To not send child to a school just because it’s close

[CCW14]

i will be starting to look for a primary school soon for DS to start Reception next Sept. We have a primary school that is round the corner from us, less than a minute walk which DH says we should send DS to because its close, but even though it is ofsted rated Good, whenever I speak to other parents or the local Fb group, they all say ‘It’s fine’ or ‘It’s okay’. Isn’t that code for its not great but I don’t want to be rude? They also still have spaces for this september and have been advertising a lot that they have spaces open, where other schools all had theirs spaces filled

We have another school that is well recommended and about 15mins walk away so will probably put that as my first preference, but was thinking of putting a school that we would have to drive to as a second preference as they also seem highly recommended and have a good after school programme

Ds is very curious, loves learning and I have been told by nursery and others that he is very smart. I think we should send him to a better school as education takes priority over convenience, and I don’t want him to get bored at school if he is learning stuff he already knows. DH thinks convenience takes priority and primary school won’t make much difference

I will obviously visit all schools and have a look but think it’s quite hard to judge on an open day as everyone is on their best behaviour. And I know just because I put a school down, it doesn’t guarantee I will get a spot.

so what do you think?

YABU - Husband is right! Make your life easier and send him to the closer school
YANBU - Primary school is the foundation of learning and will have an impact on later education

And that was on a bus

You can't judge a school by its Ofsted report. Visit, meet some of the staff and get a feel for it. Don't underestimate the convenience of being so close to school, driving might not sound like a big deal now but your circumstances may change ................new job. more dc, poor health.
I live opposite the primary my dc went to - it's amazing just being able to pop out a minute or two before pick-up and not have to worry about parking. Great for concerts/school events too.

I might do that if the school was failing, but it isn't.

Don't ignore the massive benefit socially of being in the same area as school friends for social development.

I think that's fair.

We didn’t go for the primary school on our doorstep (religious). DC and I walk 12 minutes to a wonderful school, the other school was a 3 min walk. I think walking chills kids out and gets them ready for the day, same for end of the day, we use as an unwind session and talk about what’s happened while we have been apart. I would prioritise setting over location; but longer than a 20 min journey could be annoying for you all.

What is it you think he will learn at another school that will not be something he already knows? The National Curriculum teaches similar things to each year group, but elaborates on them, year by year. So you will always know something already, and hopefully be able to build on that knowledge by re-visiting it and learning a bit more.

The biggest mistake people make is with reading. They say " OH, my child can already read, they are reading Harry Potter!" etc etc, but when it comes down to it, although they may be fluent readers, their actual understanding (comprehension and inference) of what they are reading can be quite poor, in comparison. There is always something more to learn.

Boredom happens in children who THINK they know it all.

My own 3 children went to the nearest schools to us. They were OK schools. They came out of them just fine (despite both their primary and senior schools going into special measures at various times) and easily reached their universities.

A 'clever' child should get on just fine wherever they are.

Put them in the order you want. Make sure the one next to your house is on the list, even if it's last. That way you will get one of your options and remain on waiting list for all of the ones above it - at least for a few months

Mixed thoughts about this tbh.

A short bus ride and a 25 minute walk may seem doable, but, (and this isfrom experience) the buses are usually packed during the school runs. It's sweltering in the summer, and then in snowy weather, they get cancelled or are really late. And the walk isn't so much fun in those instances either.

My son goes to a school which is quite far from us, as we moved during reception, and the nearer schools were fully subscribed with lengthy waiting lists. He gets transport as there's no public transport and I'm unable to take him myself. He doesn't have any friends nearby to play with, and he can't go to after school clubs. I also can't go to a lot of the events held by the school, which I could if it was a few minutes walk away.

But I also wouldn't pick the nearer school if there was a better one for my son.

You haven't actually been to look at any of them though!

You need to visit. Then consider issues such as distance. I think you're putting the cart before the horse!

There are other factors too - eg onsite wrap-around provision, if you work, commute times etc.

Re the SEN concern, that’s a fair point but otoh schools round here that are considered good with SEN seem to get swamped with SEN kids which annoys the non-SEN parents as they feel their child is not getting enough attention

I would say our school is not great with SEN having spoken to some other parents but it’s not part of a wider problem

wraparound provision (if you need it) and extra curricular stuff are other things to consider when you visit schools. Usually the bigger the school the more scope for this kind of thing but not always.

I'd look around the schools and get a feel for them. My children went to an Ofsted "good" primary school, and an "outstanding" secondary school and the primary school was far and away the better school. Creative, supportive leadership and teaching, inclusive, welcoming to parents, loads of extracurricular activities, always looking to improve, and with a strong community feel. The outstanding school has some great teachers and some bad teachers, has a head teacher who is ambitious for his own career and has an intake from mostly wealthy families.

Pay no attention to anything anyone says on Facebook about a school. Our local page goes like this:

What are people's thoughts about x school?

It's great. So supportive.
Its not bad
Crap school
Full of bullies and that's just the teachers
The best
Go to y school It's better
X school was terrible for my ds
My dd loved it there but it's gone downhill since then.
Worst school ever we took our dd out.

My dd went to a primary school that was amazing for sen children but absolutely shit for the more able students. You really need to judge the individual school for your own child.

Also don't discount the advantage of a closer school for things like after school clubs if more than 1 child and also making their own way and developing independence as they get older.

Re the school, i wanted a non religious one so did a trek (no car). It was grand generally. Re parents/CFs etc, you will come across them in every part of life, there really is no way of avoiding them. But you obvs have your head screwed on so you'll be grand.

Visit them all. We visited five primaries, all rated 'good' and they varied so much! Partly size - from 45 kids per year (mixed age classes) to 90. Most were reception - yr 6, one was reception to yr 3. Facilities, upkeep, maintenance all varied a lot - several of these schools didn't have a library. Sports facilities variable, some had a sports hall, others it was in the dining hall. Some had much better play areas than others. One had only concrete.

We initially did the drive - in theory 10 mins drive away. In practice you couldn't park anywhere near school unless you were there 20 mins early. Add to that waiting for the gates to open, get your child, get back to car and the schoolrun starts to be a major part of your time. We've also done a 20 minute walk to school. In reality that's a 50+ min round trip by the time you're there slightly early, then the gates open slightly late, then they dawdle or want to talk to friends and before you know it the school pickup has taken up an hour!

We've eventually settled a 10 min walk from a different school and I think this is just about perfect. Time to talk to and from school. Close enough not to be ridiculous amounts of time. Not too far away.

In London 15 mins is just around the corner! Any school within 15 mins is equal in my view whether 1 min or the full 15. A slightly longer commute is ok if convenient.

I have to say I think it’s pretty poor that your DH won’t come to look at any schools. Even if it’s a clear cut decision for him it’s his son. Why wouldn’t he at least want to do some basic research?

Or does he see that ad your job?

I think you're both right. I wouldn't put the closest one down if it isn't a good school or a good fit for your child, but I'd also try and avoid sending to a school far away just because it's good academically. How would that work for playdates etc? Yes, your child might do will academically but it may impact socially. I think a school 15 min walk away is a good option if it's a school you're happy with

The wrap around care was also a slight concern. At the nearby school it says they have after school care with free play and toys. Whereas the drive school was more in-depth saying they provide daily sport activities (which I know DS would love) and other crafting options

I'd also be wary of what people say in person or online about a school, not because they might not be telling the truth, but because their priorities might not be the same as yours.

We viewed one primary which we thought was terrible in comparison with the others we viewed. No library, little sign of books, signs of high staff turn over, few computers available for pupils to use, buildings looked shabby and poorly maintained, kids just didn't look happy. I happened to mention it at a toddler group and one mum was outraged - it was the school her kids went to, she thought it was brilliant because of the sports facilities. She had no awareness of things like books or computers in classrooms or staff turnover!

@CCW14
that does sound potentially a factor however ask the school directly- ours doesn’t do any itself but various outside contractors are brought in and there’s a wraparound club (on site but not run by the school)

YANBU to want to explore all your options. I agree that I wouldn't automatically opt for the nearest school simply because it is close, but proximity is asignificant factor and having a nearby school does have it's advantages.
I would say that you need to view all the schools that you stand a reasonable chance of getting into, gather as much info from as many different sources as you can and then put your choices in your genuine order on the form, with the proviso that assuming the very local school is indeed ok, you should probably have it on your list somewhere. That way if you don't get into any of your higher preferences you can be pretty confident that you won't end up in a poor school on the other side of town.
Keep an open mind until you have seen everywhere though as reality may not match your current expectations about each school.

I don't think thats a concern. They're 2 different types of after school clubs.

Freeplay and toys sounds like wrap around care that lasts until 5.30 - 6pm and will include a meal.

Where as clubs such as sports / craft clubs are usually for an hour after school.

I'd check the details of the wraparound options. Are those all proper wraparound or school clubs?

Ours provides sports clubs but they're mostly run by external companies to the school, paid for separately and end at different times. They also have limited places and some vary term by term. The school run clubs are run by teacher volunteers, change every half term and are vulnerable to being cancelled at the last minute - they specifically say they're not meant to be considered childcare and you should also book the wraparound care if definitely need it for childcare.

Meanwhile the wraparound runs reliably before and after school every day, doesn't do specific activities but does feed them!

We have a school a 2 min walk away. We didn't even entertain the idea of sending our children there as 'needs improvement' on their ofsted, the year we were applying.

We got our first choice which is a 25min walk. My children are thriving.