To rent in a good school catchment, knowing we'll buy next year out of the catchment?

[lill72]

We are renting at the moment, with our lease coming up in June. As I am pregnant, we'd like to get a bigger place.

We have to apply for reception in January, so I was thinking of moving into the catchment area of the best school I have seen by far. It is a more expensive area than where we are, but the school was so much better than any in this area.

Wherever we rent would be temporary, as we are looking at buying next year, folllowing an inheritance.

Thing is, we will most likely buy back in the area we are currently renting in, as we like it better anyway and it is not as expensive.

This would mean that our DD would not be super local to her school once we moved. We are not far - say 5-10 mins by car or 20 mins bus, but not a walk around the corner.

Am I doing the wrong thing? I never grew up living within a walk to the local school, so not sure how much importance I should place on this - ie ease of getting there, local friends etc.

I just feel like I should try and send DD to the best school and I can, and this seems a way to do it.

Appreciate your thoughts...

If you have a choice, don't under-estimate how beneficial it is to the child to be within walking distance of school. Aside from the obvious health and traffic congestion benefits, I love the fact that my kids can walk home with their friends/have impromptu kick around in the park etc. I do agree with the point previously made also re local children being deprived of places at their local school due to parents deliberatly renting near the school and then moving out once said place is secure (but I do understand why people do this sometimes)

But if they move out they then shouldn't be entitled to a sibling place! I like the idea of out of catchment siblings coming further down than non-siblings who live closer to the school.

Personally I would like to see the system they have in the States - if you move out of the area, you lose your place at the school. Local schools for local children, then we wouldn't have such diversity in quality of schools.

Oops, ginbin, . Aga isn't such an ignorant twat then.....

I still don't think the OP would be wrong. She would be renting a home to live in. Not keeping her bought home to move back to at the first opportunity.

In your shoes I would seriously consider buying in the new area.

Having to drive to school, and back twice a day for 7 years, is a mare.....

Problem with the American system is the double upheaval for DCs when a family is forced to move (possibly only just out of catchment) for reasons beyond their control. As I've said before - it's impossible to please everyone!

My ideals tell me this isn't right but there is a difference between them and what I'd do irl if it felt like what was right for my dcs.

But then I am a lily livered hypocrite.

absolutely agree with tiggytape. Look at the number of threads about people unhappy/shocked at ofsted 'outstanding' schools on here.

Looking around one for our dss we were told 'maybe this isn't the school for you' when they found out one had sn. Glad we realised what a shitty attitude the head had on the tour instead of when we started there!!

The issue is our messed up school system.

I live in se London, about 0.5 miles from three schools. However my particular pocket of the world is still oversubscribed for schools, so much so that "catchment" areas are tiny and I'm not in with a chance of getting ds into a decent school because we are too far. Ridiculous.

However instead of raging at individual parents who "play the system" why not rage at those who actually have the power to at least try and tackle this?

Eg your local council, MP and god forbid Gove.

We've got even more houses being built around the corner yet no plans to have more schools. We've got ridiculous situations where the LA is creating bulge classes but that is a temporary solution. Any spare bit of land is sold off to developers to build even more houses.

There is no visionary thinking. It is all about profit but the school place shortage carries on.

So rage at the local and central government not at parents who want the best for their children.

proud I moved schools many times as a child, it's really not that huge an upheaval, children adapt very quickly. Better that than deny a more local child a place.