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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be constantly thinking about school places when DS is only 1

26 replies

QuietlyPlotting · 30/12/2019 17:37

We live in a slightly crappy area with substandard schools. We have a son who has just turned 1. DH does not want to move house at all but I reckon I might be able to convince him to move one more time. I don't really want to send my son to the local "Requires improvement" primary that was in special measures until recently and I want to move anyway as I am sick of my long commute to work.

Where I really want to live is a particular road in our city, overlooking beautiful woods, posh area, lots of amenities, short walk to town and to my work. The only downside is that the local state school has a teeny tiny catchment area - it's literally a couple of hundred metres as the crow flies. One end of my perfect road is usually within the catchment area, and one end isn't. Unfortunately the houses down the end with the catchment area tend to be about £50k more than we can afford unless they are in a state of disrepair and I think wherever I was on that road I would be nervous that we might be a few metres outside the catchment area for that year anyway. We really need to be in the catchment area because the next nearest schools are in the wrong direction for my work and quite far away (we don't drive).

I've been spending some time plotting. The issue is that I think we need to move before DS starts school in a few years but I want to make sure we are within the catchment area. I have been thinking that when DS turns 4 we could sell our current house, rent a house in the catchment area for a year or two whilst we wait for one of the houses on the road I like to come on the market. This would also give us the bonus of being chain free when buying the house.

Is it be bonkers to be so fixated on this already? Or is it sensible? I think DH will think it is all too much effort but he doesn't have the same sharp-elbowed middle class upbringing as me.

Also, has anyone done this and did it work or go badly?

OP posts:

Hollyhead · 30/12/2019 17:40

What do you mean by substandard? Don’t just go on ofsted, go on feel. My DS’s school was requires improvement but it was amazing in so many ways and is now good.

1plus2equalstrouble · 30/12/2019 17:41

You need to do it before 4. Presumably York be applying for revelry bit just Yr 1. They start Receipted the Sept after they turn 4 and you apply for school the previous Dec. So you need to be looking to move when he's 3. Given the market, earlier, as you concede you don't line in an overly appealing area. Can you afford to rent whilst you still own? If not you need to be looking at getting it on the market in the next year

BonnyConnie · 30/12/2019 17:42

We just put our son on the list for nice prep school when he was born and forgot about it until it was time to pay the deposit. If paying yourself is an option I’d highly recommend it. I think I would have had a nervous breakdown if I’d had to depend on catchment areas etc to get a place at a decent school. I can definitely understand why you’d choose to rent well within the catchment area just to be sure. I think it’s well worth avoiding the anxiety.

Mischance · 30/12/2019 17:49

Beware OfSted! Make sure that they are measuring the things that matter to you and not the things that Michael Gove dreamed up on the back of an envelope in the pub.

There is a lot to be said for children attending school within their local community.

When they get to secondary school they repeat everything they have done in year 6 anyway; so no real point in getting into a fret about primary stage - the important thing is for them to be happy, have friends and be integrated into their local community.

LittleBearPad · 30/12/2019 17:53

By the time your DS is ready to start schools your local one may have improved considerably. The other one may have declined.

I wouldn’t worry about it for a couple of years - then visit them all and see what you actually think. Ofsted isn’t everything by any means.

Equally if you want to fix your commute then think about moving now.

IndianaMoleWoman · 30/12/2019 17:57

We sold when DD was 2 and a half, lived in rented for a year, bought a house 0.2 miles from our school of choice when she was 3 and a half in time for application. Be aware that selling and buying can take years, with many extremely stressful delays and complications along the way, particularly where chains are involved.

Our house is by no means my dream house but due to catchment it’s a decent investment, we’ll do a few improvements and sell up before secondary. We could’ve afforded private if we’d stayed in our old house but the area wasn’t great.

Neighneigh · 30/12/2019 18:05

Lots can change in a school over a very short time - my son had one headmaster who retired (much loved, been there a v long time), then an awful corporate type who didn't engage and left after two years. We now have someone I think is doing an excellent job, very engaged with both the kids and parents, he's shuffled teachers around, managed to bin one bad teacher (who happened to be the one teaching year 6 so our Sats results were awful) and the school is thriving, Inc a vast improvement in Sats and standards in general. On paper, you'd probably think, three heads in four years, why on earth? And not touch it. But please go and visit the school you live nearest, you do need to visit and get a feel for it.

ohprettybaby · 30/12/2019 18:09

Is it be bonkers to be so fixated on this already?
Yes.

Satwatchinganotherswimlesson · 30/12/2019 18:13

A lot can change with a school in three years. A school I would have given my right arm to get into when my older children were toddlers, was in special measures by the time they were six.

I also agree with the comments about ofsted. My toddler goes to a nursery with a pretty poor ofsted. When I spoke to them it was all explained. They adore their nursery, the workers are exceptional and the funding is great. Basically a lot can change within a short time. Just needs a change of headteacher.

Shopkinsdoll · 30/12/2019 18:15

One of the best primary schools in my town is in a less affluent area.

WorraLiberty · 30/12/2019 18:15

Yes it's bonkers because any school can go into special measures.

On the plus side when they do, they normally get extra funding and a whole new structure.

RhodaDendron · 30/12/2019 18:40

I actually think your plan is quite sensible given you’ve identified a perfect road based on other factors besides the school.

SachaStark · 30/12/2019 18:46

Speaking as a teacher, I wouldn’t out much value in anything Ofsted have to say. I would be speaking to the parents of children currently at the school, to see if they rate it. I’d also look at how many members of staff they turnover each year.

Also, special measures can be a very, very positive thing for future intakes, because the school will generally have benefitted from a little extra funding and improved leadership.

PotteringAlong · 30/12/2019 18:49

Well if the local was on special measures and is now RI then it’s clearly improving so what’s the issue?

TeenPlusTwenties · 30/12/2019 18:52

Planning ahead is fine. Thinking about it 'constantly' is a bit obsessive.

You do need to have actually sold your house, not just have it up for sale and be renting in catchment before application date (15th(?) Jan the year before he starts in September). If you still own the house many areas will take your owned address even if rented out to others (due to people renting in catchment short term and then returning to owned address).

Schools can change a lot in 3 years, for better and for worse. All it takes is a change of head teacher.

TulipCat · 30/12/2019 19:00

Absolutely do as you outline. Almost everyone I know has moved house for either primary or secondary school access, us included. If you really want that school then create or take up an opportunity to move into the catchment, either renting or buying. Renting a house within catchment of a great school seems to annoy people for some reason,don't really know why - the system for getting in is based on how close you live, so you are just working with the system you have to use.

TulipCat · 30/12/2019 19:02

I mean whilst not owning a property round the corner and moving back in once you have a place!

Selfsettling3 · 30/12/2019 19:06

In our area the deadline for school applications is mid January before the September they start school. DD is 3 and I’ve had to apply for her school place. If you want him to go to school nursery you need to apply when they are two.

You will also need to look at the schools application information to check the catchment area.

ToTheRegimentIWishIWasThere · 30/12/2019 19:14

We moved when DC was just shy of 18 months in order to be able to be within the catchment for the school I want him to go to. Applied for the school nursery and will find out in April, we're a stone's throw away but it's still not guarenteed that dc will get a place in nursery or reception (have to reapply).

But yes, I'd move without hesitation. My friend's DC is under 3 months and she's already talking about moving for schools

Swimslikeamole · 30/12/2019 19:16

Admissions teams are wise to people using rented addresses. You would need to show that your own home is to be rented out for x period of time - probably a minimum of 12 months, maybe more.

An offer of a place can be withdrawn if fraud is found to have taken place.

Don't forget that a high intake of siblings could reduce the furthest distance allocated in any case (if sibs are given priority in the oversubscription criteria). Last distance allocated will change from year to year and can't really be used to predict future distances.

As others have said, go look round the schools and ask questions rather than rely on OFSTED. Many 'outstanding' reports are so old as to be worthless.

Scarlettpixie · 30/12/2019 19:35

Consider all your options. Looking at learning to drive and other areas for home/school may work out cheaper than the £50k+ you can’t afford for the location you would ideally like.

As others say, you will need to be looking to move by age 3 if that’s the route you go down.

RhymingRabbit3 · 30/12/2019 19:40

Is it be bonkers to be so fixated on this already?
It is a bit bonkers to be "fixated" and thinking about it "constantly" but not a bad idea to start thinking about it.
I would recommend actually looking around both/all schools before deciding you like or dislike one of them. You might find that the "better" school is not to your liking anyway.

Kolo · 30/12/2019 19:49

For me, education and the right school was a priority for my children. I was a teacher and my opinion may have been skewed. I knew all the local schools pretty well and I knew which one I wanted my kids to go to, and definitely did not want them to go to the school I lived in catchment for at the time they were born.

So I moved house into the catchment of the school I wanted when my eldest was 1 and while I was pregnant with my youngest. It probably sounds completely OTT but I've seen what goes on in some schools. I saw it as a better investment than private school, as the money spent on a house is a long term investment, but private school fees are spent and never gotten back.

I didn't base my judgement on Ofsted reports, though. They only measure what they can measure and don't give a feeling of a school or school ethos/community. I couldn't give a toss if my kids school was RI or outstanding according to Ofsted. Ofsted generally measure progress and schools can do some very dodgy things to effect progress at the cost of the welfare of their students. I didn't need my kids to go to the highest achieving school, I just wanted them to be happy and cared for.

Over a decade on, I'm still really happy with our decision to move. I love the schools my kids go to. I still think it was a great investment.

ThebishopofBanterbury · 30/12/2019 19:51

I think it's good to plan ahead op. Yanbu

ChocolateTeapots1 · 30/12/2019 19:56

I don't think it's too soon to start thinking about it (although odd to be fixated!). When we started looking to buy a house I wasn't even pregnant. We would only consider houses in the right areas for schools (for our imaginary children!). By the time we found the right house I was pregnant and we had our first child a month after we completed. 4 years on we are applying for schools and are so so glad we didn't buy one of the other houses outside of the catchment, you got a lot more house for the same money so it was tempting.

I'd start looking to move soon if you can, you can't just move the week before. You apply in January for September entry so you need to be living there by January. I guess you could probably change your form before places are awarded but I'd not want the stress.

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