Advice on schools and location...

[AnnieT]

Hello all parents!

Wonder if I can call on any advice... we are currently living on Milo Road though are needing to upsize and therefore move and are having to consider schools for the first time (primary). We are finding that it's pretty tricky to stay in the area, or at least in the catchment area of Dulwich village primary (which we are just in now). It seems that in order to go to an 'outstanding' school and afford a house, West Dulwich is the answer. However West Dulwich just doesn't seem as appealing as East Dulwich (though I hardly really know it). Do you think its worth 'sacrificing' East Dulwich for the sake of an 'outstanding' school? Is there much difference between a 'good' school and an 'outstanding' (primary) school?

Any thoughts welcome!

Thank you.

Annie

[Mick Mac]

If you had this in the Lounge it could run for 10 pages.

Short answer is Goodrich should be fine though.

[Saila]

sell milo - buy a small 3 bed in west dulwich or posh peckham and spend the 100k change on private school fees. You'll prob wanna leave london by the time secondary comes along....

no catchment area bollox to worry about

:)

[dulwichgirl2]

Yes it makes a difference. Have you been round these schools? Your children's education is probably the best investment of time, attention and if necessary finance, that you will ever make.

[nunheadmum]

Look beyond the headline 'good' or 'outstanding' and see what they're doing that gets them this classification. In the past it hasn't only been teaching that counted and admin aspects could count towards the grade, even though the teaching was good.

I echo what DG2 says - spend time looking round the schools and talking to parents with kids there. You'll get a much better feel for what works for you and your kids than simply looking at OFSTED reports.

[Carbonara]

There are loads of really fantastic schools in the general area. Forget the ofsted rating but read the reports, but most importantly visit the schools themselves. Heber, Roseosendale, Goodrich, for example. If you like Rosendale you could make sure you buy in the catchment for both Rosendale and Charter, sorted for secondary.

[sb]

.

[Sanne Panne]

Was thinking the same, you're more likely to get into Heber from there, but if you need to move anyway that's irrelevant.

sb Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> BTW I'm not sure you'd be within the distance

> criteria for DVI if you live on Milo road - have

> you seen the admissions stats from last year on

> the furthest distances from school? Unless you

> qualify for other criteria (sibling etc).

[DVnewbie]

Hello,

Just a quickie but I thought I'd add that you will need to be very careful if you are moving specifically to get into a particular school. I think you wouldn't have got in to DVI from Milo road last year, for example, unless you were going for a faith place or a sibling place? Well, if the statistics are right anyway! Distances do change a lot when there are bulge classes too (and recessions...). For example, as Sept 2011 had a bulge class at DVI, it's likely that the "catchment area" for offers to non-siblings for non-faith places will shrink in Sept 2013 and Sept 2014 because there will be more siblings applying for reception places and probably no bulge class.

Good luck with the move! Or decision whether to move...

[HannahSE23]

Have you thought about houses in the Fairlawn catchment area? Houses are cheaper and if you're at the top end of Forest Hill Road or even half way down you could still get into the school plus you're still walking distance to East Dulwich, Peckham Rye etc.

[chantelle]

Fairlawn catchment is tiny too though - you pretty much have to be on the hill and there aren't exactly a lot of cheap houses going there. Stillness is an outstanding school on the other side of the hill in Honor Oak Park, where you definitely get a lot more for your money.