Finding schools

[GoodTennis]

Part of our homework was to look at schools in the area. We are lucky there's LOADS! but... other than an ofsted rating, where do you find out information about their ability to educate looked after children? I think because we have so many schools we were very "we will do that later..." which prompted the social worker to ask specific questions and now I am panicked... 😂

you could look to see what policies or other information they have published on their intranets.
Also don't just look at the Ofsted rating, read the report properly. Ratings are strange beasts, schools with lower ratings can still offer very good support to children, depends what has pulled their rating down.
Do you know any parents with children at school in the area? They can be useful sources of information - although be prepared to filter that information, my son went to a fabulous secondary school, the one that many parents said their child would go to 'over their dead body'

@Ted27

you could look to see what policies or other information they have published on their intranets. Also don't just look at the Ofsted rating, read the report properly. Ratings are strange beasts, schools with lower ratings can still offer very good support to children, depends what has pulled their rating down. Do you know any parents with children at school in the area? They can be useful sources of information - although be prepared to filter that information, my son went to a fabulous secondary school, the one that many parents said their child would go to 'over their dead body'

Thanks! In having a read of their websites now. Its very interesting 🤔

Find out what they do with the Pupil Premium money. The school my son will go to uses it to employ a floating teaching assistant who acts as an attachment mentor and is trauma and attachment trained.

@mahrezzy

Find out what they do with the Pupil Premium money. The school my son will go to uses it to employ a floating teaching assistant who acts as an attachment mentor and is trauma and attachment trained.

It seems that the schools in my area arent broadcasting if they are trauma informed or not so it might have to be an email nearer the time. I have been really impressed by the thing they do offer though which has given me a bit of confidence in them

Also have a look to see about their behaviour policies as some schools can still be too dependent on lots of name and shame type reward and sanctions. It gives a good idea of what is important to them as a school and how they deal with behaviours.
Pupil premium and other support they offer would be good too.
You get such a big feel for a school from looking around and talking to the headteacher to see their values, see if they are even know about being trauma aware so a tricky one to just find out though research. Schools can also change with a change of head in regards to what is important to them and how they work as a school.
Good luck.

110% agree with visiting if at all possible. The vibe of a school is important and you can check for shaming or rewarding strategies.

Things we thought about were:

Diversity of teaching staff- we considered racial diversity in general and whether there were teachers from BAME backgrounds not just TAs
current class sizes
Staff turnover (if high, its not great for attachment issues)
Catchment area- do the children all live on the same estate or area? Would yours be excluded if they were outside that?
Food arrangements- kids can be picky. Do they eat in the hall? Canteen? Classroom? What options do they have? Can children come home for lunch?
Indoor outdoor play provision
Send provision or eal provision if required
Integrated childcare options- before and after school care may be necessary
Diversity of curriculum- do they cover any books or topics that touch upon adoption or different family structures?

Just some ideas as a way of sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Thanks for the responses. We havent got a little one yet but I'm really enjoying the homework, changing how I think and preparing us for these challenges. I will definitely be speaking to the schools prior to making any decision but its a good start on what to look for and im sure our SW will be impressed with what ive found out

Just bear in mind that you could be 3, 4, 5 years off needing a school depending on the age of the child you are placed with.
That's plenty of time for a school to improve or go downhill - the arrival or departure of the head or key staff like sencos can make all the difference
I think knowing what to look for is probably more important than identifying specific schools

@Ted27

Just bear in mind that you could be 3, 4, 5 years off needing a school depending on the age of the child you are placed with. That's plenty of time for a school to improve or go downhill - the arrival or departure of the head or key staff like sencos can make all the difference I think knowing what to look for is probably more important than identifying specific schools

Yea totally! Im just going to say these schools have xyz so im happy we currently have support in the area. I admire your 3, 4 or 5 year optimism hehe. We ideally want as young as possible but we are quite open up to about 3-4 year old. Overall i just want them not to have been passed from pillar to post as much as possible😕

I live in an area/country where kids tend to just go to their local/catchment school. Whilst looking at policies etc is a useful tools for choosing a school, it's also really nice for my kids to go to a school in their neighbourhood. It means they can walk to school, make local friends that they can play with outwith school, know all the kids at local clubs etc. We are in the suburbs of a big city but my kids feel very much part of a wider community which I think makes such a difference to their happiness and well being.