Looking for Primary school in East Dulwich/Dulwich

[Amandas]

Hi there

About to adopt and looking for reception class for the oldest.

Have set up a couple of appointments. But you can't beat recommendations.

Could anyone help us with reviews/recommendations of primary schools in the East Dulwich/Dulwich area.

Much appreciated!

So many things to think about!

[Curmudgeon]

Congratulations

All the primaries round here are good but it will depend on who has space and where you live in terms of your place on waiting list, although priority should be given to those with no school place at all

[DVnewbie]

Congratulations - very exciting. Yup, there are a lot of good primary schools - depends on where you live but some of the ones that are constantly positively thought of seem to be Heber, Dulwich Village Infants and Goose Green. (And Rosendale but that's probably too west.) My eldest has just started at DVI and totally loves it. Bessemer Grange seems to be doing well too at the moment - as do a lot of others. I'd get in touch with your local counsellor if I were you. Which are your nearest 4/5 schools? Good luck!!

[Coach Beth]

If you do a search for primary schools you will probably find many threads and discussions about the different primary schools. Alternatively, put in the name of the schools you are considering in the search box and you should find plently of info about the school. As a looked after child, they should get top priority as all schools prioritise looked after children which now includes adopted children on the waiting lists. It is true that you might need to wait a while to get into a school of your choice as most schools are oversubscribed but hopefully it shouldn't be too long!

[Jessie]

Wrong thread - sorry

[edanna]

Hi Amandas, they all have pluses and minuses depending on what your priorities are - proximity to your house, outside space, atmosphere, religious focus, Ofsted report. Go and see as many as you can because gut feeling counts for so much. We're very happy with Bessemer Grange - tours are Tuesday mornings.

[goosegreenpta]

Dear Amandas, the next Goose Green primary school open day is Tuesday 6th November. The Headteacher has an appointment outside school so the tour will be conducted by a member of the senior leadership staff. No need to book an appointment just turn up at the gates on Tintagel Crescent shortly after 9am and come through to reception. There will be parents of children already at the school on hand afterwards to dispense hot drinks and biscuits and share their experience of the school. If you are looking for admission to the current reception class the school has recently converted to academy status and governs its own admissions, the office staff will be able to assist as to the procedure.

[redjam]

There's a prospective parents' coffee morning at Heber on 21 November - not quite sure of the time/booking arrangements but just ring the school and they'll tell you. It's a lovely, busy community school, with loads of things going on, and we've been extremely happy with it - but as someone has said above, you really need to see the schools yourself to get a feel for them. Best of luck with the adoption - how exciting!

[verds]

Hey Goosegreen PTA,

If the school's an academy, does that affect the way we go about applying for a reception place? Or does it still go down on the Southwark form? Thanks!

[Renata Hamvas]

Congratulations Amanda.

I am assuming you mean applying for a child who was 4 before 1st September 2012, ie needs a place in current reception. I believe all reception classes in the area are pretty full and the rule for infant class size, says that except for multiple births, they can't go above admissions number ie 30 children per class. As an adopted child however, they will have priority over most applications and go to the top of the waiting list. I would therefore suggest that you put your child's name onto the waiting list of several local primary schools to increase the chance that you get a place quickly. Depending on the DOB you may be able to defer the start at school if you wish and enable them to attend nursery for a little while to settle in.

If the child turned 4 on the 1st September or later, than you will be needing to apply between now and January. As a child who is adopted, they will have priority and therefore you will be able to choose the schools that will suit your child's needs most over distance. You can list up to 6 schools in rank order on the CAF form. Do apply for child benefit as soon as possible as some schools ask for child benefit notification letters as proof of address for the child. PM or email me if you need help/further information.

Hi Verds, you apply to Academies the same way as LA schools via the CAF form. Occasionally brand new schools (ie not converters to Academy status) are applied to directly in their first year. This is true for Haberdasher's Aske Free School in Telegraph Hill for 2013 entry. Be aware that Academies set their own admissions criteria. . I believe all primary academies that serve the local area do currently have similar admissions policy to LA primaries, but this could change in future years.

Renata

[EricaT]

Congratulations Amanda. Have a look at Locrating.com it lists all your local schools on a map, with all the crucial information that you need. It will make it easy for you to create a short list of schools. Good luck!