Primary school choices

[Jannt86]

My dd starts school in 2022 so starting to think about schools and currently it seems to be between 2. One is consistently ofsted outstanding. I don't really fully understand the 'league tables' but 100% of their kids acheive their expected grades and they consistently achieve well above the national average. They are a tiny school having only about 90 pupils so not even a class full a year. Reading between the lines in their ofsted report this school seems like a lovely, community orientated place where the pupils are consistently happy. My only fear would be that it's 'too small' The other school is much bigger, about 450 pupils, and quite recently 'requires improvement' on ofsted but since been taken over by a new head and now 'outstanding' and also seems to get very good results. It's quite recently been made an 'academy' but I'm not sure what the significance of this is really. I also really love that there's a specific section on their website about attachment and they clearly have very slick behaviour and SENCO policies

My dd comes across as on the whole very happy and able and no major issues are showing themselves just yet. The only thing I'd say is that she can be very shy and 'avoidant' at times and this can lead to defient behaviour and a reluctance to engage with things. She is only 3 though and is improving by the day with this. However I do feel that anxiety may become an issue in the future.

What have people found ITO school sizes? It seems that my 2 choices are at extremes of the spectrum. Too small may mean she doesn't get as much exposure to other kids etc and transition to secondary is harder but too big and she might get a bit 'swallowed up'. Have people found that smaller schools are better for kids who are shy or does it not make much difference? I'm obviously going to go and see both schools but just wondering what people's experiences have been like? Any insight into the above choices would be really appreciated. If you've got to the end of this essay thanks for reading xx

My DD goes to a small village school. We looked at a few and this one felt the best. Whilst there were a couple of concerns - they had no experience with adopted children and there are mixed but small classes, the school have been fantastic! All the staff have attended attachment training and because they have no experience of adoption, they are more than happy to talk to me and we work through any issues together. Conversely, we visited another local school who had plenty of experience with adopted children, with a teacher also being an adopter. It was a very different atmosphere and it didn't feel right for our DD. She loves school and because it is a small school has a friendship group that spans all the year groups. I think what I am trying to say is, follow your instinct. They may look brilliant on paper but the reality can be different.

There's some amazing input here everyone. Thanks so much. I'm going to see the big school I referred to later in the month. I also found another amazing looking school that might actually be amazing. A lovely looking village school but seems the right combination of small but not 'too small' and very attentive and nurturing teaching. I am presuming that we tend to get allocated our first choices? So I'm thinking if I earmark a couple that I like that this should be sufficient and I don't need to go overboard? X

I think it would be so unlikely as to be inconceivable you wouldn't get your first choice.
Except if the schools you are applying for are of faith and they have chosen not to put non-faith adopted children below general children of faith. (I think that loophole is still allowed, but it may have been removed).
Otherwise ex LAC children come just behind children with EHCPs naming the school. No way would you get a whole year group of them.

Update 2. Went to visit another school. Much better vibes with this one! As soon as you enter the foyer you're bombarded with anti-bullying posters which the kids have made. It was obvious walking round that the teaching is high quality and that they seem to know how to engage a class and which kids to give one to one time to and get the most out of etc. We will go to see one more in a couple of weeks and I think it might come down to splitting hairs a bit between that one and the one we just saw.

Just a quick question; I'm confused about pupil premium. How would you be looking for this to be spent? From what I gather it would perhaps seem a bit unreasonable to expect that it's spent on something personal to your child? But what exactly makes it money well spent?

On the school website there should be info on how Pupil premium is spent.
The standard PP is meant to be for the cohort of PP kids and is about bringing up attainment. So you would expect it to be on maths & literacy intervention, but then also on things like free music lessons or other extra curricular, or laptops for home learning.
The enhanced PP for adopted children is meant to be 'ring fenced' for that child, though others can 'piggy back' onto it. So e.g. if they need social skills support then others can be brought in too for e.g. a games playing turn taking assistance. Or it can be spent on attachment training etc.
What it can't do is be subsumed into general budgets or be part of the 'whole school' offer.

@UnderTheNameOfSanders

On the school website there should be info on how Pupil premium is spent. The standard PP is meant to be for the cohort of PP kids and is about bringing up attainment. So you would expect it to be on maths & literacy intervention, but then also on things like free music lessons or other extra curricular, or laptops for home learning. The enhanced PP for adopted children is meant to be 'ring fenced' for that child, though others can 'piggy back' onto it. So e.g. if they need social skills support then others can be brought in too for e.g. a games playing turn taking assistance. Or it can be spent on attachment training etc. What it can't do is be subsumed into general budgets or be part of the 'whole school' offer.

That's so helpful! Thanks. X

How's everyone with little ones starting next September getting on with this?

We've been to see our two local primaries and had to take our child as we didn't have child care. It was fine though as both places were welcoming and had relaxed open days. It gave him a chance to play with some of the toys which he enjoyed.

Something I've found out recently and might be useful for others to know is that with pupil premium plus for LAC the virtual head oversees how the money is spent but for previously LAC (adopted) the school head decides how the money is spent. So, in theory the head could choose to spend the PP+ on any SEN requirements in the school. It does not have to be ring-fenced specifically for the adopted child.

Another thing worth checking is how often SENCo is in school. Neither school we visited had a great SENCo allocation (both small village schools with limited budgets) however, in one school SENCo was bought in for only one morning a week so not an actual school employee. Made me think that meeting additional needs may not be a high priority at that school!

I'm getting on ok. We've 99% decided on one. It's not actually the school that on paper has the best SEN provision tbh. I just got a gut instinct that it was a slightly calmer and slicker school. They are clearly very skilled at getting good results from even SEN kids and have a lovely setup such as 'wigwams' for the kids to go and cool down in if they're overwhelmed. They also have a strong antibullying policy with posters advocating this as soon as you enter the reception. I looked at the pupil and parent surveys too and they almost uanimously said they were happy there and virtually no complaints of bullying. These are all things that are guiding me to my choice really. Hope everyone else is getting on ok with it xx

Lovely news.

I’m struggling a bit. I think I may defer my son (he’s a summer baby so young for his year anyway, but is also emotionally young and has anxiety (amongst others) which means he struggles in settings with adults he isn’t comfortable with / sitting at a desk and doing what he’s told.

One school is very big and was always my first choice until I visited. 90 children per year (3 classes). Huge old school that’s very artistic and creative but not amazing outside space. They’re excellent at helping former and present LAC and are very trauma and attachment informed and spend the PP on attachment keyworkers for children for additional help and relationships. The children are a bit free range, there’s structure but it’s very progressive. If my son was less anxious he’d love it (and he may well be ready to start there in 2023).

The second school is smaller, with 30 children per year. More structure, amazing outside space, a calmer vibe. They’re meant to be good with trauma too (I've not met with either school yet… but have meetings planned).

I feel the first school is too big and will be over stimulating. But I feel the second school may be too structured.

Stumped!!

450 isn't a large school, there was over 1000 at my kids second school (initial primary was 90 kids). Smaller can mean friendlier but can also mean that they aren't part of the clique - we were newcomers to the village and dd1 was never accepted by her year group as she hadn't been to nursery and reception, whereas Dd2 (who started in nursery) was fine. I also found it hard as most of the parents had been at school together and hated newcomers, no not too strong.
The larger school was better for friendship but senco was run off her feet and the head was so useless she was sacked (moved to a non teaching role) the final straw was when on record she told me that girls couldn't be autistic (you couldn't make it up)