To think there was some covert 'selection' going on at this school

[SecondaryBlues]

Name changed as specific details may out school and people I know saw me there.

I attended a secondary school open evening with DD and DH. The school was up until recently independent, primary and secondary, but I think it was virtually forced into becoming a state academy as a result of falling pupil numbers.

The school is now an all ability non selective school. It has its own admissions policy, but as a state academy is obliged to take on local pupils. The area is very mixed between some very affluent areas and some of the most deprived areas in the country, all quite close to each other. According to local paper reports at the time, the parents were worried about this, and some moved their children as a result.

The policy is to take all its primary pupils, and then anyone else who wants to apply must sit a test purely to assess their ability, and then a fair percentage from each of their defined ability ranges are accepted, to get a range of abilities.

All ok so far, so we thought it was worth a look. When we got there, however, we were assigned a guide, one of the pupils. Another family joined us, and it became obvious that the child was from the primary. This family were then warmly welcomed by the guide, who knew them, and then by all the staff as we walked round. We were literally left to shuffle behind them, largely ignored. We broke off from this tour and carried on alone, and noticed the same thing happening in all the departments. The families known to the school were treated like old friends, and we were ignored.

By the time we saw the head's speech, both DH and I had come to exactly the same conclusion, this school would not be welcoming to our child. The head then said she was talking directly to the children, and told them to consider very carefully whether this was the school for them.

DD said after the talk 'can we go?'. She has enjoyed other open evenings but felt unhappy and unwelcomed her, basically 'left out'. She is usually a confident child, goodness knows how a less confident child would have felt.

The head said that everyone who put the school down as first choice this year got in. But who in their right minds would put the school down as first choice, regardless of how good it was, if it made your child (and TBH you too) feel like this?

AIBU to wonder if this is how they get the families they want applying?

I can see how a family at the primary would know staff and that would in itself account for extra warmth. It doesn't however excuse them leaving other families feeling unwelcome.

The head is misrepresenting state admissions criteria by saying 'first choice get in'. The preference given on the form is not a permitted entrance category, nor is it something disclosed to schools when they are ranking candidates according to how well they fit the criteria.

I wonder how the head could have known about the preference of each of her pupils if that is the case. As she was describing the admissions process, each time she mentioned filling in the LEA preference form she said 'putting us first'.

The whole thing has bothered me since. We would not send DD there, of course, but it all seems a bit fishy to me.

If the school wasn't full then by definition everyone who put it first would have been offered a place - could that be what the head meant?

I think school open days with a guide and a mixed group of families always tend to have one family who monoplise the guide or whom the guide favours for whatever reason. I wouldn't be put off by that alone, the guides are only children after all but if you have other reasons to not to choose it them that's your choice but covert selection seems a strong phrase to use.

Last year when we looked round 3 local schools I found that I really liked one, another was ok, and the third, well, there was no way we would be going there. However I couldn't put my finger on anything concrete about the third school and nor could my DH. We just really didn't like it; we felt that the students and staff didn't engage with us but they seemed to with other families. Was it us? Or them? Who knows but I know other families who loved it. Interestingly in 2 of the 3 schools, the heads both said 'put us first and you will get in'. I assume that this was based on historical data (everyone who applied & put them first got in) and also that if the schools grew in popularity it would no longer apply. I'd agree with what lborolass says in general. The guides are relatively young girls who are still learning to socialise etc and its so much easier to be relaxed in a difficult situation with someone you already know. And not every school is a good fit for every child/family :-)

What the heads mean is 'if we are your first choice of school, you need to put us first on your list'. IME every head says this, as there is so much mis-understanding about the process.

There's a local school whose head makes it very clear in his speech that you shouldn't send your child to his school unless you are commited to its ethos. I'm pretty sure this delights some and repels others in equal measure. Go with your gut feeling about what you want for your child.