I cannot personally believe it, our little boy is only still the mere three years old and the hassle of finding schools and being that exact 0.2 or 0.4 of a mile from the desired school is nothing less than torture.
There are however two websites which at least clear up the achievement status of each school in each borough. 1 and 2. It does make the decision slightly easier but as most parents and school head teachers insist- this is not the only criteria to look at. Of course its the school, the location (on a major road or within a green area), the outdoor area and activities, the atmosphere, the equipment, the standard of buildings, the extra activities that the school undertakes, the canteen with its quality of food, the KIDS! (within two schools we had kids loudly exclaim: I LOVE THIS SCHOOL! big time seller. I wonder how much they get paid for that:) and the curriculum (or whatever equivalent they practice at the school) amongst other things that will make the decision right.
We have seen quite a few so far and they were all top schools in the area according to both the parents and the results. We have however had to face the fact there are quite a few high hurdles we ought to first jump through:
A: For best chances to get into your desired school one ought to consider setting up a permanent tent in the backyard of the school.
B. You also have to be lucky not to be in that year where there's an especially high level of siblings starting same year as your child. (In the ever so popular Fitzjohns school there was a mere 3 places left due to the rest of the places taken on by siblings) How do you beat that?
Catholic schools seem to be slightly easier to get into, but you do need to provide a letter from your priest that you regularly attend church. I am of course thinking of bribery at this point. :) Why ever not? The forms have to be in next January so there's still abit of time. Wish us luck!
Watch this space for more exciting news on the subject.
PS. The kinds of amazing things that some schools offer (which instantly make any other school look dull if they don't match up):
-Spanish once week from Reception (Coleridge)
-Music class (with a dedicated instrument which the child is to learn for a year and beyond) (Coleridge)
-An incredible!!! atrium with a glass roof for Art Class with an Art Class for 2 hours (if im not mistaken) every week from Yr 1) (Coleridge)
- Incredible food dinners within very nicely decorated canteens. (Primrose and Coleridge)
-An amazing old school wooden sports hall with all kids of gear and a very enthusiastic athlete teacher (Fitzjohn's)
-Location: tucked away behind a beautiful green road in Hampstead (Fitzjohn's)
Coleridge does win by a mile! But the only down side is that they have expanded to become a 4 class Year school which means they have 4 classes per year. Massive. :)
There are however two websites which at least clear up the achievement status of each school in each borough. 1 and 2. It does make the decision slightly easier but as most parents and school head teachers insist- this is not the only criteria to look at. Of course its the school, the location (on a major road or within a green area), the outdoor area and activities, the atmosphere, the equipment, the standard of buildings, the extra activities that the school undertakes, the canteen with its quality of food, the KIDS! (within two schools we had kids loudly exclaim: I LOVE THIS SCHOOL! big time seller. I wonder how much they get paid for that:) and the curriculum (or whatever equivalent they practice at the school) amongst other things that will make the decision right.
We have seen quite a few so far and they were all top schools in the area according to both the parents and the results. We have however had to face the fact there are quite a few high hurdles we ought to first jump through:
A: For best chances to get into your desired school one ought to consider setting up a permanent tent in the backyard of the school.
B. You also have to be lucky not to be in that year where there's an especially high level of siblings starting same year as your child. (In the ever so popular Fitzjohns school there was a mere 3 places left due to the rest of the places taken on by siblings) How do you beat that?
Catholic schools seem to be slightly easier to get into, but you do need to provide a letter from your priest that you regularly attend church. I am of course thinking of bribery at this point. :) Why ever not? The forms have to be in next January so there's still abit of time. Wish us luck!
Watch this space for more exciting news on the subject.
PS. The kinds of amazing things that some schools offer (which instantly make any other school look dull if they don't match up):
-Spanish once week from Reception (Coleridge)
-Music class (with a dedicated instrument which the child is to learn for a year and beyond) (Coleridge)
-An incredible!!! atrium with a glass roof for Art Class with an Art Class for 2 hours (if im not mistaken) every week from Yr 1) (Coleridge)
- Incredible food dinners within very nicely decorated canteens. (Primrose and Coleridge)
-An amazing old school wooden sports hall with all kids of gear and a very enthusiastic athlete teacher (Fitzjohn's)
-Location: tucked away behind a beautiful green road in Hampstead (Fitzjohn's)
Coleridge does win by a mile! But the only down side is that they have expanded to become a 4 class Year school which means they have 4 classes per year. Massive. :)
