St Mary’s & St Mark’s- Bishop Gilpin School
Bishop gilpin c of e primary school
lake road, wimbledon sw19 7ep
Bishop Gilpin school is a voluntary aided, co-educational Church of England Primary School. We are in the Diocese of Southwark, within the local authority of the London Borough of Merton.
The school was founded in 1758, in a building which still exists on the edge of Wimbledon Common and moved to its present site in 1966. It is housed in a modern single storey building set in two acres of rising ground. Extensive grassed sports facilities are shared with the neighbouring secondary school.
The school admits 60 children into the reception classes and there are no more than 30 children in each of the other classes. There is a close relationship with St Mary's and St Mark's churches and clergy visit the school regularly. Admission can be via Open places (based on nearness of the home address to the school) or Foundation places (based on family church membership and a reference from the clergy). These places are divided 50:50. Register for nursery places just after your child's second birthday.
reference forms
Reference forms should either be returned to the school or be given in at the Parish Office marked 'School References'. Make sure you follow the instructions given by the school. Please ensure any envelopes for returning the forms to schools have stamps on them.
bishop gilpin contact details
BISHOP GILPIN ST MARY’S references- please complete the form below
Please introduce yourself to the Rector after a Sunday service prior to completing the form below. We do not take applications by phone or late applications nor do we offer appointments for discussion of any application. You may wish to email a photo to the Rector following the completion of the form below to expedite the process.
St Matthew’s- St Matthew’s Primary School
cottenham park road, west wimbledon, sw20 0sx
The church has very close links with St Matthew’s School, a local Church of England Nursery & Primary School.
The Vicar is Vice Chair of the School Governing Body and regularly takes Collective Worship (Assemblies), visits classes and goes on school trips.
Children from the school also come to the church, which is within easy walking distance. Some recent visits include:
Learning about baptism by christening some pretend ‘babies’ in the font.
Learning about Advent using the candles on the Advent wreath.
Accompanying Jesus on his last journey, stopping off at each ‘Station of the Cross’.
Learning about all the different things in God’s House and what they are for: the pulpit, the lectern, the choir loft, the altar, the vestry and so on.
These visits help the children to make connections with what they are leaning in school and to feel comfortable within the church environment. Every year the whole school comes to the church for Harvest Festival, the School Carol Service and an Easter Eucharist. Parents and carers are very welcome to join us. We also have a special (and tearful!) Leavers’ Service in July when we say goodbye to Year Six and send them on their way to secondary school with a gift and lots of prayers.
Children of regular members of St Matthew’s Church may apply for a Foundation Place at the school. The Admissions Policy for nursery and primary school places can be found here.