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Original poster

I’m absolutely devastated about our school placement

156 replies

Itsallaboutme2021 · 16/04/2025 20:57

Is anyone else devastated about their school placement today? I can’t stop crying and don’t want to tell anyone, I’m not excited and this is my only child. I feel robbed of this experience. I’m gutted.

We got our 3rd choice, ( it was mainly my husband choice) the school is soulless.
Here are my list of pros and cons.

Cons- no green area on site ( they use a local public park)
It’s religious…. I’m not.
The library was pitch black when we visited and looks like it hadn’t been used in months.
The classrooms looked messy and chaotic.
I didn’t pay much attention to anything else as I knew it was not the school I wanted for our child.

Pros-
It does some nice charity work.
It’s above the national average for maths, English & writing.
Its probably the only multicultural school in the area.
It’s walking distance.

I could really do with some positive comments please. My husband is desperately looking at ways to help me see this isn’t such a bad school.

OP posts:
Springadorable · 16/04/2025 21:07

We got our first choice, but if we hadn't I would have appealed, gone on waiting lists and then if that failed delayed his start (he's summer born) and moved house in the meantime to ensure we were super close for the catchment. I guess it depends how much you want your other choice school/don't want the alternatives.

MyCrappyTurn · 16/04/2025 21:06

We actually got our last choice for DS, and I remember how upset we were. We contacted the school and asked to visit again, and we got a much better impression the second time around. In the end, it was a great school for DS.

So, ask to visit again, and put your name on waiting lists if you're still not happy. Good luck.

Hazel665 · 16/04/2025 21:06

I went to a primary school with no green space on site (it was a private one as well!) and we used a local park. We loved that park, and I have fond memories of it. My own child went to a primary with an abundance of green space, but realistically, it was the hard-surfaced courts that were used more because the green spaces are too muddy for about 8 months of the year! So the green space thing means nothing.

The messy classrooms also mean nothing. Good teachers get great results in mud huts, let alone perfect shiny classrooms.

The charity work counts for a lot, as does the diversity. And the fact that it's walking distance is invaluable. Imagine the nightmare of trying to park outside a s hook further away, or trying to get there in the snow, or when your car had broken down!

I predict that you will grow to love this school.

mynameiscalypso · 16/04/2025 21:05

Your list of cons describes my DS’s school - except I’m not sure they have a library. But he loves it. The teachers are wonderful. There’s a fantastic sense of community. He has made lovely friends and grown so much in confidence. Walking distance is a huge bonus too.

pinksquash13 · 16/04/2025 21:02

Just read walking distance - that's a massive pro. Nice local friends and no hellish school parking for you.

pinksquash13 · 16/04/2025 21:01

Can you go round and see it again? If it's above average in results they must be doing something right. How was behaviour of kids? Is it nearby to your house?

Check where you are on waiting lists. There is a lot of movement right up to the start dates so you may still get into choice 1 and 2. How many places were there for school 1 and 2?