Which school would you pick?

[redbluechristmas]

I'm driving myself slightly mad with this decision.

We are moving to a new area and need to decide on a primary school for DS, who is in year 2. Our options are:

School A - local village school. 10 minute walk. Fairly good reputation, has been a bit mixed in the past but still a relatively popular school. Results very slightly better than average.

School B - school on edge of nearest town. 12 minute journey by car (I have timed it at school run peak!) Excellent reputation. Very good results, well above average.

Both schools feed into the same secondary and are a similar size. I WFH so although it's not ideal logistically to drive to school, I could do it and still be home in time to start work just after 9am.

DS does well at school, quite enthusiastic about learning. Above average but not top of the class. He is fairly resilient but I don't want to get this wrong and have to move him again!

What would you do?

School A - YABU
School B - YANBU

OP - it sounds like you have already made up your mind that it’s B. You’ve defended it several times and then tagged on to the first person that said B. (I’m not having a go). Choose the school that works best for your family, especially as dc will end up at the same secondary school anyway.
I didn’t go with the local school and we have a 15-20 minute drive each way, but a great school with amazing opportunities. It works for us.

[quote redbluechristmas]@hercwasanenemyofeducation because school B is a "better" school 😊[/quote]
When was the last Ofsted for each? When was the last change of SLT? Is there a way you could find out how many teachers have left/started in the past couple of years? What is/was the percentage of Pupil Premium or Free School Meals? What is their curriculum like, their approach to learning? Can you look at previous newsletters to try to get an idea as to what kind of school they are? Have you spoken to either headteacher? Done a virtual tour of each school? Find out what displays they have, what their reward system is (if they have one)? What trips they offer or assemblies they do (in normal times)?

Honestly, all it sounds like you want to do is choose school B based on "very good results". Results will absolutely depend on the cohort, how much of Year 6 they spend practising SATs questions and how many parents are paying for extra tutoring, to name a few variables.

There is so much more to a school than just results.

School B.

DS went to an "OK" junior school that everyone local seemed to like. He had a mix of good and bad teachers. The bad teacher he had in Year 4, followed by the terrible teacher he had in year 5, have hugely dented his confidence and impacted his education. The school were crap at taking action when I told them what was going on.

It's affected him in lots of ways e.g. he went from being top of the class in maths by a country mile (and loving it) to being average and turned off. There's loads of stuff I could go into, to explain what went on, but a crap school can have a big impact on their education, even when young.

His year 6 teacher was lovely but it wasn't enough to catch him up, and now in year 7, I can seem him struggling in some subjects where he really should be flying as he's a smart boy.

If I could do it again, I'd move next to the good school while I could.

Can you move near it?

I previously said A, although I did move my DD to a slightly better school which I had to drive to which I forgot!

So I would say:
-ofsted reports don’t tell you everything and they might be out of date
-can you find out anything about teacher turnover
-consider what after school clubs they run (in normal times)
-do they concentrate only on academic success or do they have lots of opportunities for sports, sharing assemblies, plays, forest school
-will there be other kids from your area travelling to the school
-definitely consider the feel of the school and whether it would suit your child
-if your work enables you to drop DS to school and be back to work, then that’s good. As he gets older you can drop him off nearby to walk the rest of the way so he becomes more independent
-how easy is it to switch schools if you made the wrong choice

Go with your gut instinct, sleep on it and see how you feel about your decision in the morning.

Good luck!

I'm honestly not biased towards school B Just felt I had to defend why I was even considering it, as a couple of people had asked.

To the people who asked, school B is "better" on paper in every way compared to school A - not just results (I focused on that in my OP just for brevity!)

School B has lower turnover (school A recently had a couple of headteachers in quick succession which did not seem to help and there were a few grumbles about it locally - although the newest head seems to be sticking around), fewer problems filling posts, better after school clubs, better outdoor space, forest school etc. Both have had Ofsted within the past five years.

Having said all of that, school A is a decent school and if it were the only option, I wouldn't be too worried. And it is the best choice for integrating into the village. Plus logistically more straightforward. There are other kids from the village at school B, although not loads.

Thanks for all the thoughts anyway!

I started at the village school but there was some sort of issue (I never found out what, must remember to ask my mum) and myself and a few others moved to the town school in year 1.

Could no longer walk to school so it was 15-20 mins each way on a parent rota (is this something you could consider in the future, lift sharing with other families?). I had much preferred walking.

Better opportunities / school trips / arguably better teachers at school B. Bigger school. I don’t recall any teachers leaving in my time there, it was a happy place and really prepared me for secondary school.

The main downside is that it seemed to cause a bit of a split in the village as the school A parents felt the move meant school A wasn’t good enough for us. Luckily as there were a few of us this wasn’t a huge deal (for 6 year old me, I suspect my parents felt it more). Hopefully that wouldn’t happen with you if you chose B from the start.

My gut feeling when I read your post was definitely school A (my kids can walk to primary and secondary and it IS a game changer) ... but having realised my school life was similar I concede school B was better for us. Both fed into the same secondary. It evened out and I always had my school friends and village friends.

Do you think either is due another Ofsted before you have to apply?

In this context we've gone for school A (where she has been at preschool) for our DD4. A lot of aspirational parents in our area try for School B down the road due to higher OFSTED, outdoor space and just general cachet. But we like being able to walk to school with DD in 5 mins, the playground across the road from school is a hub for all the local kids and families and is part of her daily routine, school A is smaller so I can imagine her knowing all the teachers and then knowing her etc. For us, one of the key things is DD is rubbish at transitions - not just big ones like changing care setting but little ones like "OK now stop playing and get your shoes on, time for school" and we didn't want every morning to be a battle getting her up and out into the car, then out of the car and into school etc. She loves her Scooter so is always happy to get out and scoot the 5 mins to school. She is also a bit tricky socially (very verbal with adults but shy and a bit awkward with other kids) - school A is smaller, and a lot of her friends from nursery and preschool will be in her class so the groundwork is already laid. Final consideration is we like to have as much time with her as possible as parents - with school A, she's out the gate and straight into talking/playing with us rather than a great faff picking her up, getting her in the car, getting home and then getting her out again for some fresh air and playtime before dinner (we have a v small yard garden so not great for playing in).

I genuinely believe that for primary age kids, especially ones from "average" (i.e. non-disadvantaged)families, academic and emotional/social outcomes will be largely determined by parental input and engagement rather than by the difference between a "good" and and "outstanding" school environment. Secondary is different as they start to pull away from you and take more of their direction from outside the home; but wee kids - as long as they learn to read, write, count and concentrate, make some friends and have some fun - then other factors beyond school count for more imo. Having said that she is my first child so I may yet be proved wrong! Hope you're happy with whatever you choose OP.

You only get one chance at a good education. When he is applying for Uni do you want his records to show good grades from a good primary school or "He walked to school and had lots of play dates."

@GeorgiaGirl52

You don't put your primary school grades on your uni application do you? Not unless things have changed a lot since my day... Unless your secondary school admission is dependent on your primary grades i.e. selective school it will have bugger all bearing.

Not to mention by the time you get to applying to uni you've been out of primary school for at least 6 years - what it might have been when you started there age 5 will not necessarily be what it is by the time you're 17! And your avg uni entry assessment is not going to run to checking the OFSTED rating for each applicant's primary school 12 years previously. Honestly what a bizarre argument.

I had a similar choice and chose school A. No regrets. Except my school A had very average results. No regrets as school B was a SATs factory, hence the very above average results.

My dds didn’t get the highest of high results in y6, but dd1 is set to leave y11 with all grade 7-9 at GCSE and on track for higher results than lots of her friends with stellar SATs from the other primary. Primary school should be enjoyable, but so many turn y5 and 6 into a SATs slog, bare that in mind. My dds had a lovely end of primary, with a teacher who didn’t believe in rigorous testing. Sure their SATs results would have probably been higher if they’d attended the other school, but who cares, it’s hasn’t held them back at secondary.

At the end of the day you’ll choose the school you want, but I wouldn’t make your decision solely on ofstead reports and SATs results.

School A wouldn't even be an option for me and I'm shocked that so many people would choose it over the clearly much better school. IMO if you choose A you'd be choosing convenience over the best option for your DC.

A - madness to drive when you could be on the doorstep. Local friends much easier too for parties, sleepovers etc.

I would go for the school whose values you most agree with and the one where the teachers seem most enthusiastic and nurturing. If staff are happy and motivated, the experience for the children will be better and there is likely to be less change.
I chose the school that is a ten minute drive away over a well-liked school in walking distance, on that basis. My child couldn't be happier.

School A wouldn't even be an option for me and I'm shocked that so many people would choose it over the clearly much better school. IMO if you choose A you'd be choosing convenience over the best option for your DC.

Having attended 3 primaries, 2 where I had to go by car / bus I'd go for A.

Life is so much more than school, I loved being able to walk to school, to walk with friends, to go to friend's houses etc.

Another thing to consider, since this is an In Year application... Does either school actually have spaces or do you have to be looking further afield?

@aroundtheworldin80moves both schools have places currently. School A has several, school B has one.

A , local friends will help him settle.

My kids are teenagers, and one thing that stood out in your OP is that both schools feed into the same secondary. I think at secondary school, going to your local school is massively beneficial from a social point of view. That's a point in favour of school B if you like that one better.
I think if you feel that school B is better in every way and don't mind driving I would go for that. Personally, I placed a high value on being able to walk to primary school (we had two schools within walking distance and another two a short drive away) and felt the kids and I all benefited from being able to walk, but it's not the be all and end all!

I'd go school A. I live in a village and I loved being part of all the activities like summer and Christmas fetes and stuff that really made you feel like you were part of the community. Loved the walk to school too.

Our village school was rated excellent though I still think I'd have sent them there if it wasn't quite as good.

I’d always opt for the closer school. You never know whether there’ll be an issue with your car one day that means you just can’t get to the other school and living in a village, I know public transport is basically non existent!

How big are the schools? I'd be strongly tempted by A as I would hate having to drive to school, but that is mainly due to parking being tricky. However I am a bit wary of some small village schools. DD is in a 3 form entry school and this gives more options in terms of grouping them across the year.

Have you seen the schools in person (I know this might not be allowed at the moment)? I wouldn't set a great deal of store by "better on paper" tbh.

My view is with the majority - always go for the local school unless there is very compelling reasons not to, or very compelling reasons to choose another school. If you have "compelling reasons" I don't think you have articulate them on this thread. That's not to say there aren't any!

Though, if both schools routinely have places, I guess you always have the choice of moving schools if whatever you choose doesn't work out.

My kid doesn’t go to the village school because it’s welsh language and she has enough additional needs that this isn’t appropriate. The car journey is a pain in the bum though. She could walk home alone now if she was in the local school.

@JemimaJoy

School A wouldn't even be an option for me and I'm shocked that so many people would choose it over the clearly much better school. IMO if you choose A you'd be choosing convenience over the best option for your DC.

I think that's the problem for me. Nothing in OP's post says B is "clearly much better". Slightly better results are likely linked to intake and reputation is a nebulous being which may or may not bear any resemblance to the actual school.