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Primary schools in Whyteleafe/Caterham area (Essendene Lodge, St Francis Catholic, The Hawthorns, Oakhyrst Grange, Oakwood, Cumnor??!!! Which!

42 replies

Pinklady3777 · 16/05/2012 10:49

Hi,

Would love some advice on primary schools for my daughter in the Whyteleafe area. We were looking at Essendene Lodge but are concerned about financial situation there now maybe? Anyone know anything?

Also, anyone with experience of St Francis Catholic state school?

We don't have masses of money to spend on fees so would ideally love an outstanding state school but there don't seem to be any in our area?! So may have to pay to ensure our dd gets the right start so any thoughts VV welcome!! Thanks!!

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Inaflap · 16/05/2012 12:16

Croydon High School Junior Dept is very good (and if she is academic then she will get automatic entry to the Seniors). Open day is tomorrow thursday 9.30 till 12. No need for an appt - just turn up. When you drive into the site, don't be put off by concrete 1960s blocks. It's much better inside. Junior school is the building lower down the site. Upgrades are happening at the moment to the building. Very good for music, PE and Drama - they get all their PE lessons delivered by the Senior PE teachers plus swimming, etc in the sports centre.

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Inaflap · 16/05/2012 12:17

Forgot to say - it's not in Croydon but in Selsdon - off the Farleigh Road. Loads of kids go from your neck of the woods.

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AngelEyes46 · 16/05/2012 19:45

Friends of mine's dcs went to St Francis RC and really pleased with it. Dad became a governor I think and mum a TA there. From what they told me, I don't know if overly sporty but quite arty and theatrical. Their DS now goes to St bedes and DD is still at St Francis. Although their DS went to a CE school, I think a lot of them go onto RC secondary (John Fisher, Coloma or St Phils).

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AngelEyes46 · 16/05/2012 19:46

Also, know a little about Oakwood as RC school - all reports are good. Any reason for going private or just looking at all options?

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nowwearefour · 16/05/2012 19:47

The Hawthorns is amazing! I wouldnt trust financial position of Essendene tbh at the moment though is a good school. if i could afford it at junior level my ddswould be at the hawthorns.

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Pinklady3777 · 16/05/2012 20:09

Hi all! Thanks so much for replies! Went to see oakwood today and seemed like they have great staff. Don't know about academic achievement there?

Good to know st Francis is good too though. We just want the best possible option for dd but don't have mega bucks!! Going to see The Hawthorns tomorrow so will see how it compares tovOakwood. (quite a bit more expensive!) is it worth the extra 1500 a term do you think? What is it that makes it so amazing?

Also do kids just get a better start at a private/independent school or not?!

Think may have to stay away from Essendens then-wonder what is the situation there?!

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Pinklady3777 · 16/05/2012 20:11

Yeah looking at all options- wonder if she would be better looked after in all areas and achieve more at Oakwood?! Would like her to go to Coloma or similar school after so hopefully there would be an end to fees if I did have to pay for primary!!

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DarrellRivers · 16/05/2012 20:17

I went to St Francis many many moons ago.
So unable to comment on how it is doing these days.
Just feeling nostalgic
But there were some girls from my class who went on to Coloma as part of the RC route.
I went to a fab prep school in Oxted afterwards, Laverock.
It has now merged with Hazelwood the school my brother went too
Bet that's worth a look at.

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Metabilis3 · 16/05/2012 22:36

My best friend's daughters all went to St Francis - two are now at Coloma, the third is still there. She thinks it's a very good school, she's been very happy with it (for comparison, we both went to Regina Coeli when we were at primary school, to be fair we both thought it was fab at the time. I've no idea what it's like these days)

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Ladymuck · 17/05/2012 09:09

Essendene - yes the financial/management situation does seem to be unclear.
Oakhyrst - very good reputation, but most children go onto private schools at secondary.
Hawthorns - bit of a trek from Whyteleafe each morning I would have thought? Again most children will go to private secondary school. I think from your visit that you will be able to see what the extra £1,500 is getting you, though whether you think is necessary or desirable is another matter. But don't underestimate the impact of a long commute.
Oakwood - good reputation, and more of a mix between state and private afterwards.
Cumnor - early days under its new management, but suspect that it is setting itself up to get girls into Sutton grammars (given Old Palace and Croydon High already have their own junior depts). Very few children will go onto faith or comprehensive state schools.
Reedham Park is another private primary school where again there is a mix of state and private school destinations. Ditto St Davids in Purley.
I'm assuming that you're ruling out Caterham Prep on the basis that you don't want Caterham as a secondary school.

If your hope is for state school at secondary level then I would already check through Coloma's entrance requirements. Although they're likely to change over the next 8 years it will give you an idea as to whether you pass the "catholic" test or not. I know for John Fisher the precise age at baptism is pretty critical!

Whilst few parents have made decisions re secondary school at the start of prep school, if you are likely to avoid private school at secondary level, then you will have an easier ride at Oakwood say, then Hawthorns. The focus in the junior years at prep schools is to get into the most appropriate secondary school, and for most fee-paying parents this will be a selective school. If you are the only pupil going to a state school from your prep school, this may have a degree of stigma for your final year.

Some of ds1's friends have joined his school from St Francis. Certainly haven't heard any complaints about it, and the children have passed a selective assessment, and are holding their own. Sorry, can't be more help than that. Ime there is actually a lot less choice in getting a state school space than a private school one.

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Pinklady3777 · 17/05/2012 09:59

Thank you do much! That is really really helpful. Off to Hawthorns this morning so will see. Good point about the commute though- we'd be far closer to most of the others.. Would like to visit Oakhyrst Grange too as in the same fee bracket as Oakwood and Essendene (although think we're ruling Essendene out for the mo). I'm a peri music teacher and al it's taught at Caterham Prep although in the end the pupil numbers weren't there. At the time I got quite a bad impression of organisation and facilities at the junior school so for that reason haven't considered it, although this may bot be sensible. Would you recommend?

Very good point about being the only I've not going on to private secondary school and stigma etc. I do worry about not being in the same financial situation as many of private school parents and how that would affect my dd's life at school. At the same time I do want her to be looked after properly so there are lots of state schools I discount. I only work in private schools myself so my experience of what a child gets there colours my decision for my DD.

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Ladymuck · 17/05/2012 10:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pinklady3777 · 17/05/2012 21:24

Yes I think Caterham Senior School is probably a but pricey for us so perhaps the junior school isn't the best option anyway.

Out of interest, having been a parent at 3 of the schools- if you had to choose just one now, which would it be?!

Hawthorns was lovely today-certainly try facilities are wonderful. I wasn't as blown away as I had expected I might be tbh though. Going to visit Oakhyrst in a couple of weeks- they certainly win on the uniform front! More seriously though, it sounds like a happy school but I don't know how well it stands up against the others academically?

As for Oakwood, we were certainly impressed by staff and pupils there. Fewer facilities but children all seemed bright and motivated- more so than some at The Hawthorns maybe... Maybe not.. Difficult to judge of course. I'm catholic myself but wonder if it's a bit 'overly Catholic'/dogmatic about its mottos/aims/ethos or is this a good thing?!

We have yet to visit St Francis so wonder how it will stack up against the rest!!

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Pinklady3777 · 17/05/2012 21:24

Yes I think Caterham Senior School is probably a but pricey for us so perhaps the junior school isn't the best option anyway.

Out of interest, having been a parent at 3 of the schools- if you had to choose just one now, which would it be?!

Hawthorns was lovely today-certainly try facilities are wonderful. I wasn't as blown away as I had expected I might be tbh though. Going to visit Oakhyrst in a couple of weeks- they certainly win on the uniform front! More seriously though, it sounds like a happy school but I don't know how well it stands up against the others academically?

As for Oakwood, we were certainly impressed by staff and pupils there. Fewer facilities but children all seemed bright and motivated- more so than some at The Hawthorns maybe... Maybe not.. Difficult to judge of course. I'm catholic myself but wonder if it's a bit 'overly Catholic'/dogmatic about its mottos/aims/ethos or is this a good thing?!

We have yet to visit St Francis so wonder how it will stack up against the rest!!

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Ladymuck · 17/05/2012 22:19

I would rank Oakhyrst slightly above Oakwood academically, or at least they seem to do distinctly better in junior entrance exams. But for various reasons I didn't look at them seriously.

The reasons for having children at different schools is primarily down to the class composition, and the different strengths of the children. The schools probably have more in common on the academic front and the differences come in whether say science, sport or music is a particular strength.

So I think that in your position I would be asking for as much information as possible about the intake - what is the balance between boys and girls, and how many are first borns v younger siblings. I think that if you were looking at state school for secondary then I would veer away from Hawthorns and Cumnor. I've certainly heard nothing that would steer me away from St Francis, but again I'm not close to it, so haven't got a personal view on it. The former pupils who are in ds1's class, could not be picked out as being different from their prep school peers.

Sorry that I can't be more specific, but after all the benefit of being able to pay is that you get a wider choice than would be otherwise available, and you should be able to find something that is a good match for your family. If you haven't yet looked at St David's, then do so as well.

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Pinklady3777 · 18/05/2012 06:46

Thank you! Really helpful again. So appreciated! Yes my husband did a bit of work at St David's a few years ago so we will consider it. For some reason, perhaps just on prospectus too, it didn't stand out as impressive but perhaps that is wrong ? As musicians we would of course like a school which is striping musically but also as this is our strength perhaps we should be looking at other areas being strong so our dd gets an all round education. Do you know which might be strongest musically? Hawthorns definitely seemed strong on the sports front. I think, realistically, and since we werent dazzled there, it probably won't be a serious option. Is it important to check about siblings at the school as far as admissions are concerned? I suppose it's also an indicator parents are happy with a school. Dd is our first born.

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Ladymuck · 18/05/2012 09:06

Will PM you on the music front.

The sibling dynamic is a strange one, but younger siblings tend to grow up more quickly than first borns. Ds1 was in a class of mainly first borns, and not only were all the parents going through sending a child to school for the first time, but the children didn't say have a nintendo ds until they were 7 or 8, a wii until they were 8 or 9 etc. The class bonded exceptionally well together. On the other hand coming into a class of younger siblings means that some playdates etc have been in place for years as families have played together, and your child's peers have been exposed to wii games etc far earlier. Obviously in a single form school there will be some siblings, but as with everything, the balance is important. Would your dd be one of say 3 or 4 "new" children amongst 13 or 14 siblings, or would it be the other way around?

Remember that you can ask St Francis about siblings (I would ask the school secretary as they tend to know everything). Obviously there it isn't as much about class mix but more about how many places there are available for non siblings!

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YuliaT · 18/05/2012 09:31

"I would rank Oakhyrst slightly above Oakwood academically, or at least they seem to do distinctly better in junior entrance exams."
Or may be they had been "better" tutored ;) The reason I did not consider Oakhyrst (except the distance) is that their ISI report is not as good as Oakwood's. As I remember they have none "outstanding" marks while Oakwood have almost all "outstanding" marks.
Regarding Essendene - have you visited them?
Actually you can check secondary school transfers for Oakwood on their website (last year results).
Cumnor Girls - lots of parents are very happy with the school (lot's of the girls came from other local private schools), so it worth to check as well. And yes, more "wealthy" parents there.

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YuliaT · 18/05/2012 10:36

Have you looked at Reedham park school? A small school with catholic ethos, very limited facilities but very good academic results and VERY affordable (but parents have to help with fund raisings).

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Dropdeadfred · 18/05/2012 14:23

Are all the state primary schools way behind the private ones around that area?

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Ladymuck · 18/05/2012 14:45

It is one of those "black hole" areas. Either you can get into a faith school, or else you need to live on the doorstep of one of the primary schools. You can list your 6 closest schools and not get into any of them, and thereby get into the nearest undersubscribed school.

Secondary schools are even worse: surrounded by 3 grammar areas which cream off the brightest, then several high performing faith schools. Hence people opt for private primary to get into grammar.

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Ladymuck · 18/05/2012 14:47

So no, many of the state schools are very good. Provided you live in the right roads...

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maxmillie · 18/05/2012 14:48

The Oakhyrst ISI is very out of date. Their Early Years Ofsted was Outstanding - 2009/10 I think. Also think there was a critisism about space and extracurricular activities but they've built a new building to address that.

Mine go there, they are unlikely to go to private secondary. I'm not sure about stigma but in this year's Y6 quite a few got into the grammars but all pretty much are going private - does worry me slightly but it is not unheard of (since we've been there a few families have left or gone to other schools because of financial issues).

It is a very nice school - kids are very happy and well-looked after. The most heavily tutored kids in the area IME are the ones trying to get into private secondaries from the nearby Reigate state schools. Is quite traditional in teaching methods so depends whether you think that is good or bad. And only one form per year so 18 odd kids in a year only - ditto whether you think good or bad. Tutoring is not common at OGS that I can see - certainly not like Reigate levels - they seem to prepare them pretty well for the private and grammar secondary exams at local schools.

Only other thing to be aware of is wrap around care is not available until Y1 which is a PITA - unlike state schools where it is from Reception.

I agree the uniform is cute - though very expensive and PITA to keep clean I warn you! (blazer) Grin

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maxmillie · 18/05/2012 14:50

What do you mean by 3 grammar areas Ladymuck? are you talking baout Surrey in general? Round these schools is Sutton only surely?

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Ladymuck · 18/05/2012 14:54

Sutton, Bromley and Kent. When you start checking out secondary options there is an amazing network of buses and trains. Not saying that everyone has the choice of all 3, but the existence of all 3 does tend to mean that the very brightest children are not always in the local comps (which of course means that they are not truly comps).

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