For wanting to move for a better primary school

[Sjdmcfeet]

So basically me and DH disagree about our next move
We live in a small new build and will eventually need to move however could make so with the space we have for a few more years
Dd is 2 and we will be applying for her primary school place next year, I'm terrified that if we stay living in the current property that my daughter is going to end up at the local primary , it's in the centre of the worse council estate in town, constant stink of weed outside and recent letters sent to parents reminding them that cannabis is illegal and children shouldn't be coming to school smelling of it
We can't financially afford to move at the earliest for another 12 months and at that point we will have a 2o per cent deposit for 180k house , that would get us a Nice property in the area
Dh wants to stay put for 3 years and in doing this we could afford the house of our dreams, he doesn't think it's important what school DD goes to as they are all children and the area doesn't impact the classroom according to him
I would feel that I had failed DD should she attend this school
Ofstead rated good in the last inspection
Am I being a snob ? Dh says I am

When was the last ofsted report dated?

Hard to say without knowing the school. If it's Ofsted good it is unlikely to be terrible.

2018 said it was a good school then iv been reading the report tonight
Positives identified pupil behaviour
Negatives poor attendance
I'm so torn about it I drive past in a morning parents in pyjamas it's got a really low feeling about it
I'm not sure if I'm being too judgemental.though and I obviously.wouldnt put it as a preference school but it's our catchment area school

It sounds like you would move when your DD was still in infants, so if you were not happy you could move her then?

You are better off ensuring you move so your children can go to a good secondary school.

@OwlinaTree we are hoping just to move to the neighbouring town which is a few miles away , I know by moving earlier DH is right that we won't get the dream property we want, there is another primary 2.5 miles away that I would love DD to attend but she might not get in , it's such a risk if she doesn't

@RedMarauder we are well located for secondary school it's the primary school thats the issue

I would stay put until you can afford what you want
Is your local school usually over subscribed?
If not then put your preferred school as first choice and your local one as second choice. You might well get the school you want.
If you don’t then accept the place at your local school but ask to go on a waiting list for the school you want
Someone might not take their place, might move away etc
Even if you put and accept your local
School you can still go on a waiting list for the other school. It might mean changing schools after a short time at the other one which can be disruptive but it’s a decision you can make if you get the offer.
We were in a similar situation. We were on the waiting list for DD at our preferred school and had accepted her place at the other local school and got a call two days before she was due to start saying a place had come up at our first choice.

One local primary school here, asked (via their newsletter) for the parents not to swear so loudly in the playground. Luckily we had a choice of another school

Having said that - look at your local school properly and make your own decision. Our preferred choice school turned out not to be as good as we thought so we looked at the local school for DD2. We found out our perceptions Chad been completely wrong (it helped that the Head had been replaced though!) and DD2 went to that school where she was very very happy

*Had been
No idea who Chad is...,.!

I would take the ofsted report with a huge pinch of salt!

I would move, but then I did move to be in the right catchment for my kids schools. I obviously had to compromise on the size of the house because the prices are ridiculous, but no regret. The most important thing in Primary school is for kids to be happy there and have lots of friends.

I do not believe for one second it's fair for children to assume "kids do well wherever". They should be given the best environment and opportunities you can.

Don’t judge the school until you have visited it. Take the first opportunity you can to do so.

@ChicFennel DH basically said what you have that primary is to play and learn and he doesn't understand that just because it a bad area why that impacts upon the children his opinion is that all children are the same and my perception of some of the parents/ area snobbery
I.have a friend on my road her son has some.additional needs and she said they have been great with him

I think in lower income areas you tend to have more issues with poor behaviour (higher rate of exclusions etc), more absence, lower rates of parents involved in learning, higher rates of english not as first language etc. The teaching isn't any different but it does mean that teachers and school resources are used towards helping these issues, more than they would be in other schools, so less resource is spent on teaching. Different schools also have very different standards of management and staff engagement and the head seems to make a huge difference, and this affects the results.
In our area the local paper ranks all the schools using a lot of these factors including results and ofsted results. Its quite interesting, the difference between ofsted 'good' schools. Good seems to cover a really wide range.
I think your husband is right that in the early years the focus is on play and friendships. However surely this changes in the last few years of primary. Bright children will do well anywhere though and I do think children overall will do best where they are happiest. Its very hard to know where this will be though. I wouldn't write the school off without visiting it, they will have open days later this year. I'd also do some more digging other than the ofsted report.

Further to what drinkfeck says, schools in deprived areas will also get more pupil premium Money, so in fact can be better resourced than more aspirational schools. They can also have staff who are experienced in problem solving and trying different approaches.

Visit the school. You might really like it.