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Original poster

Sorry - what am I meant to be looking for in a secondary school?

84 replies

ahundredtimes · 04/10/2008 14:57

We are touring schools.

I don't even know what I'm meant to be looking for.

Facilities? Happy pupils? Are teenagers happy though?

What else?

It's VERY hard. I went to a school with no rules but a lovely staircase. I don't feel qualified.

Tips would be welcome.

OP posts:
NotCod · 04/10/2008 15:05

dont laugh

go in the loos

seriosuy

TheFallenMadonna · 04/10/2008 15:05

Work out what you want. What are you sending your children to school for? See, I think Xenia has this spot on. She knows exactly what she wants. She wants only bright children, People Like Us, fabulous exam results. All that narrows down her choice.

Details of exactly what science curriculum they follow is less important than overall philosophy if you've got proper choice.

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 04/10/2008 15:05

Okay. Thank you.

OP posts:
wonderstuff · 04/10/2008 15:01

I like my school (where i teach dd is not 1 yet) because its quite small, the teachers know all the pupils, SEN is good, value added is good (much more important than %A-C imo)

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 04/10/2008 15:00

Oh yes, well calm and purposeful.

Rather serious though.

They seem to do much harder work than we ever did. I picked up an A level essay on The Great Gatsby and it had lots of references and Ibids at the end. I NEVER did that at A level.

OP posts:
wonderstuff · 04/10/2008 14:59

Happy, polite pupils is good. Most teenagers are fairly happy. Does the school feel calm? MartinBishop is very good at answering this sort of thing!

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 04/10/2008 14:59

Crikey. I don't think they'd especially good FM. I don't think i would either.

OP posts:
Original poster
ahundredtimes · 04/10/2008 14:58

Oh and I did remember something MB had said once. So I proudly walked up to someone in the biology lab and said 'Do you do combined science at GCSE?' and she said 'how do you mean? There are two options' and I smiled nicely and said I didn't know what I meant.

OP posts:
TheFallenMadonna · 04/10/2008 14:58

Well, Xenia likes parents who look good on Sports Day. So that would be a start.