but the number of "sibling" places being offered are bound to increase over the next few years.

I think you should call the school/email them before you book in the survey! And try looking at "walkjogrun" or some similar site to work out the exact distance between the house you are thinking of buying and the school gates.

Hope that helps - sorry not to be more definitive.

[DVnewbie]

Actually - sorry, I had a follow-up email, giving these distances for non-sibling non-church places:

"2009-10 854 m

2010-11 797m

2011 - 696m"

Slightly alarming that distances shrunk for 2011 admissions even though they have doubled the number of children admitted (I think it's for this Sept 2011...) so it will almost certainly be smaller for 2012 as there are half as many places and there may be a disproportionately higher number of siblings.

[housedad]

Thanks for that info, slightly depressing but very useful.

A couple of questions you may be able to answer, firstly which site do they use to measure from? Secondly, is it measured as the crow flies or walking distance?

Cheers

[BeccaL]

Not sure exactly what they use to measure, though if you search on here for school admissions threads I think it might be in one of those - possibly posted by fuschia. Is measured as the crow flies. Hope that helps

[Otto]

I was told by the school it is the shortest safe walking distance on pavements as measured by the council. We didn't get into the infants, but, now kids are in the village hamlet school...

[BeccaL]

It used to be safe walking distance but changed 2 years ago to as the crow flies.

[housedad]

I have just had another message informing me the distance is measured from the New school site. So I feel a little relived and maybe we shall meet next September, if the sale all goes through!

Thanks for your help.

[DVnewbie]

Good luck with the move....! (But, b*ll*cks, where's the new school site?! Didn't base my calculations on that..! If it's nearer North Dulwich station it's further away from us... Ah well, sure it will be fine. Not much we can do now anyway. Otto - if my children get into the Hamlet, that I'll be pretty pleased even if they don't get into DVI. Not sure what other primary school they could get into though as I don't think there are any less than a 1km away the other way. We'll see I suppose!)

[busymum]

my friend got her child into Dulwich infants school this year through the bulge class, they live along way away from the school, the otherside of North Dulwich station on Casino Avenue, really close to Bessemer Grange. So much of it seems to be down to luck. I guess they can't bulge 2 years in a row though can they

[minder]

Hi busymum - Casino Avenue is literally 10 minutes walking distance from the DV school so it's not that far.

Dulwich Hamlet state it as 12 minutes walking distance from Casino Ave so the DV school is just before the Hamlet.

Saying that, I know somebody that didn't get her child into DV School last year on Casino, so I suppose they can take more kids this year.

[housedad]

DVNewbie

I am waiting to hear back from Southwark about where they measure DV Infants distances from, even if it is the new site you should not be that far as two sites are only approx 180m apart but in the end it seems to be down to how many siblings come through that determines the distance, if that makes sense? Will keep you posted once I hear.

[bobbly]

Don't worry too muchb if you don't. Bessemer Grange is a great school and improving.

[DVnewbie]

Thanks Housedad... Yes, we just drove past the other site yesterday - I didn't realise it was right next to the Hamlet (durrr - spot the non-local). I've been measuring from the newer building (next to the church hall) which is probably a little further from us anyway, so we should be fine. The school stress starts so early! I'm determined to be calm and laid-back when we have to deal with the secondaries...

[Indiana]

Resurrecting this thread

Does anyone know catchment for non-faith places for 2013 intake?

Thanks

[Indiana]

Thanks Etta - that does seem quite far - does anyone know the distance in metres?

[jollymummy]

We applied and didn't get a place and the school informed us the furthest distance was 552m for September 2013.

[Indiana]

Thanks, yes the school office says 544m in 2012 and 552m in 2013 - these are both first round non-faith offers.

If someone on the waiting list had an offer in the summer from danecroft road etc then that increases it to c 700m by my crude estimation!

[Saila]

Anything north of 500M is risky

Less than, should be fine

Not counting bulge years

[Sol]

Has anybody got update figures for the DVIS for the last 3 years. I have met 3 people who live more than a mileage away and told me they got places based on distance not foundation places over the summer holidays; they are in different years now. I want to know if my niece has a chance on getting a place there. I understand it varies every years but I thought it never goes more than 800 meters.

[Digbina]

I spoke to the school office yesterday. Furthest distance offer in 2017 in the first round was 842m and has gone up to 1100m at the start of the school year.

[Sol]

Thank you very much. It seems to have gone Up compared to a few years ago. This goes to show there are many good primaries in the area nowadays.

Does anybody know what was it in 2015 and 2016?

[Sol]

Thank you. They gave me the distances for first offers but not up to September offers. The people I know got places in 2015 and 2016 and they are more than 1200 meters away; certainly gone up compared to a few years ago; perhaps due to 2 new primaries in the area. The strange thing is that the Hamlet catchment this year was less than 800 meters so where do this other kids who joined in year 3 came from and the others who didn't get a place went to. Mystery!

I get my sister to put it as first option and see what happens.

[Sonners]

It stretches to at least the corner of Dunstans Road and Goodrich Road for Reception this year as a friend got a waiting list place last Friday. She's turned the place down so it will end up a bit wider than that. I think that the plan of what to do if you live at the edge of the catchment on the ED side of Lordship Lane and then subsequently don't get into Hamlets is quite important!

[Sol]

Thank you. Will ask my sister to take that into account as that's the risk she woild take if she is offered a place next year and accept it; however I would have expected that most children will be settle in other schools in year 2 and won't want to move for year 3 and most of then places will be for kids from the infant anyway; this doesn't seem to be the case though. I guess there schools like the villa and Herne Hill that only go until year 2 and don't get into the private ones and kids moving from other local schools for year 3 for whatever reason. It is quite tricky to predict what will happen in 3 years.