AIBU to move schools..

[Hana101]

Wondered about other people's perspectives on this scenario. DS1 is currently in year 4 and deemed "bright" by his teacher, always get glowing reports at parents evening- always scores high in tests e.g. He is 8y 11m and has a readingage of 11y 3m. The school he currently attends doesn't have the greatest reputation, it failed its last ofsted and consistently has the same same feedback along the lines of "doesn't push pupils". This year not a single child passed there 11 plus. I know 11 plus pass rates are not the be all and end all as I've been reminded by a teacher friend however it's another down mark against the school. I have always been of the thinking that bright and able children will do well wherever however I was speaking to another parent who's DS was in same clas and has this week started at a new school, she was full of praise for the new school and said it's really opened her eyes at to what is out there. After this conversation I googled a few surrounding schools and was shocked by the attainment of those schools compared to my DS. One particular school 100% of pupils was achieving level 4 in ready at KS2!
This has really got me thinking about putting DS name down as I'm sure there would be a waiting list. DS was not too keen on the idea as the school he attends is very local to us and all his freinds live with a few streets distance of us. Apologies for the essay but AIBU?

Probably easiest way forward is to leave him where he is happy, but tutor him (either yourselves or pay) for the 11+ through year 5 ( i guess the exam is still early in year 6?).

My eldest was in a school like this. He's highly intelligent, the school didn't push him, leadership was poor but he was happy and had a great group of friends. We left him there and it was my biggest regret. He went into senior school and had such a mountain to climb since the core skills, particularly in English simply weren't there. He couldn't manage his time, his handwriting was appalling, he had never done any kind of project work, he was totally overwhelmed by homework and absolutely shocked by the standard of work expected in secondary. This was because mediocrity was good enough in his first school.
This was from a child who had straight 5's in his SATS. I moved my younger children and I'm so pleased I did. Being happy is massively important but if they're not getting the core skills at primary then it makes secondary so much harder. Definitely look around

I have actually looked at the prospective school and they have 2 spaces available in year 4. I may arrange a viewing just to see options.

tovelitime
This is exactly why I started this thread being bright in his current school may be because mediocre is acceptable. The parent who planted this idea in my head said exactly when kids go to other schools they are not considered bright because standards are higher.

Barbarianmum
Yes situation does sound similar, the secondary school that our primary filters into is also extremely shocking, poor leadership and high turn around of teachers. When the time comes freinds or no freinds I will not be putting his name down for it, we will be looking further afield. I may have to bite the bullet on this and pay for extra tuition and leave him where he is happy.

I don't think having a reading age off 11 at the age of 8 is all that unusual anyway? Maybe it is better than average in the school he's in - but many bright 8 year olds would be a couple of years above that.

Learning to take pride in achieving and applying yourself are the most important things to learn. But I'm sure there's time to learn that at secondary. I'd visit the other schools and see what you feel about them.

All I'd say is investigate your secondary choices now. Not just which you like but which he has a realistic chance of getting a place in - based on catchment, distance criteria, 11 plus, whatever. Don't just assume because you like a particular school you'll be able to get him in (apologies if that sounds patronising but this year I've watched parents put down a wide range of secondaries for their children when the reality that you can only get a place in 3 if you live in this area (4 if you're a practising Christian).

My parent moved me from the start of year 5 from a shit school to a small, supportive private school. Best thing they could've done; I went from average to poor to passing 11+ and getting into a really good secondary. My brother was moved to to the same school from year 3 and got invited to a scholarship exam having been supportively pushed. I would move your kid in your place. Education is SO important and you really struggle to make it up later.

I passed 11+ without any tutoring. So did my brother. We came from a 'needs improvement' school to which we returned because in the end neither of us could get a place in a grammar school. Bro got 11 a stars at GCSE. I got 10.

Our school was 'needs improvement' because the headteacher didn't co-operate with OFSTED. She was a mouthy woman but committed to her students and despite being 'needs improvement' the school got the highest GCSE A-Cs in the city for nearly fifteen years, even beating private and grammar schools.

I work in a primary school and have done for quite a few years. I also have dc in their twenties who are now both at uni doing masters degrees. (I mention this because I can now look back over the school years and see it all a bit more clearly than I could when my dc were in the middle of it all).

Honestly, a lot of primary schools will teach purely to improve their SATS scores in Y6. Children will often get bored and sometimes pretty demotivated by this type of teaching. Instead of just looking at results like this (and 11 plus) look at schools which have enthusiastic and motivated children and teachers, and a happy and friendly atmosphere.

If your child is unhappy it will have a terrible effect on their education. If you really want to encourage them to succeed then give them a lot of support at home; not by going through SATS papers with them, but by talking to them, reading with them, encouraging them to think about what is going on in the world and to expand their general knowledge.

I have honestly never come across children who were happy, engaged and motivated at primary school (and who were reasonably capable with supportive parents) who really struggled to cope at secondary school.

If the school failed it's OFSTED my children would be gone. No question. You are there to learn ultimately.

I don't have a single friend from school and neither do most people I know. You can make new friends but to flunk out at school would be a disaster.

Also agree with Uppity about Ofsted. The inspectors sometimes judge from a very odd set of criteria - very politically motivated.

Unhappiness at school can affect people's mental health for years - don't underestimate it.

Lots to think about with these opinions.

There are a few secondary schools which realistically he can get into, it's just a case of looking through which ones are best suited to him.

If he's happy I'd leave him be tbh. A happy child who likes school is more important imo. You can get him to do extra work at home if your worried about homework. Round here they have maths and english classes on a saturday if u want to push your kids a bit more