Harris Primary East Dulwich views

[yeknomyeknom]

Hi,

If you are a parent of a child at this school I would love to hear your views both positive and negative (please pm) especially now you are in the new site.

Much appreciated

[klove]

I'm also interested... anyone?

[Norfolkvillas]

Hello, I replied to the OP but by private message as requested - maybe it would be helpful if I posted what I sent them here, so I've copied it below. I know I sound a bit evangelical but I really can't believe how lucky we are - I went to my son's year 2 termly learning celebration this afternoon, and honestly the commitment, passion and enthusiasm of the school as an entity and every individual in it, is just second-to-none. To give just one example, the school recently ran a parent workshop (there are a couple of these each term) on the concept of mastery - I learned a tonne of interesting and useful stuff about nurturing a growth mindset and the importance of making mistakes. Tonight, in a conversation about lego, I had the opportunity to ask my son why mistakes were important and sure enough he could tell me all about how it's an opportunity to learn, and that's why the "think pinks" (the comments in pink ink to indicate something that needs more work) in his workbook were such a positive and welcome thing. Anyway, sorry to go on, but this kind of "setting kids up with the right approach to life" (rather than focusing on results) is really important in our household so I just feel so fortunate to have a school that so robustly champions this.

Orig response copied below:

We were part of the first cohort and I've been extremely happy with the school throughout. Things are even better now that we're in our own building. There are many many aspects of the school that I am hugely impressed with, both from an educational point of view and a more pastoral point of view, so if you have specific questions or areas you're interested in, I'm very happy to give my opinion.

It would be difficult to choose my top points but I guess:

- Jo Conduit is an excellent, ambitious but accessible head and this commitment to excellence flows through the whole school / teaching staff

- Lots of parent - teacher and parent - school communication and opportunities for dialogue

- Fantastic framework for nurturing the skills that kids will need to succeed in life, and not just focusing on "results"

- Forward thinking in terms of educational approaches - eg Singapore maths, Mandarin as part of the curriculum from year 1, the mastery concept very much embedded in their approach

- Very proactive and friendly school community :-)

I also have really loved being part of a small school and being part of its growth.

Hope this is helpful!

[Norfolkvillas]

PS The parents have their own FB page, so if you wanted to canvass opinions on specific things you could always post a question there: https://www.facebook.com/HPAeastdulwich/

[klove]

Thanks so much Norfolkvillas! I was getting worried about the no responses ... very useful.

[Ruth Campbell]

Hi. We have a child in year 2 and in reception and really love the school. The children are stimulated and love learning. The staff seem to be genuinely very happy and caring and teach the children's an inspiring way. Both of the children telly love school so that in it's own right is a big positive.

We took the leap of faith at the very beginning and are so glad that we did. jo Conduit the head is amazing as is our new assistant head Ms Wisnia who really champions the mastery concept which is really helping us support the children's learning.

There are real benefits from the school being smaller at the moment but we also don't feel like we are missing out. We have a gray array of after school clubs (from chess to pottery and drumming)and the growing parent community is really thriving. Our Christmas fair was rammed.

Do feel free to PM if you have any other questions.

[Caroline_S]

Another very happy family here. Our son is in Year 2 and loves school, is thriving academically and has lovely friends. We feel we've really fallen on our feet.

I would say that the school is ambitious and does have high expectations for achievement but I have never for a moment felt that this has come at the expense of the children's wellbeing. Their enjoyment of school and learning always appears to be paramount. The head and / or the deputy head are on the gate every day and always happy to chat to parents, as are the class teachers. Whenever I've been in school during the day I've always been so impressed with how calm the atmosphere is and how lovely the kids are to one another.

In a nutshell, I'm delighted from both an academic and pastoral perspective and would absolutely recommend the school.

[lbsmith73]

Really nice to hear some positive comments about schools for a change, I know how hard Ms Conduit works and how much she believes in creating a nurturing environment so all children can reach their potential. In this day of politiicans obsessed by league tables it is a breath of fresh air to have a school that is at the heart of the community interested in developing the whole child.

[[email protected]]

Following on from this post last year we are now seriously considering putting Harris ED at the top of our list and hoping that we get our twins in. I was just wondering if anyone had any further comments on this school, good or not so good? In particular any views on the early years teachers. We had an excellent tour this morning and was very impressed with The head, deputy head, facilities and whole ethos of the school. But we didn't get to meet the reception or early years teachers, any feedback on these? Many thanks for any help. Happy for anybody to PM me if easier.

[klove]

Morning, our son is in reception and loves it, we have absolutely no regrets sending him there. It's a stimulating environment; the outdoor area is full of interesting stuff (mud kitchen!) and the reception teacher knows exactly where he is when it comes to his reading and writing. He has come on leaps and bounds from September and seeing the way he's learning is really exciting. The teaching is fun, inventive and personalised. I can't speak more highly of his classroom teachers!

Pastorally they're on it too, any problems with friends they deal with quickly and genuinely want the kids to be happy. I've never been made to feel that my worries were silly and the TAs are super lovely (to the mums as well as the kids!). In no way do I feel the kids are being trained up for testing (which is some of the criticisms for Harris in general). There is a lovely community feel to the school, lots of stuff going on for parents (social and school stuff) and the head teacher or deputy is on the school gates every day... and knows every child's name!!

They do get homework... maths, phonics and a Philosophy for Kids question which takes some getting used to. But you get the impression that the love of learning is at the heart of everything they do. Everything Harris does from parent workshops to clubs is done with professional excellence and, most importantly, warmth and care for your child.

[FoHPED]

To any parents considering Harris Primary ED - the Friends of Harris Primary ED warmly invite you to our Mrs Santa's Grotto on Saturday 9th December from 1.30 til 4pm - it's a great way to get a peek at the school from a different perspective. Even though we're still a small school, we have a thriving community spirit :-)

As well as Mother Christmas herself, we'll also have a fabulous festive BBQ run by our friends on Underhill, Firefly, plus a Prosecco bar for Christmas bubbles. There'll be tea and mince pies for the traditionalists, and crafts and activities galore for all the family.

Poster attached with more info, and do have a look at our website and Facebook page to get more of a feel for what our sociable parent community get up to:

www.friendsofHPED.com

www.facebook.com/HPAeastdulwich

[aalisam]

Hello ...Are there any stalls available for a little one like me?