My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Daughter offered second choice of good secondary school, but 2 weeks after starting, offered first choice of outstanding school. How to decide?!

9 replies

Mumofan11yearoldgirl · 15/09/2018 11:33

Hi, So what a quandary. We moved away from our previous town 3 months after my daughter had started year 6 because our catchment schools (there are only two secondary schools in the whole town) were not great and she is very academic. We moved to a new town to the catchment of two secondary schools: one good and one outstanding with outstanding results every year since it opened 12 years ago. The outstanding school was our first choice. It is closer to our house and has an excellent reputation in so many areas. We moved in December (we were not able to move sooner) so missed the first round of applications. The second round we were offered our second choice. And each round I contacted the council we were told she was in the top 10 (1200 applicants; 300 on the waiting list) but then around 2 rounds away from end of July she was still at number 5 and I was told there would likely be no movement before the end of July due to the school being full and oversubscribed. This month she started the second choice school, has had a great 2 weeks but 2 days ago I received a phone call to say the outstanding school now has a place. But she has settled and made some friends, got to know her way round the school, got into the routine, is enjoying her lessons, etc. My dilemma is: we upped sticks to be in the catchment for the first choice. The second choice was put on the application form because I wanted to be sure if we didn’t get the first choice, she wouldn’t end up miles away from home and in a poorer performing school. I never imagined we could be offered a place 2 weeks in. I am elated she has been offered this place in such a fantastic school. In my view she has only missed a couple of weeks and can settle in quickly - hopefully. Better that than to move after a few months I think. We moved in December to give her a chance to make friends at the new primary school so whichever school was allocated she would know people. And she does indeed have friends at the outstanding school. However, she doesn’t want to move - understandably after having a great start at the second choice school. But should we try? Should we give her a chance at the outstanding school when there is a risk she might not be as happy as she seems to be at her current school. But then of course in 6 months she could end up feeling unhappy at this current school and we may regret never taking this chance. I just don’t know how to decide and I have to let the outstanding school know by Monday morning. Anyone’s advice would be greatly appreciated - thank you Smile

OP posts:
Report
Floottoot · 15/09/2018 11:40

If she's happy where she is, I'd say leave her.
Results and local reputation don't tell the whole story - we moved my daughter from an outstanding school that tops local league tables, because she was miserable there and because we soon learnt that the way they achieve their apparently wonderful results is to weed out anyone with any kind of learning difficulties, either by not allowing them to sit exams or by entering them as external candidates.

I'm not saying your outstanding school does that, only that you have no way of knowing what goes on behind the results tables. If the good school is good enough and your daughter works hard and is capable, she'll probably do just as well there as she would at the other school.

Report
cantkeepawayforever · 15/09/2018 11:46

Apart from the Ofsted grading (which may be irrelevant, particularly if the Oustanding grade is old, as the criteria for new 'Good' are at least as stringent as that for the old 'Oustanding'), how different are the two schools?

Look at e.g.

  • GCSE results
  • A-level results
  • Destinations
  • Progress for different groups of pupils (so for your child, you'd probably be looking at the high prior attainment Progress8 - though also look at confidence intervals to see whether it is a reliable statistic)
  • GCSE choices - 3 sciences? At least 2 MFL? Reasonable range of choices on top of core subjects (5 is unusual now, 4 is good, 3 is surprisingly common, and I have heard of schools where it is tied down to 1 humanity from a choice of 2, 1 language from a choice of 2, compulsory RE + 1 other from a restricted range, which may not be appropriate if e.g. your child is a gifted linguist or great at Art AND Music or Design)
  • Extra-curricular opportunities


If there are genuine differences that are beneficial for your child, then go for it. If they are pretty similar - or the strengths and weaknesses are balanced - then I would be tempted to stay with the one you have.

What I would not do is change just because of the Ofsted grade.
Report
Firenze12 · 15/09/2018 14:15

You need to be careful with Ofsted grades because they can change! The good school may become outstanding and the outstanding one good etc! An outstanding school near us became requires improvement- although this is less common.

Can't keep away forever offers excellent advice. Look at those significant differences. If the outstanding school is going to be a much better fit for your child and they will have better opportunities move them.

Report
NicoAndTheNiners · 15/09/2018 14:19

Could she have a taster day at the second school next week and then decide?

Report
KnotsInMay · 16/09/2018 08:08

Did you visit both schools? Likevthem both?

I would be thinking through:
Are there any differences in approach to setting / Streaming?
Do both do the MFL GCSE she is likely to prefer, or offer a choice?
Do both do triple science?
Same kind of clubs and extra-curricular?
How great is the difference between the journeys to the two schools?

A ‘good’ school
Will be working hard towards ‘outstanding’ at next inspection.

Report
shouldwestayorshouldwego · 16/09/2018 08:18

How oversubscribed is her current school-- could she go back? When you looked at the schools which could you see her in more? She will settle in at the new school. Although friends are important she also probably wants to do well at GCSE so I would use this argument with her.

Report
ChocolateWombat · 16/09/2018 12:35

I always say the same to these early into term queries where places come up at preferred school.

  • think back to why you chose the first choice school initially.....if all the reasons you chose it still stand, remember them and it probably is the right choice now. Consider if you'd have taken the place if it appeared from the waiting list 2 months ago, 3 weeks ago? If yes, it is probably still right to take it now.
  • recognise that your child cannot make this decision and you as an adult have to take responsibility and do it. The fact they are there are feel they like it and don't want to move, cannot be the deciding factor, but the issues within my first point have to over-ride this. Know that 2 weeks is. I thing within the context of. 5 or 7 year education and if they move now, they won't be the new person as most people haven't even met everyone yet and before hardly any time has passed they will feel it is their school and forget the old one. Be willing to put up wih some crying and difficulty for a few days, if that is the reaction, but see that as very short term I r elation to the 5 or 7 years of education.


Best of luck in deciding.
Report
Frogletmamma · 16/09/2018 17:04

Leave her if she is happy. I joined a middle school 1 month after everyone else and the friendship groups were all set. I had a really miserable 6 months trying to fit in.

Report
gramadilema · 16/09/2018 17:17

Hi, I faced a similar dilemma but after my son was in a comprehensive for 3 days, then got offered his first choice at a grammar school for which he’d passed the tests and was on the waiting list, Even after only 3 days it was still a tricky decision as we’d all invested in that school emotionally and financially ( buying uniform etc). He did go for the grammar school and is very happy with his decision now. But maybe it was a bit more clear cut with the GS having a long ( 100 years or so) track record.
I think cantkeepaway’s points are good, Ofsted reports are not the be all and end all. A “young” school can change if for example the head moves on and a less competent person takes on the job. Do you have more info about t he school from other parents ? Any plans for the head to move on? All the criteria that cantkeep mentions should be looked at, not just the ofsted grade, and also the journey time.
If your daughter decided to move I think she’d be fine after a few days. It’s still early on. As she is academic, the quality of the teaching and the pupils’ approach to learning ( ie minimal disruptiveness from other pupils) are important criteria. Good luck.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.