What to look for in a primary school?

[Needadvce]

We would be soon applying for primary schools admission for our first DC. We are speaking to other parents in the area to see which school would be best suited for him. I am looking for some advice from experienced parents about what to look for in a prospective primary school. Some of the things we are considering are proximity, performance at various key stages in maths and English and have some open days planned in. What else would be your advice for us to consider?

Also remember, most dc are not bullied. A good school with good staff will deal with this should it arise.

Quality of the head teacher.

Are they secure in the role, ready to challenge the more unruly pupils or slink off into the office for others to try to deal with.
Does the headteacher know most or better yet all the kids names (i.e. can put faces to names).
Are they proud of their school, ask them about the schools best achievements.

It is ntot everything, but most of what makes a good school (or any organisation) is the passion, quality and drive of the leadership.

1. A decent breakfast/afterschool club
2. Good sports/outdoor learning facilities (big playground, outdoor equipment, mud kitchen, forest school area, field etc...)
3. Progress of children (results depends on the cohort intake and area, whereas progress is a measure of the child)
4. Speak to the staff. Are they enthusiastic?

I'd read the Ofsted report but take it with a pinch of salt. They really don't mean much.

What's the settling in process?
Free flow in reception or more discrete classes, vs what will suit your child best.
School's attitude to working parents
Think about your child at 10 and 11 too, not just a tiny 4 year old

As @Icanwalkintheroom says. Be careful of the nurturing/high SEN needs. Our school is well known locally for their pastoral care and are very heavy on SEN. However, if you have an average child, they can find themselves lost in class due to higher behaviour issues from challenging children.

We never had a choice when my dc were at primary school. Certainly there was much talk of choice, but in reality there was none. You got into the school you got allocated. Luckily both dc got into the school we "chose" but as we could see it from our flat it would have been shocking not to.

Do you really have a choice now? Perhaps numbers starting school have dropped dramatically in the 9 years since we last did it.

If you even have a choice, then great, but it’s often not a choice. Look at latest ofsted reports, and listen to word of mouth, what do other parents think? Look at pastoral and holistic care as well as academic stuff. Look at staff turnover rates. Look at SEND provision in case your child needs support in any area such as dyslexia etc.

I agree with a PP just because a school looks lovely it doesn’t mean it’ll be right for your child.

One thing that stood out to me was on some tours the person showing us around sometimes just did her thing and that was that - but others actually spoke with the children as we went around and it made all the difference. They'd get a child to tell us what their favourite thing was about school, stuff like that. It just seemed like they valued the children and their opinions more than the ones who just ploughed on if that makes sense.

Also learning through play mattered to us so we luckily found a school that facilitates this in years R, 1 and 2 not just R.

Outdoor space was also important.

Wraparound (and how easy it is to get what we needed).
Convenience of journey (walking or bus ideally, or a driving route that's not an absolute pain).
Results.
Outside space.
Good recommendations from other local parents.
We preferred a larger school without mixed year groups, but some people prefer the opposite.

I wouldn't choose on the headteacher. I know people who picked the other local school to us based on the headteacher, and now she's moving to the school we picked!

There are 10-20% fewer reception age children in our county compared to a decade ago, and so suddenly all the very oversubscribed local schools are undersubscribed. Some smaller ones might even close. Don't necessarily listen to people with older children about which schools are oversubscribed, as they may have no idea of the birth rate drop.

@RobinEllacotStrike Yep, there were around 800k children born in 2010 and only 600k born in 2020 (current reception year kids).

Some areas have 20% fewer kids. Schools are undersubscribed and even closing.

convenience
Wrap around care
SEN provision

You might think your child doesn't have sen so that doesn't matter, but a school that does sen well is a nicer place for all it's pupils.

Some great suggestions here.
I'd say it is important to see how SEND provision is organised. When DD1 started Reception, I had no inkling that she had any SEN, having had a brilliant time at nursery, met all milestones and was bright and gregarious. Reception was a fantastic year and she positively glowed every day, but once she transitioned to more formalised learning in Y1 the wheels came off really quickly and it was clear she had quite specific needs. I'm a teacher so knew what highlight and what to request, and am aware we were lucky to have found such a responsive, knowledgeable and inclusive SENDCO.

Next, I'd look for signs that it is a good place to work! If teachers are staying in post, especially after having had their own children, it usually means management is supportive and value a decent work-life balance: look for female teachers who are either part-time or in their 40s or older! Teaching is not a family friendly profession and many women find that school leaders make their return from maternity leave very difficult. Such schools are rarely happy places for staff, which rubs off on the children.