To have no idea what I'm looking out for in a primary school?

[giraffes2021]

HELP
Looking at primary schools for DD

What should I be looking out for ? Anything specific?

walkable

I went on gut feeling and wasn't disappointed. Kind and nurturing felt much more important for a 4 year old than all the shiny new technology.

What’s important to you?
Forest school - up to what age
How much homework ask how much they get in year 1.
Outdoor space.
Does it feel homely or sleek?
Ask about their staff turn over? How many have left in the last two years?

Do they do swimming lessons?

Breakfast and after school clubs.
And / or decent childminder with spaces nearby.
Pleasant walk, parking available if you have to drive
Welcoming staff and bubbly children.
Organised school calendar. This sounds nuts but as a working lone parent I loved that they had all the performances and sports events on the calendar weeks / months in advance so I could book it off work.

Think about whether it’s convenient to get to, you will be spending a lot of time on school runs if you’re doing them yourself. Then wether it is more academic or more creative, depending on which will suit your family best. Don’t put too much faith in Ofsed reports, but personally I’d avoid a school that Requires Improvement.

If you need childcare or think you might in future, it will make a difference whether they offer after school, breakfast and holiday clubs.

Walking distance
What are their communication methods with parents
Facilities
What the staff are like

Have staff been there a long time or is it full of NQTs with a high turnover?

When you go for a look round, do children seem to be happy and learning? Do you see fun lessons and engaged chatter?

What is the structure of the day, the week? You want sufficient playtime and plenty of drama, PE, music, art.

What is your child interested in? Plenty of sports teams, a drama club, a nurture group?

Do you need wraparound care?

Do you get a positive feel from the Head, does she talk warmly about the children?

I know it's not popular but I'd want at least a satisfactory Ofsted, or a good reason if not, and to see good progress being made.

Good not outstanding, you want a child centred school not an Ofsted centred one.

@fourminutestosavetheworld

Have staff been there a long time or is it full of NQTs with a high turnover?

When you go for a look round, do children seem to be happy and learning? Do you see fun lessons and engaged chatter?

What is the structure of the day, the week? You want sufficient playtime and plenty of drama, PE, music, art.

What is your child interested in? Plenty of sports teams, a drama club, a nurture group?

Do you need wraparound care?

Do you get a positive feel from the Head, does she talk warmly about the children?

I know it's not popular but I'd want at least a satisfactory Ofsted, or a good reason if not, and to see good progress being made.

Not much I can add to this very good list, other than I also factored in a decent building as schools in very old buildings still get no investment and it makes everything harder for staff.

Also - don't care about bells and whistles but do care about a stimulating outdoor space, access to decent IT and enough reading books for a proper choice.

SEN provision might be something you'd look at, if that's a consideration.

It wouldn't be a dealbreaker but I'd also be interested in clubs and trips, and a good, welcoming relationship with parents.

Agree with all of the above.

One thing we didn’t remember to check was the school lunch menu. Not sure it would have made a difference to be honest - there must be a requirement somewhere that all children are fed fish fingers weekly or they will, I don’t know, become French.

But we went around the schools (pre covid), and got the vibe from the head teacher, the feeling for the space, the feeling for the demographic of the kids, and the feeling for how the kids are treated. Eg one outstanding school was super academic but the staff were so stern to little kids that although on paper it was great I am very glad my son doesn’t go there. One had a “garden” about the size of my kitchen and another one an enormous field in the back with a huge playground.

Hang around at the end of the school day to see the casual relationships between teachers and their pupils, teachers and the parents. Do children come out happily, do teachers chat to parents, do 'off duty' children mostly still display good behaviour and a respectful attitude?

Be careful, as everyone and their dog will have an opinion, but schools change a great deal. Leadership teams change. Staff change. So one person's opinion is just that, and if it isn't recent it isnt relevant.

You'll def have a gut feeling when you look around. But the things I looked at were

Walkable
Outside space
Classroom sizes
Meals cooked on site/ bought in
Wraparound care
Afterschool clubs
School size (1/2 class oer year intake)

I particularly liked that the school we chose was smaller with only 1 class per year intake. Also we have since been pleased there is a park close buy where the kids can play after school, gives a nice community feel and a chance for the parents to chat too....

You've had some great advice! I'd add, where do most children leaving at year 6 go to?

If you can speak to some current students (they often get year 6s to talk to you), ask them what the food is like. They'll have opinions.

Agree with what others have said, but @fourminutestosavetheworld there is no such thing as a satisfactory Ofsted - it's now requires improvement, which the OP may want to avoid (tho I would always look at what is RI - if it is pastoral care and how bullying is dealt with, then I would swerve).

I like to see the YR children happily chatting to the Head, and the Y6 children looking as though they’re on their best behaviour when the Head appears. That signals to me that they have a good balance of nurturing and discipline.

Number of kids being dropped off by car = parents who can afford a car and are probably going to work.

Number of kids receiving pupil premium also gives you an idea about whether the families are mostly middle class or on benefits.

Breakfast club and after school clubs.
Destinations for leavers.
Class sizes (I prefer smaller).
Good playground areas and outdoor facilities.
Staff turnover (low turnover indicates a good school).
Decent buildings, new extensions.
Start and end times.

Avoid any not rated Good by Ofsted! And check why they weren’t rated Outstanding - hopefully it’s nothing serious. Also check past Ofsted ratings - choose a school that has been reliably Good for some time, not one that was previously poorer.

Lots of Ofsted reports mention the standard of the average intake - avoid ones where they say the new starters are below average in ability, because this will hold your child back.

For me I wasn't bothered about academics, I wanted a nurturing school. When I looked round DDs primary school I looked at how the children engaged with each other and the staff, I wanted somewhere staff where respected but not shouty. I wanted a school where the headteacher was involved day to day either teaching or covering staff who're absent or just walking round the school and chatting to the children not one that comes out of the office once a week for assembly and on special occasions, I wanted somewhere with plenty of space to run around in as I don't have a garden, I wanted somewhere where outside was celebrated as much as inside.

I am very happy with my choice, and the only compromise was it's religion as neither me or ExH are religious but it was an acceptable compromise for me ExH was less happy

An an Ofsted Outstanding score and a great reputation does not always translate to your child having a good experience. Have recently had to move DD from a school of this criteria because the makeup of the kids in her class was awful. Rest of the school was great. Her class was not.

avoid ones where they say the new starters are below average in ability, because this will hold your child back.
That’s a horrible comment.

We went on gut feeling, outdoor space, staff turnover, the 'life of the school' e.g what events/traditions do they have? They are what make the happy memories that the kids look back on.
My kids have left now but loved the after school clubs, end of year picnics with other families, residentials, links with the local community, Christmas events.

Sounds bizarre but when we were deciding between two schools, a significant factor for us was the Christmas fair. It gave a really good insight into the feel and culture of the schools and whether they had a supportive parent community.

I do think results are important to a point. I'd probably want performance to be average or above.

Everyone talks about outdoor space but I think this depends on your child. It might be a consideration for DD2 but I think DD1 could take it or leave it, she's more of an indoor girl (takes after me!)

Overall convenience of location, start/finish times, breakfast and after school club if needed etc.

If you work then times and cost of breakfast & afterschool clubs. Some schools done have wraparound care and it’s much more expensive using private childcare.

Whether the teachers seem relaxed & happy (as well as the kids).

Ask about trips. I moved my DS from a junior school that didn’t do much extra curricular to one that had loads and loads each year. The head believed in pastoral care and the values of those enrichment activities. It made a huge difference to my DCs development.

Number of kids being dropped off by car = parents who can afford a car and are probably going to work.

I would look for the opposite - too many kids being dropped off in the car is not a positive. I’d much rather a school with a good mix of children arriving on foot, cycling, off the bus and a small proportion in the car.