School opinions... Heber, Goodrich, Fairlawn, Horniman, Bessemer, Goose Green.

[Sanne Panne]

These are the schools we're likely to put on our list, well some of these, do you have any feedback on them? In the thread would be ideal so others benefit too but I'm completely happy with PMs too. The list covers multiple catchment areas, this is because we live near some of these schools now but may move in January and will then be near others.

Just to start the thread with some rather vague online based assumptions:

Heber: got a 2 from Ofsted but seems to be the most popular school in ED from how keen the parents are to get in, must be a lovely place therefore? Very small catchment expected this year, what would that be - 300m?

Goodrich: always looks so cosy from the outside but I heard and read that the parents aren't always too happy and that it's actually quite a big school. No idea about the expected catchment.

Fairlawn: has outstanding Ofsted rating, is popular among parents but looks a bit all concrete to me - purely based on a single visit when I had to drop a child's coat off on a grey rainy day. Would the catchment be a bit bigger due to it not being in ED? Or will last year's bulge class offset this?

Horniman: haven't seen any feedback on it.

Bessemer: limited mixed feedback.

Goose Green: no idea.

Also very curious about expected maximum distances for non-siblings (or rather, expected minimum distances that will pretty much guarantee placement).

[Pickle]

My children are at Goodrich (one in nursery, one reception).

Having read all of the negative stuff on the forum a while back I was a bit worried, but can honestly say that we are very happy with our experience there so far. Reception teaching is dynamic, the children get to do a wide range of fun activities, and certainly my son's teacher is happy to work with parents to tailor teaching to the individual children where needed (my son is very keen on his reading, so she's happy for us to take extra books, do extra "homework" sheets etc.)

I've been volunteering as a parent helper as often as I can, as I think this gives you a good insight into how the school operates (albeit my experience is limited to nursery and reception). I haven't come across anything that gives me concern.

It is a very big school, but the way it's structured means you don't really get a feel for the size, due to different entrances for nursery/reception, and lunches are served in different sittings, so the reception kids aren't in a hall with loads of big children.

I have friends with children at most of the local primary schools, and from comparing notes it seems that at the end of the day they're all quite similar!

[mrs.lotte]

We are Goose Green; Y2 and reception, excellent dynamic leadership and teaching. With excellent sats results. lots of male teachers for a primary, full time dedicated art teacher, an amazing music teacher (think of a cooler Gareth Malone) on site wrap around school run breakfast and after school clubs, wide range of very cheap after school classes, silver eco school award, brand new kitchen and loads of other stuff. Have a look at the website and you can click on to look at past news letters to see what's going on.

I'm still shocked when I hear that parents who do not have children at the school and bemoan a supposed lack of local primary places slag Goose Green off, I can only presume this is borne out of an ill informed snobbery. Having said that, it's horses for courses and there's no substitute for judging for yourself.

There's a school tour on Tuesday 6th come and have a look.

I suspect that all the schools on your list are more than fine but you'll have an instinct which suits your child/ren. Good luck.

[Coach Beth]

I echo what Mrs.lotte has said about the excellent teaching/academic standards and the brilliant music & art department. (the music teacher is a professional musician and the full-time art teacher trained for four years at art school both in the UK and in Vienna) The Head and senior leadership team have raised standards dramatically. It's a great diverse community school and I love that my son has made such a diverse group of friends and I've gotton to know such a great group of parents - last night pub outing after the PTA meeting was the usual fun informal social event. In addition, I am so glad there is an abundance of male teachers as positive role models for my son - not the norm in many primary schools.

[Growlybear]

Fairlawn is a brilliant school in every way, and I don't believe you would find a much better school anywhere. Fairlawn is one of the most oversubscribed schools in Lewisham, and you would need to live very close to have a chance of getting a place. My experience of Horniman was awful - it had very poor standards of discipline and low expectations. Their Key Stage 2 results have fallen quite sharply.

[Sanne Panne]

Growlybear Wrote:

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> Fairlawn is one of the most

> oversubscribed schools in Lewisham, and you would

> need to live very close to have a chance of

> getting a place.

How close is close enough for schools like Fairlawn and Heber? 300 meters? Or is even that not good enough?

[ladywotlunches]

at 300 mtrs you *should* be OK. Just depends on Siblings in the year - and as they had a bulge class last year next and the one after that are probably the top contenders for sibling places...

But at that distance, I would definitely put it down if you like the school. My son loves it there.

As regards the 'all concrete' look, I prefer these schools than the Victorian schools, which inside just look a bit bleak to me. And it does have a claim to fame, that Fairlawn is the only other public building built by the Architect who designed the Royal Festival Hall.

edited to say: might also be worth doing a poll and seeing which of these schools is least affected by the strikes next week. I have a feeling this industrial action isn't going to be the last. Earlier this year, Fairlawn was 50% open. Next week it looks like its going to be completely closed.

[bjm]

We have one child in reception at Horniman and so far it has been great.

Prior to that she went to Goose Green Nursery which was also wonderful and I recommend both schools highly.

[JessicaR]

My kids are very happy in school, but they have a lot of friends who are home educated. They are lovely kids and there are literally hundreds of them in South London! The kids seem to meet up regularly & mostly have quite busy social lives. I know it's not everybody's cup of tea, but it's completely legal and not as unusual as you might think. Perhaps worth considering if you aren't so sure about local schools? See the 'Education Otherwise' website for more details.

[Cora]

I would go for Fairlawn and Bessemer (both pretty different catchments) from what I have seen and experienced.

Fairlawn has had a great reputation for years, is a really mature school with strong academic, creative and emotional aspects. I too find the architecture off-putting but once you're inside the ethos is quite amazing.

We are at Bessemer and really pleased with it. We have a relatively new headmistress who brings regular new initiatives to move the school on and improve things. Recently rated 'Good and improving' by Ofsted (meaning I think, that the only way is 'Outstanding' if things continue?) - It took a bulge this year and the catchment area is tightening as people begin to discover it but compared to the others it is a really good 'realistic' choice too (ie you don't yet need to be living 300m from the school gates). One of the things that I really liked too when I first went round it was the site it is on. Really quiet and looking out on the large playing fields behind the school (unfortunately not Bessemers but JAGS, although we do get to use them!).

Happy to answer any more specific questions.

I have a friend who has a kid at Horniman (didn't get into Fairlawn) and is really pleased with it, likes the atmosphere, although I do not know academically.

[minder]

I pass by Fairlawn now and again on the P4 bus. The one thing I notice is that the children are having a good time in the playground. The other thing I notice is that they don't have a school uniform. The children are all in their own clothes which isn't on a par with all the other primary schools around?

I think a uniform is a good thing.

Maybe others will disagree.

[kristymac1]

We're at Heber, reception class, and I think the catchment area this year was 315m - our daughter is loving the school and has developed so much in such a short time - most importantly though the children are a very happy bunch of kids - it's a 2 class intake and because reception has its own entry/exit it feels 'cozy' too. There is a lot of interaction between the two reception classes.

Good luck! x

[Donkey]

We looked at lots of schools in the area and having assessed them as fairly as we could there was no other contender - Goose Green stood out from them all. Strong leadership... classes were well organised... children were focused on what they were doing... a school with complete lack of complacency. Both our children are happy there and doing very well.

[craigy]

Another one here for Goose Green for all that has been mentioned above. Great leadership, great resources, great facilities, great teachers and a lovely ethos towards ensuring the kids learn well and become responsible learners.. My little boy is in reception and loving it and even had afternoon tea with the head teacher on Friday afternoon for 'outstanding achievements'..

[chantelle]

download or send away for the Southwark and Lewisham (Fairlawn) admissions guides, which will tell you exactly what the last distance to school offered was (pre-shakedown - i.e., in first round offers).

Siblings typically take up half the spots in a given intake.

Fairlawn this year was 405m. Everyone seems to love it but we are slightly further into Lewisham and better positioned for Dalmain and Stillness, which also have excellent reputations.

[Bumpkin]

We're applying this year and live in catchment for G Green and probably St John's. Given previous poor performance of G Green, I've fairly exhaustively looked round all the local schools including all the ones on your list apart from Goodrich and spoken to quite a few parents. We did consider moving if we were not happy, but I have to say I agree that Goose Green does look to be the most progressive in terms of reading schemes / maths schemes, feedback to parents and the Headmistress seemed to have a much stronger vision of how she's going to improve the school than the other heads (exept Fairlawn). I've looked round a couple of times and the kids in all the classes seem to be focussed on lessons and joining in well (not the case at all the schools). It's music and art facilities were definitely at the top end of the schools listed and the fact they had a number of male teachers is great. Honestly, Fairlawn would be my top choice, but it's almost impossible to get into and I prefer living in East Dulwich to that part of Honour Oak. Based on what I've seen and heard, I'd put G Green above all the others. Fingers crossed!

[mooncake]

Does anyone know what the catchment is for Goose Green??

[Gubodge]

Sanne Panne, you really need to visit all the schools to get a feel for them. There will be very few people on the forum who have personal experience of more than one, so it's impossible to give a balanced picture. Personally, my two are at Goodrich and we think it's a fantastic school. My children are happy and have had some brilliant teachers and a great group of friends. It is big but that has its advantages, such as the biggest range of after school activities in Southwark, and despite its size it is a very warm community.

We currently have a new interim head who is focussing very much on increasing attainment and the senior leadership team seems very responsive to any parental concerns. I e-mailed the office with a minor issue and was very surprised to get a phone call from the associate head, completely on top of the issue, within a couple of hours.

[Jessie]

Just to say, my son and I have had a rocky couple of years in terms of schools and also emotional/learning problems with him and Goose Green have been absolutely fantasitc. The Head is just wonderful - she - and the school - never once gave up on him, and now he is flourishing and I think it's down to her more than anything.

[Sanne Panne]

Wow, so many positive opinions about Goose Green. Any negative ones? Are you positive because there is some kind of historical prejudice against the school and you want to make it clear that this is unfounded or that the school has changed? (I have no idea at all). Or is it really just plain out great?

Also heard good things about Stillness (bit far out so probably not relevant to most on this forum), all depending on whether and where we move, everything is so up in the air so I want to be as informed as possible when we get clarity about our new home...

(and yes Gubodge you're right, this thread will mainly show positive opinions from parents who have their child at the school in question but it's still a LOT more informative than going by Ofsted reports alone. Opions, Ofsted and visits, it could be a full time job for a month to get fully informed... but yes must visit the schools too!).

[hoipolloi]

If people are giving great feedback about GG it is because they are happy with it. Parents and children are very proud of the school's achievements and so they are more than happy to say so when asked!

But of course there is no substitute for having a look round all the schools yourself - children are all so different and people have very different priorities when choosing a school. For example I know that Goodrich is really highly regarded but for me the size of it was a real factor, even though it clearly doesn't cause an issue for all the happy children who go there!

[sharls]

My son is in reception at Horniman. It is outstanding in the ofsted early years and we are really pleased with the incredibly supportive environment. My son is very happy there.

[BB100]

ladywotlunches Wrote:

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> As regards the 'all concrete' look, I prefer these

> schools than the Victorian schools, which inside

> just look a bit bleak to me. And it does have a

> claim to fame, that Fairlawn is the only other

> public building built by the Architect who

> designed the Royal Festival Hall.

I don't think children really care what materials the building is made of so long as they feel safe and have suitable places to play and space in the classroom. I've found what does matter to children is small pieces of carpet in the classrooms - if 30 children cannot fit comfortably and see the whiteboard then your child may find it more of an effort to learn (very difficult to listen when you're squashed and have another child's shoe sticking in your backside).

Also count the chairs - if there are not enough chairs for the number of children then some small groups of children maybe doing their work sitting on the floor (yes this is happening in some schools because I've seen it). However, I'm referring here to Year 1 and upwards, the number of chairs are not important for nursery and reception as the teaching structure is different.)

There is also a tendency in some classrooms to squash lots of children around a few tables. This is fine until the children try to work on paper larger than A4 or try to open their exercise books as there is just not enough work space to do this and it can cause arguments and frustration for the children. To have enough space only two chairs should be allocated for each table (some tables are pushed together to make a table for 4 or 6 and this is fine unless 8 children are expected to sit there.)

So my advice is to forget about what the school looks like and concentrate on whether the space works for the children and how it is used. Spacious classrooms are a real bonus.

[Dorothy]

Personally I think its a pointless waste of time going to get a "feel" for a school your child hasn't a chance of getting in to, even though you have to find 6 to put on your list!

[Sanne Panne]

Dorothy Wrote:

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> Personally I think its a pointless waste of time

> going to get a "feel" for a school your child

> hasn't a chance of getting in to, even though you

> have to find 6 to put on your list!

Well we almost certainly need to move and we're not sure yet where exactly we'll go so in our case it really does help to get a feel! But yes in all other cases it's better to focus on your local area only.