Hello, with the deadline for primary school admissions approaching, my partner and I are finalising the school's application list. First of all I want to say that I feel really grateful and blessed to have so many great primary schools in this area, I love East Dulwich! Anyway, after visiting 8 (!!!) schools in the area, we have narrowed down the list to three finalists: Heber, Bessemer Grange and Dog Kennel. We are going to put Heber first in the list, but with few chances to get in, as we leave a bit too far. Bessemer Grange and Dog Kennel also stood out after we visited them, but for very different reasons. I guess each school is different and it is not always possible to simply say which one is better. As most head teacher said on the open days, a good indicator of which is the right school, is to feel the vibe and see which one resonates with you. My partner and I had a different gut feeling about them, and we find ourselves very undecided about which of the two to put as a second choice, as we are very likely to get in being in both schools? catchment area. I liked Bessemer Grange and my partner fell in love with Dog Kennel. Below we have put our list of pros and cons for each of the schools combining our thoughts. I was wondering if anyone could give us some more insights into both, especially Dog Kennnel which I feel has way less articles in this forum respect to other schools. ---- Bessemer Grange PROS: - Green all around the school and visible from class rooms - Shared space with JAGS - No high traffic roads and therefore good air quality - Separate playgrounds for different age group and 5/6 year in separate building - Very large rooms for nursery and reception - Available space for after school club, which is run by same employee of the school and on same premises Bessemer Grange CONS: - Very big school, it feels a bit like a campus and not a lot like a familiar environment - No particular focus on art and music (but I might be wrong) - the pupils felt a bit constrained in their indoor activities due to the lack of space - none of the teachers was mentioned to be a super star at what they doing and we were told that there is a high turnover (is this true?) ---- Dog kennel PROS: - Great focus on Music and Art, they have a Music mark, and are in the process of obtaining Art mark too. - Theatre and extra curricular activities seem amazing - Very cozy/family feeling - Separate building for nursery, reception and first year - great approach to learning math - school allotment - second language (Spanish) taught from reception - parents seemed to be very involved with the school activities/ found raising etc. - Good space outside - Impressive library and displays - Students seemed really engaged and happy Dog kennel CONS: - Indoor space for reception looked a bit small respect to Bessemer Grange - Location is not ideal as it is a bit far from ED shops and amenities - Close to a main road - No space in after school for 4 years old, they are trying to get an external provision to run it, but not sure yet Thanks a lot!!! G&G
