Anyone's kids go to a BAD school?

[MrsSnape]

Yes, another post about secondary schools from MrsSnape...I'm waiting for the "for gods sake, stop going on!" comments anytime now

But as this is a major issue for me....

I was just wondering if anyone on here has kids or has had kids in a school with a bad reputation.

Was it bad as people made it out to be?

Did it turn out ok?

Will a bright/sensible child do well in any school?

Is bullying more likely in a 'bad' school?

[roisin]

How bad is bad?
Often parents don't really know what goes on in schools anyway, and pupils don't have anything to compare it with.

We have quite a lot of 'failing schools' round here (according to Ofsted), but most parents I speak to you are quite happy.

My school is not by any means a 'bad' school, but I wouldn't be happy to send my children there. Many of the bright/sensible children do very well, but there is a significant proportion of this group who go completely off the rails in the first few years, end up in low sets, and don't achieve their potential. Also a number of bright/sensible children learn to hide the fact very well because it's not "cool to be clever", whilst they may not be actively bullied, they are not particularly happy, because the things they are good at (academic work) are not particularly valued or rewarded in the school.

[OrmIrian]

My youngest children go to a school that was (and still is as far as I know) in special measures. 2 interim reports later it is much improved. My DC are very happy there and DS#1 left with 2 level 5s and a level 4a in his SATs. So 'bad'? I guess that depends.

DS#1 is now in a school with a bad rep. Used to be a dive TBH and many people round here still think of it that way. It's in a deprived area and has very local academic intake. But Ofsted has just graded it as outstanding. Again 'bad'?

[AbbeyA]

Have you been around it on a normal working day? If you haven't I would go for a tour. Schools can do a really good show on an open evening but they can't hide things if you go on a normal day.

Some people wouldn't send their DCs to my children's primary school, all based on the fact that part of the intake was a council estate. The really funny thing was that when it got an outstanding Ofsted and the Head was invited to meet the Prince of Wales some people withdrew their DCs from the favoured Cof E school (that they had jumped through hoops to get into)and sent it to the 'rough' school! Those of us who had DCs at the 'rough' school knew that it was good.

Maybe you have done this and know that it is a bad school, but if not phone up and request a visit.

[twinsetandpalls]

I have taught in a school with an awful reputation that was seen as bad and having moved on to a successful school I can see how much it failed its pupils.

I always thought I would let my dd go there as I do think she would do well at any school, again having taught in my new school I would not let her go to the bad school.

Problems were constant disruption in lessons, kids running riot on the corridors, work not marked, staff off sick constantly , long term absence, truancy of pupils, shockingly high teenage pregnancy rates and a general lack of aspiration.

[AbbeyA]

Hi Mrs Snape. No one has really answered your question so I thought I would try it from a new angle. I went into Friends Reunited and looked at what was the worst school in my home town. It was secondary modern and it was in a very rough area, I was very relieved as a DC not to go there.
I just took a 3 yr space, the majority were on there with no profile. A lot were still living in the same town and had the type of job you might imagine. However I found 2 police officers, a social worker, an editor of a local newspaper in Scotland, a NHS performance analyst, someone with their own flower shop, several managers of businesses and someone running an museum of aviation. There was a bus driver in New York, several in Australia or New Zealand and someone with a second home in Tenerife. I would therefore say that you can do well-especially taking into account that all of my sample had failed the 11+.
I suggest you go onto Friends Reunited and see what past pupils are doing at your catchment school.