Best primary schools in Clapham

Among the most successful and sought-after primaries around the common are Honeywell (Infant and Junior), Belleville Primary School (operates across two sites, although Webb’s Road is the one you need to live near for admissions purposes), St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School (Balham), Macaulay Church of England Primary School, Belleville Wix Academy French/English bilingual Primary, and Bonneville Primary School. A little further east, Clapham Manor Primary School and Heathbrook Primary School are also popular choices.

The area offers a good choice of Church of England and Roman Catholic faith schools. Additionally, Iqra Primary School, east of the common, is a small Islamic primary, routinely getting impressive SATs scores. Some Jewish families choose Mosaic Primary School, on the western edge of Wandsworth.

As with anywhere, all local state primaries have strengths and weaknesses and it’s worth noting that, like other inner London schools, none of the above are particularly blessed with green space and on-site outdoor facilities.

At 11+, primary pupils move on to an enormous number of different destinations in the state and private sectors. State primaries do not prepare pupils for any selective entrance examinations, so there is lots of private tutoring in years 5 and 6. If children in Wandsworth and Lambeth primary schools would like to apply to a Wandsworth school with partial academic selection or which bands applicants by ability, they can opt to take the Wandsworth Test which is a multiple choice verbal and non-verbal reasoning test (see state secondary school section).

All mainstream state schools have a SENCo who can advise and support pupils with special educational needs, sometimes termed specific learning differences (SpLDs). Children affected more severely who have an EHCP can apply to attend a special school or unit. Specialist units are attached to mainstream schools and known as additionally resourced provision (ARP). These units predominantly offer provision for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), social, emotional and mental health conditions (SEMH), autism (ASD) and other related conditions. For admission to ARP units, children need to have an EHCP or be in the process of getting one. Around Clapham, ARP for children with autism is available at The Hive at Ravenstone Primary, Balham, Hilary House at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Battersea and also at Hillbrook School and Tooting Primary School in Tooting. Additional resourced provision for SLCN can be found at Smallwood Primary School and Language Unit (also in Tooting) and Riversdale Primary School in Southfields. There is a Hearing Support Centre at Sellincourt Primary School in Tooting.

Parents whose children have higher support needs, complex ASD and profound difficulties can apply for them to attend the specialist nursery and primary, Greenmead School in Southfields and there is Oak Lodge School on Nightingale Lane, SW12 for the more severe hearing impaired and deaf.

On the Lambeth side of the Common there are a few schools with units for children with ASD and social communication difficulties. Closest to Clapham is Larkhall Primary, Stockwell which hosts the Woodlark Autism Provision unit. Specialist units for speech language and communication can also be found at Allen Edwards Primary, Stockwell, Wyvil Primary School, Nine Elms and Dunraven School, Streatham.

The area around Clapham has a few independent special schools for ASD. BeyondAutism Park House takes children 4-11-years-old and in nearby Earlsfield is Chelsea Hall, a small junior school for children with MLD and global delays. Primary age children with more severe SpLDs are most likely to opt for tried and trusted Fairley House School in central London.