Hi all,
My DS is due to start primary school next year. He currently attends a private nursery. I am interested in sending him to 2 local schools in the area. School 1 is a familiar school as my wider family’s children currently attend as did we when we were of school-age - decades ago! This school hasn’t received brilliant feedback over the years but most recent Ofsted report shows that it is improving. In a recent visit with headteacher, it appeared to be pretty cosy with only a handful of children in each class. They boasted about individualised plans for students as they had the time to focus on each child, but it was clear to me that the school lacked funding as the facilities were lacking and the walls were bare.
School 2 is a little bit further away but has an outstanding Ofsted rating. Many of my colleague’s children currently attend and have assumed that my child will be joining. I have brilliant relationships with a handful of people connected to the school and their sports community, and I would love for my child to pursue an extracurricular hobby. However, I have another problem.
My ExDP’s first child already attends School 2. She is 3 school years ahead of my DS. I have minimal contact with ExDP for a multitude of reasons, only speaking about finances and handover arrangements, but there is a difficult history with the mother of his DD. Bitter things were said and done when our relationship first began and she is not somebody I would say hello to if I were to pass her in the street. She has been extremely rude, aggressive but also has good connections within this school setting.
It has recently become apparent that the majority of those closest to me have assumed that I will send DS to School 1 to avoid the politics and potential unpleasant response of DS joining School 2.
Am I being unreasonable to have considered this yet currently prefer School 2? On a good day, I believe that there it may only be a problem for a little while and in that time, I will have established my own relationship with staff and parents in DS year. On a bad day, my anxiety tells me that School 1 would be the most sensible option to avoid unnecessary drama, awkward pick-ups and comments potentially repeated to my DS.
Does anybody have an insight? Similar experience with partner’s ex and schools? How important is school politics should parents have been told that I am a raging b**ch with no brain or self-respect? Kind of joking, kind of not.