Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hello fellow mums and dads!


My son has been offered a place at Bessemer Grange. My nearest school was Heber but we didnt get in, and he is currently at Goodrich nursery but didnt get in the either.


Was justing wondering if therea any parents of Bessemer school kids and how you find it there?


Any info would be much appreciated.


:-) x

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/43273-bessemer-grange/
Share on other sites

It's a terrific school, lovely atmosphere, dedicated staff, striving for the best for every child, really good SATS results, good Ofsted. The Head is amazing and she and the senior team and all the teachers and TAs work incredibly hard to keep on improving. It's not that close to us geographically but it was my first choice for my son - now in year one - because when I visited I loved it the moment I set foot inside. My daughter has just been offered a reception place. Another thing they are good at is engaging parents in children's learning - they hold workshops to explain how phonics and maths are taught, with resources for parents to take home and use themselves. They also have a lot of space, with three separate playgrounds for different age groups. It backs onto JAGS playing fields, which they sometimes use. There is a nature garden across the road used by classes and also for PTA events. And there's a new building about to be built across the road for y5-6. Have you visited the school? There are tours every week. Do PM me if you'd like more info.
Ahhhhh :) thank you so much for this lovely positive message ... I also received a glowing PM saying wonderful things about the school. I was there last friday for an easter party and saw the nature garden while we did an easter egg hunt. I shall visit the school again too. Im so happy for this positive feedback. Thank you xx
After visiting 4 ED area schools, Bessemer was our first choice. Obviously its a very personal decision and i hope you are happy after getting a proper tour. Knowing it was likely to be where we ended up, I have been taking my daughter to the programs at its sure start centre. Perhaps you'll be able to do the same. They have various stay and play groups, would help you get a feel for the commute and the physical space. Every current parent i've spoken with have been very happy. ( although i found this to be true at all the ED area schools).
Our daughter got in last year through a last minute application, we had failed to achieve a place at any of our 6 preferences. I couldn't be happier that she is there now. We've had some difficulty with her settling and the teachers have been brilliant with helping her and me feel comfortable. I cant fault it, only wish it was closer to our house. Our daughter has calmed down a lot after having difficulties with her behaviour at preschool and is doing really well at Bessemer, loving the work and has made a million and one friends. Its a lovely community. Best of luck with your decision.
I have a yr 1 daughter at Bessemer and a son starting reception in Sept (he is currently at Bessemer nursery where he has positively flourished) - we could not be happier with the school because of all the above comments and more. It's a mile from our house but totally worth it. When we viewed our local schools it stood out a mile and has in no way disappointed. I'll be at the welcome picnic with my son Joe so hope to meet you there!

Another very happy Bessemer parent here. My daughter is in reception and LOVES it. It's quite a big school and she didn't know any other children when she started but she settled very quickly and hardly bothers to say goodbye as she runs off in the morning. We are also not close to the school but it's worth the treck and when we looked round primary schools I felt it was in a different league from the others we saw.


It has excellent leadership (head, deputy and head of early years all fantastic), lots of outdoor space, good holiday / breakfast / after school clubs, amazing school dinners and lots of very invloved and enthusiastic parents.

Another thumbs up for Bessemer!. It was our first choice last year for Sep 2013 entry but we never got any of our 6 choices, we stuck it out on Bessemers waiting list, starting off last April at 29th and then mid August we were offered a place and she started with all the others in September. She absolutely loves it and so do we as parents. We have our other daughter in the nursery there and she has flourished. Our little one will go down on the nursery waiting list later this year also!.


Good luck for September and enjoy the Picnic for new parents in June!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • OP has perhaps inadvertently provided free advertising for Gails, drawing attention to Dulwich Gails being open on Christmas Day.
    • Staff get taxis in and out and get paid extra (which I think is x2). Some people like to work on Bank Holidays and others don’t. Some people actively avoid Christmas for personal reasons. Long live freedom of choice! 
    • Here is another article from the excellent Special Needs Jungle (SNJ) with tips for responses to the SEND conversation survey. Including shoe horning in EHCPs which they "forget" to ask a question about in the conversation. And living as we do in Southwark with the huge misfortune of 100% academy secondary schools, some thoughts on this and how unlikely inclusion in mainstream is within the current education landscape. Closing date 14 Jan 2026. And please consider a donation to the excellent entirely run by volunteers SNJ. In my view the government could save money by creating some smaller mainstream secondary schools for kids who can cope in primary school but not  with the scale of secondary, and need a calmer less busy setting. The funding would have to be different - it is currently on a per pupil basis which favours larger schools. But it would undoubtedly be cheaper than specialist provision, and the huge cost to individual children and families (emotional and financial) and to society. https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/tips-help-complete-governments-send-conversation-survey-law/ If anyone wants to take a radical step to help their struggling child, my tip is to move far away: these are the best two schools I have ever visited and in a beautiful part of the country. I only wish we'd moved there before it was too late for my son who had to suffer multiple failings at Charter North and then at the hands of Southwark SEND, out of education from February to October in year 10-11, having already suffered the enduring trauma of a very difficult early life, which in combination with ADHD made his time at schools which just don't care so very unbearable for all of us. https://www.cartmelprioryschool.co.uk/ https://settlebeck.org/ As an add on, I would say to anybody considering adoption, please take into account the education battles that you are very much more likely to face than the average parent. First you have schools to deal with, already terrible; then being passed from pillar to post within Southwark Education, SEND, Education Inclusion Team, round and round as they all do their best to explain why they are not responsible and you need someone different, let's hold another multi-agency meeting, never for one minute considering that if they put the child at the centre and used common sense they would achieve a lot more in much less time without loads of Southwark employees sitting in endless meetings with long suffering parents. It is hard to fully imagine this at the start of your adoption journey, full of hope as you are, but truly education is not for the faint hearted, and should be factored into your decision. You'll never hear from people who are really struggling and continue to do so, only from those who've had challenges but overcome them and it's all lovely. And education, the very people who should be there to help, are the ones who make your lives the most hellish out of everything your child and you face.
    • It’s a big problem all over London. I’ve seen it happen in Kennington and Bloomsbury in the last year. I think there has been some progress recently with some key arrests, but you do need to be very careful when walking around with your phone out, especially, as you say, if wearing noise cancelling headphones. Sorry you experienced this 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...