Best primary schools in Wimbledon
Wimbledon residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to state primary school options. Ofsted (whose inspections no longer award their single term judgments) have downgraded some 80 per cent of previously ‘outstanding’ schools to ‘good’, apparently to address the ‘grade inflation’ that has afflicted several areas of education – although the fact remains that Wimbledon’s primaries are of a high calibre and are perennially oversubscribed for reception places.
Wimbledon’s top primary schools
The most highly sought after primaries in the area are Wimbledon Chase Primary School, Wimbledon Park Primary School, Dundonald Primary School, Hollymount Primary School, Merton Park Primary School, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Priory Church of England Primary School and Bishop Gilpin Church of England Primary School. All are oversubscribed, some massively so. The latter three are faith schools and, as is the norm in London, prioritise children from church-going families. Pore over the admissions policies for these schools to make sure you’re not wasting your time.
Historically all the above schools secured results that were either above or well above the national average for reading and mathematics. Wimbledon Chase Primary School and Bishop Gilpin Church of England Primary School are blessed with outside space and facilities the likes of which are rare in London and so both are worth extra consideration if your child is sportily-inclined.
Leavers’ destinations are diverse: state, independent, selective, non-selective. The schools are adamant that they do not prepare pupils for selective 11-plus entrance examinations (state or independent), so after-school and holiday tutoring is rife.
In terms of securing a place, for most of these schools the only option is to live virtually on the doorstep – with furthest distances from previous years (details available from the local authority) often falling between 300 and 400 metres – but the faith schools have a different admissions process, so regular attendance at a local church trumps proximity to the school when it comes to offers made.
State primary schools for children with Special Educational Needs
Most children with special educational needs, including those with an Education Health and Care Plan, will attend local mainstream schools.
Additionally resourced provision for primary-aged children with speech, language and communication needs is available at Wimbledon Chase Primary School and Cranmer Primary School. Cranmer Primary also provides support for children on the autistic spectrum as do Hatfeild Primary School (Morden), Harris Primary Academy Merton (Mitcham), Stanford Primary School (Norbury) and West Wimbledon Primary School.
There are those for whom a mainstream setting does not provide sufficient support, Merton has a variety of specialist settings.
The borough’s three state funded special schools - Cricket Green School, Melbury College (comprising Melrose School, Canterbury Campus and Whatley Campus) and Perseid School - provide for a variety of more profound needs for children up to the age of 19 (16 in the case of Melrose) who have an EHCP.