OK, so this post will partly be me trying to get my thoughts down so please bear with me ?
DS is in Y4 so we are starting to think about secondary schools as depending on what choice we make we might have to start taking actions quite soon.
Our options are as follows:
- Local comprehensive. Highly regarded. Ofsted Outstanding. Excellent facilities. 15 minutes walk from home. Majority (as in 90%+) of his primary school will go there.
DH doesn?t see why we should look beyond this school and in fact I would be quite happy for him to go there. But ? I have a niggle at the back of my mind that I should be considering ?
- Grammar. We are not in a grammar area, but we are on the edge of one, and in 4 of the last 5 years DS would have got a place if he?d passed the 11+. Worries are of course that DS might not pass the 11+ (he is doing well at school, but not exceptionally so iyswim. His predicted levels for end of Y4 are reading 4a, writing 3a and maths 4b). Worry that even if he did pass he might not get on because of distance. And if he did get in it would be an hour on the school bus to get to school ? I know lots do this but having suffered a similar trip to school myself I don?t want to wish it on my own children.
If we did consider this option seriously we could move to mitigate the distance issues, but that would mean DD (currently in Y2) also having to move school.
Also have option
- Private. Same issues as grammar re passing entrance exam and distance to travel to school. Also have issues re money. To afford this we would both need to work full time ? which we do at the moment, but I am on a contract that ends in 2015 (and unlikely to be renewed as the job I?m doing won?t exist after that) and DH?s company are constantly (it feels) making people redundant. We?re both very employable but of course you worry in the current climate. The job risk is slightly mitigated as we have savings that could cover private school fees ?for a bit? so wouldn?t be a total disaster if one of us were out of work.
My main worry is that I think I feel that is DS goes to the comp he may coast, and I?m letting him down by not at least giving him the chance to try for the others (though not sure I want to let him try and fail ?) . The education.gov website shows that children entering the comp as ?high achievers? get an average of B at GCSE. Compared to the grammar and private school that are getting their children A averages (I realise these are selective so I?m not comparing like with like, but don?t think the ?high achievers? pool at the comp is ?that* out of step with their intakes to justify a whole grade average less.
If we did go for the private or grammar options we would definitely look at tutoring (though maybe doing it ourselves) and quite probably moving, so don't want to enter into either lightly ...
Any thoughts?