The best state primary schools in Putney

These are the six best state primary schools in Putney;

They are all in the Borough of Wandsworth, which has some partially selective secondary schools.

The first four schools are grouped together, less than a mile apart, in a residential area between the Lower and Upper Richmond Roads. One mile further east, beyond Putney Bridge by Wandsworth Park, is Brandlehow Primary. Two miles south, along Putney Hill, is Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School.

The schools are smaller, on average, than profiled schools in other areas. Four of them are one-form entry. And four of them are church schools too. Again, a relatively high proportion. But they are all among the top 5-6% of schools in the country, as determined by the Schoolsmith Score.

The differences between primary schools are less obvious than prep schools, and deliberately so. State education is designed such that all children should receive the same curriculum irrespective of where they are taught, and who is teaching them. So, to differentiate, parents have traditionally looked to SATS results and Ofsted gradings. Beyond that, there is also a commonly held belief that Church schools are ‘better’ schools. That’s pretty much it. Hopefully, this comparison might shed a little more light.

There is also a partner review for prep schools in the same area; Putney and Wandsworth. And that can be found here (soon).

Age range, gender mix, and faith

Each of the five schools educate children from age 4-5 (Reception) to age 11 (Year 6). In addition, of them have a nursery class from age 3. The exception is Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School. Though please be aware that attendance at the nursery is no guarantee of a place in Reception.

Each school, except for St Mary’s CofE Primary, provides access to on-site out of hours care from 7.30/8.00am to 6.00pm. Care is provided by a mix of school staff and external contractors, onsite or offsite.

As far as gender mix goes, they are all co-educational, as indeed are almost all state primary schools.

Four of these schools are church schools; two Church of England, two Catholic. The four are also Voluntary Aided schools, which means that faith may have a role to play in the admissions policy. Brandlehow Primary and Hotham Primary are community schools and they teach a mandatory RE curriculum.

Admissions

In terms of admissions policy, please refer to the individual schools’ websites. All operate a catchment system. The faithful have some priority at the four church schools if they are oversubscribed for places in Reception. And they are perennially oversubscribed.

Furthermore, Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary, St Mary’s CofE Primary as well as Brandlehow Primary, are three of the five most oversubscribed state primaries for first preference admissions in the borough.

Inspections

Ofsted inspectors consider Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School to be Outstanding.

Brandlehow Primary, All Saints’ CofE Primary, Hotham Primary School, Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary and St Mary’s CofE Primary are all Good schools.

Buildings and grounds

The buildings that these Putney primary schools occupy are typically period buildings, with recent additions.

St Mary’s CofE Primary and All Saints CofE Primary occupy Victorian village school buildings. Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary is based in a former convent building. And Hotham Primary occupies a three storey Edwardian board school building.

Brandlehow Primary is based in a Grade II listed 1950s single story premises with a distinctive brick tower. The buildings at Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School are more typical of 1960s/1970s single rise facilities.

Class sizes and classes per year

These top Putney primaries vary in size. Size can be important as it influences the look and feel of a school. And larger schools tend to have more facilities, though not necessarily in proportion to the number of pupils.

There are;

4 one-form entry schools; All Saints’ CofE Primary School, Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary School, Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic School, and St Mary’s CofE Primary School.
1 one-form entry rising to two-form entry from Year 3; Brandlehow Primary School.
1 two-form entry; Hotham Primary School.

Class sizes at the two Catholic Schools typically average 29-30 pupils. The other four schools have slightly smaller class sizes; averaging 25 to 28 pupils.

Facilities at Putney state primary schools

They all have some specialist facilities to support their curricula. And the range of facilities is similar.

For sport, they each have playgrounds and a school hall.

That same multi-purpose hall constitutes the arts facilities. There is also an art room at St Mary’s CofE Primary. As for academic facilities there are libraries, outdoor learning areas, and IT facilities.

Academic curricula

All these schools teach a broad curriculum in line with the National Curriculum, though implementation varies. On the whole, the four church schools teach subjects separately. The other two use much more cross-curricular linking for subjects other than maths, English and science. So at Brandlehow Primary, for example, ‘non-core’ or ‘foundation’ subjects are linked to a half-termly theme. The curriculum at Hotham Primary goes further. It teaches foundation subjects through REAL Projects (Rigorous, Engaging, Authentic, Learning), addressing real world topics.

The curricula at the church schools emphasise Christian or Catholic social morality. Particularly in lessons such as PSHE, Citizenship and in assemblies. RE, naturally, plays a prominent role in the curriculum as a core subject along with English and maths. And there is usually daily worship, along with preparation for the first Holy Sacraments at the Catholic schools.

All these Putney primary schools teach French as their main foreign language, usually from Reception or Year 1. Brandlehow and All Saints’ start at Year 3. Hotham Primary School also offers a bilingual English/French curriculum from Reception for one of its two classes per year. In the bilingual class, half of the material is taught in French.

All of the schools include some outdoor learning in their curricula for their youngest pupils, though it is less significant than schools in other areas.

They all offer plenty of educational trips, with residentials typically in Years 4 or 5 and Year 6.

Sport at Putney state primary schools

Each school teaches between ten and twelve different sports. Through the curriculum and extra-curriculum they each encourage participation in sport. And their offer is similar.

The size of the primary school, in terms of number of pupils, can have a bearing on the strength of their sports teams. The idea being that larger schools have a larger pool to select from. But these Putney state primary schools are not large, so they will each have their fair share of wins and losses in sports competitions.

None has a sustained track record for sporting achievement in national competitions.

They each offer before and after-school activities. There’s sport of course, but there are clubs for academic enrichment, hobbies, and the arts. Hotham Primary offers the most clubs.

The arts at Putney state primary schools

The schools all promote engagement with the arts on an individual and ensemble basis. For example, there is art, a choir, instrument learning and dramatic performances at each school. And there is an orchestra at Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School.

Like the sports offer, arts provision is similar across the six schools.

Academic results

The schools are based in the Borough of Wandsworth, which gives us an academic context. Wandsworth has four partially selective secondary schools; Burntwood School, Chestnut Grove School, Ernest Bevin College, and Graveney School. They are popular destinations for pupils after Year 6, as are the Church secondaries and selective independent schools.

This pick of primary schools in Putney boasts good academic results, based on a four-year average for attainment in Year 6 SATS. All are above average, but four of the five are in the top 9% of UK schools. Which means they are consistently good, not just scoring well in one year for a particularly able year group.

Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary School ranks in the top 0.1% of schools nationwide. That’s pretty much in the top 10. Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School is in the top 2%, All Saints’ CofE Primary the top 4%, Brandlehow Primary the top 6%, and St Mary’s CofE Primary the top 9%.

They are all above average for pupil progress, again measured as a four-year average from SATS results. But they don’t rank as highly as they do for attainment. Possibly because of the high level of ability of pupils on entry. Brandlehow Primary leads the value-added table, ranking in the top 10%. It’s followed by Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary (11%) and Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School (13%).

Choosing the best state primary school in Putney

The freedom to choose a state school is somewhat limited as applicants need to live within the school’s catchment area. But there may be a choice of more than one. Most Education Authorities offer the opportunity to select preferred schools, albeit from a limited list.

These schools all rank in the best 5-6% of primary schools in the country. As I hope this note has shown, any one of them should be a preference.

Rank	Best Putney primary schools	Schoolsmith Score
1	Our Lady Queen of Heaven Roman Catholic School	73
2=	Brandlehow Primary School	72
2=	Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary School	72
4=	All Saints’ Church of England Primary School	71
4=	Hotham Primary School	71
5	St Mary’s Church of England Primary School	70

See also the best state primary schools in Barnes and Mortlake, Wimbledon, Balham and Streatham, and Wandsworth

Why are these the best state primary schools in Putney?

Schools that feature in these notes are those with the highest Schoolsmith Scores, not just in Putney, but nationwide. The Schoolsmith Score is an objective score that accounts for 50 different aspects of schooling, grouped into 5 broad categories. You can read more about them from the links below, and the Schoolsmith Score here.

their achievements; academic, sporting and artistic,
the breadth of the education they offer,
the quality of teaching,
their facilities,
their look and feel.

Need more help?

By now you might be wondering what you should be thinking about when choosing a school? It happens to everyone. Why not try my 7 one minute quizzes for those starting their school search? Wood, trees, and all that…