Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Primary school results plummeted

31 replies

Confidencecrushed · 10/12/2024 01:12

Hi, the traditionally top performing state school on our doorstep secured average ks2 results for 2 consecutive years. We really love the ethos, the diversity and the convenience, but we are overwhelmed with sense of guilt that we should do more for our child. Reception entry is 2026. 80% from his nursery will go private, including some (half?) with less economic means than us. The reality is that the private ones around us are not obviously better than great state ones academically or if they are, they only go to 8 years old. My husband is feeling really stupid for having bought the house in the wrong catchment, when I was pushing for other schools that are still performing. What advices for us please?

OP posts:
HeddaGarbled · 10/12/2024 01:15

Relax. It’ll be fine.

GoldsolesLugs · 10/12/2024 01:15

Sad trombone

LizzoBennett · 10/12/2024 01:45

Well, when you get round to doing tours and re-assess the data in April then you'll have to make a decision re convenience vs a 'better' school. No one is going to come up with a magic solution...

RafaistheKingofClay · 10/12/2024 03:36

Your child is what, 2? Virtually every school in every area could have different results and ethos by the time your child gets to KS2. Or even KS1 tbh.

LimeYellow · 10/12/2024 03:42

What? Your local school sounds fine? I don't understand the problem.

UpTheMagicChristmasTree · 10/12/2024 03:55

It only takes one or two children to bring the averages way out of line, that's the trouble with averages they never really give a full and fair picture. I really wouldn't read much into it if you like everything else about it. The fit is far more important.

Hercisback1 · 10/12/2024 04:05

Chill.

Could have been the cohort.

urbanbuddha · 10/12/2024 04:07

Home support has a massive impact on how an individual child performs. If you’re engaged and supportive they’ll be fine.

Yalta · 10/12/2024 04:34

You have to look at the school which is right for your child and not what you think is a good school for your child

I chose a school for DS that was in special measures. People thought I had gone mad sending DS to this school. The new HT though had a vision for the school and some of the extra things they were bringing in were things that I knew DS would love (chess club, it club etc)
Within 3 years the catchment area to get into the school was substantially decreased
and it was rated Outstanding

I had sent both dd and ds to an Outstanding school. It was truly awful for them. I ended up pulling them out

You can’t just move to a catchment area of an outstanding school and job done

You have to know your child and look at the school objectively and find a good fit for your child

Worrying about school ratings and buying in certain catchment areas is just madness

DaftyLass · 10/12/2024 04:43

What happens outside of school matters as much as what happens at school.
You are welcome vto supplement their education

UmmmBop · 10/12/2024 05:51

Your husband feels stupid for buying a house in an area where the SATS results have gone down? Down to average.

I took my dd out of an outstanding primary because it was terrible and restrictive. She's at university now (with her average SATS results).

EachpeachpearplumIspytomthumb · 10/12/2024 06:04

Confidencecrushed · 10/12/2024 01:12

Hi, the traditionally top performing state school on our doorstep secured average ks2 results for 2 consecutive years. We really love the ethos, the diversity and the convenience, but we are overwhelmed with sense of guilt that we should do more for our child. Reception entry is 2026. 80% from his nursery will go private, including some (half?) with less economic means than us. The reality is that the private ones around us are not obviously better than great state ones academically or if they are, they only go to 8 years old. My husband is feeling really stupid for having bought the house in the wrong catchment, when I was pushing for other schools that are still performing. What advices for us please?

You need to relax. So many factors affect the results. I didn’t even look at the ks2 results when I applied to schools (and I’m a teacher). I went on the school I felt was right for my child.

madnessitellyou · 10/12/2024 06:14

Advice?

Calm down.

Aside from anything else, it’ll be nearly a decade until your dc even does SATs.

UmmmBop · 10/12/2024 06:19

I didn’t even look at the ks2 results when I applied to schools (and I’m a teacher).

Me neither and so am I.

I didn't look much at the actual results my child got either!

pinotnow · 10/12/2024 06:19

This is all wrong. You have no idea why the results have 'plummeted' or what the school will be like when your child goes. SATs are a total waste of everyone's time anyway. Maybe they had Y6 like an exam factory before and have realised it was damaging in other ways so put a stop to it. 80% going private won't help - maybe the VAT addition will limit that a bit.

As a secondary school teacher and a very invested parent I wish we had the attitude that everyone attends their (well-funded) local school instead of all this angst about house prices and league tables. What a shit-show.

BarbaraHoward · 10/12/2024 06:44

Education is a marathon, not a sprint. What we wanted in a primary school was somewhere our DC would be happy and make friends, somewhere with a good ethos of pastoral support.

If they start secondary school enjoying school and enjoying learning, then primary school has done its bit IMO.

Mummyoflittledragon · 10/12/2024 06:47

My dd went to an ofsted rated good primary school and an outstanding secondary. I had to pull her out of the secondary and send her to a small private school as she couldn’t cope with the big secondary school. All children are different.

thehousewiththesagegreensofa · 10/12/2024 06:50

How many children are there in a year group? If it's a one form entry school with around 30 children in the year, each child counts for 3% of that result. You have slightly more children with additional needs or a couple are wiped out with hay fever or someone's grandparent died the night before & your results can be completely skewed.

Bushmillsbabe · 10/12/2024 06:58

Sats scores say very very little about a school, you are much better looking at the progress scores from KS1 to KS2. And even these arent truly reliable as a measure of a schools effectiveness, as a school with an amazing KS1 will start with higher scores so harder to make higher than average progress.

It's much more important to look at which school is right for your child, as unhappy children will struggle to learn. We place high value on academic achievement, both of us acheived very well at school, have higher paying jobs. But we chose the primary with a good ofsted and slightly lower scores over the one with an outstanding ofsted abd slightly higher scores, as the ethos fit better with ours. And with 1 in year 1 and 1 in year 4 we absolutely know we made the right choice, they are flying, with excellent academic progress, great friendships and very happy, due to the school focus on 'the whole child'. Look beyond the results, the ofsted score etc, at what school suits your child best.

jasminocereusbritannicus · 10/12/2024 07:28

It could be that they had a lot of SEND the previous couple of years which skewed the results. SATs are not the be all and end all…if you really like the school and its general ethos and feel, it’s not going to make any difference. And your support will be of great benefit during your child’s journey.

Allswellthatendswelll · 10/12/2024 07:39

Relax. It mainly depends on the cohort also Sats results really aren't everything. Your child won't do ks2 sats for nine years. They might not even have them then. Lots of secondary schools don't rate them.

You need to think- will my child be happy, nutred and make friends at the school? Do they value the whole child and have great wider opportunities?

Also I've just realised you aren't even applying this year which makes your post a bit overdramatic!

Wheelz46 · 10/12/2024 07:46

My advice would be look around different schools and choose the one that feels right, one where you feel your child will thrive and be happy.

We chose our children's primary school based on this, their annual sat scores are regularly average and for me that's okay.

I have 2 children, one who is academically exceeding expectations and my other who is working towards expectations. They both attend the same school, have had almost the same teachers, listen well in class and are both extremely well behaved. I am equally proud of them both, all I can ask is that they are both happy and working to the best of their own abilities.

Not all children are academic and not even the top education system can change that, all I ask is that my children are happy and knowing that they are, I feel like I am doing a great job raising them 🥰

PerambulationFrustration · 10/12/2024 08:20

urbanbuddha · 10/12/2024 04:07

Home support has a massive impact on how an individual child performs. If you’re engaged and supportive they’ll be fine.

Even going to the best schools require home support. Private schools, even more so usually. I remember my friend getting annoyed with all the practical homework the their private school child had to do, like follow a specific recipe, complete a specific project, a new reading book every night.
If everyone supported their dc that much, all kids would excel.

allmybooksarefromthelibrary · 10/12/2024 08:26

I'm just amazed that you know the exact economic circumstances of every family in your nursery.

Hollyhollyberry · 10/12/2024 08:31

For your primary the main thing is your child will be happy and nurtured. A happy child is more likely to learn and not be worried about other things. With primary you can tutor / pay for a tutor for later years to help boost if needed.

I wouldn’t worry too much about academic for primary as you can help. I would worry more about staff turnover, bullying policy and if your school is focused on results or individual children