These are the five best state primary schools in Wandsworth, Earlsfield and Southfields. They are within a mile of each other, and they are also among the top 15% of schools in the country, as determined by the Schoolsmith Score. Three rank in the top 3% of primary schools in England. The five schools are;
- Allfarthing Primary School in Wandsworth,
- Beatrix Potter Primary School in Earlsfield,
- Earlsfield Primary School,
- Sheringdale Primary School in Southfields, and
- St Michael’s Church of England Primary School in Southfields.
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
Four of the schools teach children from age 3 to age 11. Which means they have a nursery class as well as a Reception entry class. The exception is St Michael’s CofE Primary which starts at age 4 (Reception). Please be aware that attendance at the nursery is no guarantee of a place in Reception.
All the schools provide access to out of hours care from 7.45/8.00am to 5.30/6.00pm. Care is usually provided by external contractors on school premises. At Earlsfield Primary and Sheringdale Primary, school staff provide the before-school care.
As far as gender mix goes, they are all co-educational, as indeed are almost all state primary schools.
St Michael’s CofE Primary is a church school. It is also a Voluntary Aided school, which means that faith may have a role to play in the admissions policy. Though the other four are nominally secular schools, they teach a mandatory RE curriculum.
Admissions
In terms of admissions policy, please refer to the individual schools’ websites. All operate a catchment system.
But the faithful have some priority at the St Michael’s if the school is oversubscribed for places in Reception. And it usually is. As are Allfarthing Primary, Sheringdale Primary and Earlsfield Primary.
Also, Earlsfield Primary is one of the five most popular schools for applications in the whole Borough of Wandsworth.
Inspections
Ofsted inspectors consider Sheringdale Primary and Earlsfield Primary to be Outstanding schools, according to their last inspections. They also consider Allfarthing Primary, Beatrix Potter Primary and St Michael’s CofE Primary to be Good schools.
Buildings and grounds
Given the city suburb locations of these schools, grounds are expansive enough for playgrounds, but not much more. But it is the buildings themselves which catch the eye. None more so than Earlsfield Primary which is housed in a three-storey red brick Victorian School Board building. Allfarthing School occupies an imposing four-storey Edwardian building, and St Michaels’ CofE Primary is based in a two-storey red brick school building.
Beatrix Potter Primary and Sheringdale Primary are based in more modern buildings and incremental additions. The former has recently had a £1.5M renovation with a more contemporary look.
Class sizes and classes per year
These Wandsworth primary schools are similar in many ways. Structurally too. They are all two form-entry with two classes per year.
Class sizes at each school are, on average, 25 to 28 pupils.
Facilities at Wandsworth state primary schools
They all have some specialist facilities to support their curricula. For sport that includes playgrounds, usually a MUGA, and a school hall(s).
Beyond the multi-purpose hall, arts facilities each school has an additional room for teaching either music or art. This is more than most other state primary schools. Sheringdale Primary has both an art room and a music room. And Beatrix Potter Primary has a new art studio and drama room. As for academic facilities there are libraries, environmental areas, and IT facilities at each school.
Academic curricula
These Wandsworth primary schools teach a broad curriculum in line with the National Curriculum. But there is some difference in the implementation of the curriculum. And that difference is in the degree of cross-curricular linking of subjects as opposed to teaching them separately.
Beatrix Potter Primary uses more of a ‘knowledge-based’ curriculum which, in short, teaches subjects separately, and develops pupil thinking skills within the subjects.
The other four schools teach subjects outside the core of maths, English and science through cross-curricular topics, which link the subjects. Often using half-termly themes, topic-based learning is used to develop creative thinking and problem solving skills. Allfarthing, Sheringdale and Earlsfield Primary Schools have their own bespoke curricula. St Michael’s CofE Primary uses the Cornerstones Curriculum.
The curriculum at St Michael’s CofE Primary emphasises Christian social morality. Not doctrinal, but RE has a prominent role in the curriculum as a core subject along with English and maths.
At Beatrix Potter Primary and Earlsfield Primary the curricula reflect the UNICEF Rights Respecting School programme. Both have a Gold accreditation.
All of the schools include some element of outdoor learning in their curricula, particularly for their youngest pupils. But like many urban schools, outdoor learning is not a significant feature.
There is a choice of modern foreign language at these Wandsworth primary schools. Allfarthing Primary and Beatrix Potter Primary teach Spanish. Earlsfield Primary and St Michael’s CofE Primary teach French. And for good measure, Sheringdale Primary teaches two years of each.
Like most state primaries, foreign language teaching starts in Year 3. Earlsfield Primary is the exception here, starting French from Year 1.
Each of the schools offers educational trips, and at least one residential trip. Beatrix Potter Primary offers residentials from Year 3, and Sheringdale Primary from Year 4.
Sport at Wandsworth state primary schools
Each school teaches between ten and fifteen different sports. So each one encourages participation in a variety of sports with St Michael’s CofE Primary offering the most.
The size of the primary school, in terms of number of pupils, usually has a bearing on the strength of their sports teams. The idea being that larger schools have a larger pool to select from. These are all two form entry schools so, relatively speaking, we should expect each one to have its fair share of wins and losses.
However, no Wandsworth primary school has a sustained track record for sporting achievement in national competitions.
The arts at Wandsworth 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. Arts provision is probably best at Earlsfield Primary, in and out of the classroom. It also has an Artsmark Gold accreditation.
Pupils at these five Wandsworth state primary schools benefit from a larger number of after-school activities than at most primary schools. There’s sport, of course. But there are also clubs for academic enrichment, hobbies, and arts. Earlsfield Primary, Sheringdale Primary and St Michael’s CofE Primary offer the most arts and hobbies clubs.
Academic results
The schools are based in the Borough of Wandsworth, which 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.
Academic results are higher for all these Wandsworth primary schools compared to the national average. Based on a four-year average for attainment in Year 6 SATS St Michael’s CofE Primary is in the top 5%, nationally. Sheringdale Primary is in the top 7% and Earlsfield Primary is on the top 15%.
As for pupil progress, again measured on four-year average from SATS results, all five schools are in the top third nationally. Sheringdale Primary ranks in the top 9% and St Michael’s CofE Primary in the top 11%.
Choosing the best state primary school in Wandsworth
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 are all among the top 15% best primary schools in the country. As I hope this note has shown, any one of them should be a preference. Three of these Wandsworth primary schools rank significantly higher. St Michael’s CofE Primary and Earlsfield Primary rank in the top 3% of state primary schools. Sheringdale Primary is in the top 1%.
See also the best state primary schools in Balham and Streatham, Battersea and Clapham, Putney, and Wimbledon
Why are these the best state primary schools in Wandsworth?
Schools that feature in these notes are those with the highest Schoolsmith Scores, not just in Wandsworth, 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…