To send DC to different state secondary schools?

[Sryht]

I have a DS in year 8, he is very sporty, so he wanted to go with the secondary school that specialises in sports. There is a school bus from our village.

DS2 is in year 6, so we are looking at schools. He isn't keen on sports at all, so I feel like it would be really mean to send him to a school that does it so much. He isn't keen either. He would rather go to the one that specialises in maths (he is gifted and talented for it). Also a bus.

It's not mean it is? DH thinks it's so much better for them to share the same school (I disagree, I didn't like being at school with my sister) and that DS1 is missing out as its part of being a big brother, getting to teach them about school

Have to say...i've never heard of a state secondary that 'specialises' in Sports or Maths or anything else, much. They all have a curriculum and some will obviously have better facilities for Sport etc but I don't really know what the op means. How does school 2 'specialise' in Maths op?

It's common where I live. Schools have an area where they promote as their big selling point.

Although from speaking to teachers it doesn't actually change the balance of the curriculum and has been phased out recently

I think you need to sit DH down and say that it was unfair to have picked a school that suits DC1 but not DC2 if both have to go to the same school, that at the point when you were picking a secondary school for DC1, it was unfair of him to allow DC1 to go to a 'sporty' school if actually what you were doing was picking a school for all DCs and you both knew that this wouldn't be the best match for DC2.

I would also argue if DC2 is not sporty, sending him to a school where sporting ability is highly valued, DC2 is likely to suffer emotionally. It could be damaging to him to be at the same school as his 'talented' big brother, not a benefit.

If there's no issue about how to get there, then sending them to separate schools that suit their needs is the best for your whole family.

Your DH has to learn to encourage and support the child he has, not the one he wants DC2 to be.

Pretty normal I would say! Very normal around here, as we have single sex options as well as co-ed (all excellent and all state).

My 4 are/have been at 3 different secondary schools. The only issue which has arisen is that the younger two (only two still at school) have different holidays next Easter - mostly annoying because I wanted to go away the week that one is still at school. Apart from that, no problems.

My siblings and I (four of us) all went to different schools.

My oldest two are in single sex so obviously two separate schools.

It's not a problem.

The decision should be based on what is best for DS2, not his older brother. My two boys are at different secondary schools as they are two very different people.

As others have said, they're highly unlikely to see each other during the school day anyway.

I definately agree with you. We have 7 dc at the moment only the eldest is in secondary but all of ours will go to the school which is right for them. We have lots of secondary's near us so could very easily end up with all 7 at different schools. But we already have 1 secondary, 2 primary's and a preschool, so a few more wont make much difference

whatever, have you had kids in secondary school recently? They all seem to have specialisms these days, it's very common.

My three children go to different secondary schools . They all prefer it to be honest.

Well, the curriculum is the same, but at the maths one for example, they enter a lot more competitions for maths, have more clubs that are around the idea of maths, etc.

At DS's sports one, they do a lot more sporting events, etc.

I know at the engineering one, they have to pick a technology for GCSE, as an extra.

Thanks everyone