Whatever sort of school you’re looking for in Belsize Park, there’s no shortage of variety to choose from, and all of the schools we looked at were rated either as Good or Outstanding, so you can be sure that wherever you send your children, they will receive a good quality education. Our short guide will provide you with some basic facts about local schools in the Belsize Park area.
Abacus Belsize Primary School
Opened in 2013, this Free School was started by a group of parents concerned about the lack of places for primary school children in Belsize Park. It’s secular, and welcomes boys and girls of all religious backgrounds. In May 2015, Ofsted rated this new school as Outstanding.
Fitzjohn’s Primary School
Fitzjohn’s is a non-denominational primary school based in the former Royal Soldiers’ Daughters’ Home. Rated Good by Ofsted in 2014, this school scored highly on its early year’s provision. There’s a big focus on being eco-friendly, with each class having an Eco Warrior, and the school garden, where fruits and vegetables are grown and rabbits and chickens are kept.
Fleet Primary School
Rated Good by Ofsted, figures show that pupils at this non-denominational school make better progress than the national average. It can take 230 pupils, from age 3 to 11, and has a nursery attached to the school to make the transition into Reception easy for young learners.
Gospel Oak Primary School
One of the largest primary schools in the area, this community school can take 468 pupils. Rated Outstanding in their last Ofsted inspection, pupils make better progress than the national average. There’s an impressive array of after school clubs on offer – language clubs for Albanian and Bengali, puppetry, football, sewing and orchestra are all on offer.
Hampstead Parochial Church of England Primary School
This is a voluntary aided Church of England school, which can take 233 children from the ages of 4 to 11. Ofsted rated it Good in January 2016, with pupils praised for their good manners and behaviour. Pupils are involved with the running of the school, with the school council being an active part of school life.
Holy Trinity CofE Primary School NW3
This small Church of England school only takes 185 pupils between the ages of 4 and 11. They make more progress than the national average, and their 2013 Ofsted rated them as a Good school. UNICEF awarded the school a UNICEF Rights Respecting School award for their knowledge and respect of the diversity around them.
Rosary Roman Catholic Primary School
This is a large voluntary aided Catholic school, which takes 340 pupils from age 3 to 11. In 2012, Ofsted rated this as a Good school, with pupils making more progress than the national average. The school has strong ties with the Three Acres Club, running a breakfast and after school club which provides activities for children across Belsize Park and Chalk Farm.
Secondary
Haverstock School on Chalk Farm
This is a community school, with nearly 1,250 pupils from age 11 to 18. It was rated as Good in January 2012. A specialist Business and Enterprise college, the sixth form has strong ties with BBC, Bank of New York and The London Business school, who all provide input into the sixth form programme. 90% of Haverstock students go on to university.
The UCL Academy
Established in 2011, this co-educational academy is sponsored by UCL itself. Ofsted rated it as Good, and praised it for its improvements. This school prioritises learning in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths), making the most of its links with UCL. They’re keen to encourage more girls to take part in STEM subjects, and have equally ambitious goals for those children with an existing STEM passion.
If you’re moving to the Belsize Park area, and you’d like to know more about it, the staff at Stones Residential will be more than happy to talk you through your options.
