Primary Schools

[aidokel]

Hi there,

I'm in the area about two weeks and am attempting to get one of my girls into a school close to where we now live (Near Bellenden Road). Bellenden Road, St. John and St. Clements, Goose Green, St. James the Great, The Villa. Plenty on offer and I'm aware of the various Ofsted reports, but I have a healthy disregard for official figures and statistics, and would be interested to hear what kind of experiences and advice the forum could offer. Many thanks in advance. Aido

[Scruffy Mummy]

This topic has been discussed on lot in the past on the forum so it would be worth your while doing a search and finding the other threads where is has been discussed. As I've said in the past on other threads, I'll be sending my boy to Goose Green Primary - I've been to visit the school and been quite impressed with it. A friend sends her 10 year old there and she has had a really good experience of the school and her daughter has done very well. They have an on-site afterschool and breakfast club which is good and lots of after school activities like drama and music. 10 years ago it had a dreadful reputation and was a Fresh Start School. A new head (who is still there) and new staff team. It's since risen quite alot and now has a fairly good reputation - while local middle class parents just to shun it, you see more and more of the middle classes sending their kids there. My partner's friend is a supply teacher and has taught in that school and says it has a good spirt. His main criticism is that alot of the equipment is abit dated and scruffy. But I've heard alot of Southwark primary schools have that problem. St Johns and St. Clements is a church school but will take 50% of the intake from non-church goers each year which I think means there are 15 places a year for non-church attenders. It's quite difficult to get in there I believe. But it is a good school so if you live nearby you could have a go!