I have namechanged as i think i might sound very pfb and a bit of a knob.
DD will start reception in 2015 but we have decided to start looking at schools now, in case we need to get DD onto a private school waiting list. We live a 3 min walk from our local school and DD is guaranteed a place there due to the admission/catchment arrangements.
DD is a bright, capable, September born girl. After primary school we intend to send her to a selective independent secondary.
I have a few concerns about our local school being right for DD and I would like to as the HT of the school about them when we go to look around. However I don't want to sound confrontational or like a knob. Please could you look at my questions and help me to rephrase them. My questions are:
The ofsted report for the school (satisfactory in 2012) repeatedly mentions that the work set is not challenging enough for the most able pupils. What have they done to address this and do they now offer opportunities for the most able to fulfil their potential?
All children are taught in mixed age classes after reception with 2 year groups in each). I think this will be great for DD when she is part of the younger age group in the class as it will place her chronologically in the middle of the group, but I am concerned that she will not have a sufficient peer group of able, older children when she is part of the older year group in the class. I think you need a "critical mass" of similar ability children to compete against (not in an unpleasant way, but to provide a level of discussion and challenge). I suppose my question is, "might this be a problem and how do they address it, if it is?"
My third question is around secondary schools; I'd like to know if they have much success with pupils taking entrance tests and do they deal positively with children moving to schools other than the local secondary? I don't mean that they should be making a great fuss of it, just that they can deal with it sensitively and not voice disapproval about it or make DD feel left out.
Lastly I would like to know about the religious content of their assemblies. We do not have a faith and would like to bring DD up to know about lots of faiths, but I am not keen on school giving her the impression that she is Christian or presenting Christianity as fact. What can I ask about this?
Apologies, I seem to have written an essay, but I am very aware that we are likely to have a 7+ year relationship with this school and perhaps this HT and I feel I do need answers to these questions, but don't want to antagonise.
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Help me to phrase questions for the head please
48 replies
Hmmletmesee · 15/06/2013 16:16
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