Considering leaving an Ofsted 'Outstanding' for an Ofsted 'Good' school?

[Ticklylemon]

Three years ago I moved from an affluent county to an inner city to care for my aging parent. I enrolled DD in an Ofsted outstanding nursery/ school which is very diverse and very academically rigorous. DD has been identified as greater depth and we are also awaiting SEN assessment. The school have been nothing but swift and supportive in this. Now that my parent is settled in a home do I stay and complete DD primary education at the outstanding school before moving back to the county for secondary? Or do a go back now and pull her out of this fantastic school. DD is currently in year 1.

Reasons to go include we are living in a tiny flat infested with mice and a dodgy landlord. DD has not made firm friendships with anyone yet and still complains of having no one to play with (possibly a SEN issue). We both have friends in the county and her dad lives there so much less of a commute to see them and of course they provide support I don’t have here. New school is newly built, has large woodland area and backs onto an Area of Outstanding Beauty. I currently pay for private ballet and swimming lessons which are included in the county schools extracurriculars although perhaps not RADA trained teachers.

Reasons to stay include county school is only Ofsted ‘Good’. There are no Ofsted outstanding primary schools in the area- they are all just ‘Good’. New school is much less diverse, it’s had a few complaints of bullying not being handled well. Of course, there are other schools in the county that don’t have this issue but they lack the great location and extracurriculars. Unsure how the county school will challenge her academically being that she’s greater depth or how they will respond to a possible SEN diagnosis.

Am I putting too much weight on an Ofsted rating or is overall quality of life more important than academics? I’m a low-key Tiger mom so academics are important to me. No judgement please. First time poster.

I would not move her , until at least her ECHP has gone through.. new school may not be as in the ball as her current one is ..

"Good" is plenty good enough. I wouldn't stay in a rat infested flat for the difference between good and outstanding no way.

I would move back

I’ve taught in an Ofsted outstanding school that I wouldn’t have sent my children to. Currently teaching in an Ofsted school that in your words is ‘just good’! It’s a marvellous school, I’d be happy to send my children there. Don’t forget Kate Middleton initially choose an Ofsted ‘just good’ nursery for Prince George!
It’s relatively easy for children to be exceeding in year 1, much harder as they move through the years.

I'm a bit of a tiger mom. We left an outstanding for a good and it was worth it for us. We did lots of learning at home and got a tutor twice a week for an hour, although it wasn't really necessary.

I believe that Ofsted ratings don’t tell the whole story. After all, once a school has been given an “Outstanding” rating, it might not be inspected again for over a decade.

Also, some of the primary schools with a reputation for being “more academic” aren’t so great at accommodating children with SEN. We have such a school near us. But yours sounds like it could be an excellent fit for your DD, so I would hesitate to move her.

Tricky!

ill go against the grain here and say as a teacher who has worked in an inner city outstanding and a good country school, with those specific choices of school I would choose the city one and all its compromises.

But no one else can tell you. It very much depends on all the details!

It depends how awful your accommodation is. I'm an unashamed tiger mum with a high achieving dd (now at uni) and I made sure she went to an excellent secondary with emphasis on both academic and pastoral. However, with her primary I made sure she went to a tiny one where the pastoral side was excellent, and I worried less about the academic side. I made sure she had lots of experiences and played a bit of extra curricular sports (cricket and rugby) but beyond that I pretty much just made sure she was happy and secure as she was a very shy child. None of this though, meant living in a hovel.

So I guess it's down to how happy your dd is at school, and how nice her life is at home. And also, don't worry too much about the academic side of primary. If she's bright and academically able it will become apparent to you fairly early so you can plan accordingly for secondary.

Overall, the quality of life sounds better in the countryside.
Ofsted reports can be meaningless.

I would look at results and progress scores over ofsted.

TBH both options sound fine. I would stay put for the time being, she is happy, and she is getting her EHCP. Move once that has been finalised

A single word by OFSTED has limited meaning. It sounds like the current school is being supportive and the potential school may not be up to the same standard. City life is easier for families and particularly as children's extra-curricular life gets busier.

The housing situation sounds difficult. Is there any scope to find a better cared for place to live?

The issue is not the school rating, but the fact that the current school is genuinely very good at meeting your child's needs. The other one is an unknown quantity. I'd try to find out more about them and their SEN provisions before you move.

Ofsted isn't everything, it's a snapshot of one day and how good the paperwork was. I've worked in outstanding schools which were thoroughly awful places to be

Didn't even factor in to school choices with DS

And I wouldn't be pondering school before better living conditions. Don't underestimate the effect they might actually have

I would move back- the other things most certainly do not outweigh living somewhere more pleasant . My son moved to an ofsted good for GCSEs as we moved areas and it was totally fine- he actually much preferred it and made far more friends too

This ^^

Ofsted alone means nothing, meeting your child’s needs means everything. However, all of this has to be weighed up against quality of life at home.

"Am I putting too much weight on an Ofsted rating?"
Yes, far too much weight. There are some really crap 'outstanding' schools out there. Visit, consider, compare, decide.

Better housing, friends and family are powerful reasons to move. Get the SEN issues assessed- hopefully before the next school year begins- and consider moving for September.

Having an interested parent with realistic expectations is probably more important than an outstanding status.

Yanbu - I am a teacher and have moved my children from an “outstanding” to a “good”school when we moved areas.
Academically there isn’t much difference between the two schools but pastorally my children are actually happier at the “good” school as there is more emphasis on wellbeing & friendships than there was at their previous school.

Having moved to the country recently I would say get on with it. It’s harder for them to deal with moving away from friends further up school and can be more difficult to break into established friendship groups. Year 1 is a good time to move.

Can you talk to the SENCO at the possible new school about what the likelihood is of a smooth transition to being assessed for an EHCP if you move her and what waiting times would be for this? And what support could be put in place in the meantime

Ofsted rating is literally the last thing I would be bothered about. Will my child as an individual thrive at this school is my only concern.

Am I putting too much weight on an Ofsted rating or is overall quality of life more important than academics? Overall high quality of life is conducive to academic achievement. I’m a high IQ underachiever as a result of an utterly miserable secondary school experience.

I've taught for over 20 years and wouldn't base any decision on an Ofsted judgement.

The current school sounds like it meets your child’s needs very well, but the living conditions will eventually have an impact on you and your child.

Is there no way to find alternative accommodation around the current school?

If not, are you friends with any parents who can advise you on the support available in the new schools?

You are placing too much value on OFSTED. I moved mine from an outstanding to a Good. They settled well and are happy. I know that the outstanding has just been assessed for the first time in 15 years and has gone down to a Good. Says it all really. Surely your daughter will be happier with her father near by, and you will have your friends for support. No contest in my mind.