AIBU to pick a house based on the catchment area of a school when my DS is only 7 months old??

[whenskiesaregrey]

Okay, first time posting in AIBU, so go easy on me I didn't know whether this was better going in Education, or a topic about moving house, or here...

Bit of background, DP and I have had the house up for sale for 18 months. We are desperate to move nearer to work because the commute is a total PITA. We finally have a buyer and so we have cranked up the house hunting. We want this move to be quite a long term thing, make it our home and not have to think about moving for a long time! In fact, we really really don't want to have to move again for at least 10 years! We have a DS who is now 7 months old, and we want this to be the house he grows up in. We think we have narrowed the search down to two houses. Both houses are really nice- House number one is on a cul-de-sac, somewhere I can imagine DS and possible future DCs playing out in the street. Its near to shops and other amenities (sp?!), I really like it. House number two is on a main road, but still a really nice house, and has the same access to facilites and the like. However, I couldn't let DC play out at the front of the house, and we have a little CKC Spaniel, and I would be pretrified everytime the front door opened in case she got out (she is very fast!). However, the main difference between the two is that house one is outside the catchment area for my prefered primary and secondary school for DS (and future DCs), whereas house two is right in the middle of the catchment area.

So am I being unreasonable to consider living in a house when I am not totally happy with the location from and day to day living perspective because it is in the catchment for the schools? Its not the worst location in the world, but I definetly prefer house one. The primary school that DS would have to go if we went to house one recently improved their Ofsted report, from a 4 to a 3 and the secondary school is equally bad, being threatened with closure, notoriously bad. AIBU to be even considering catchment areas when my DS is only 7 months old?! With the likely change is power coming up in the next election, is it likely this system will change anyway?? This house is somewhere we want to live for a long time, so moving again in 3-4 years time is not an option. I know that knowing DS will have the best chance at the better school will be a huge relief to me, and huge weight off my mind, but I don't know if I want to live in a house where I am worried about the dog getting out all the time, no-one can park outside of it, getting in and out of the drive will be a right pain, and DS won't have as much freedom. Argh, I just don't know what to do, I really don't. DP is equally stuck, although he is more of the opinion that if you are good enough, you will do well at whatever school you go to. I disagree, because I know how bad the secondary school (in particular) is. AIBU to be even considering the performance of a school now, when it could be completely different in 3, 4, 10 years time?!

Please help me, I have been turning this over in my head for weeks now, and if I don't make my mind up soon, both houses will end up getting sold before we get chance to buy them!

ah bless him, DP's first mumsnet comment...

Three years ago I moved many miles away, taking my elder DD out of a very good secondary. I returned to the town 2 years later, chosing it largely because of the school. So sure was I of that school that I fought and won an extremely stressful appeal to get DD2 in there (she was an out of year entrant and the year oversubscribed).

It's been an almighty mistake. In just 3 years I can see how the school has declined, academically and iro behavioural standards. Not massively, its on paper (and Ofsted) "outstanding", but enough to make it obvious and to be unacceptable to me in some respects and I wouldn't now recommend it to my friends. When DD1 first attended it had been the centre of a nationally-known tragedy (the fault of the LA and govt policy of the time and not the school). The Head at the time was praised for all he had done to lead the school and community during it's darkest moments.

However, he left and a young-ish, very ambitious, on the way up Head took over. Whether it's that or whether it's for other reasons I don't know but I DO know how things can change in just a few years.

I'm soon to be moving and am looking at a lovely house which offers even more than the one I have now, in a similar size and type of town. The house is on a main road (I too have dogs but mine have good command thank god!), and the local and only accessible school academically nowhere near on a par of the current one.

BUT... this school's admission number is a third of that of the current school and it's pastoral support widely praised by locals. Friends' children who have just left have done very well and are a credit to it and the parents praise it.

I've moved, walked miles each day despite having radiotherapy to attend daily, done all sorts to get my DDs into the "best" schools, but it's not always necesarily been the right decision. This time I am being selfish and choosing to live where I want to. It's a risk but I now realise it's no bigger than the one I took when I moved back to my current town.

I think that sometimes you have to look beyond schools when choosing a home... perhaps the one in the cul de sac is less expensive and if the worst comes to the worst you could move again, opt for independent education or home ed?

The thing is at 7 months you have no idea what you'll need when your DS is 4 rising 5. He may need a smaller school, he may, heaven forbid, have special needs which make the "lesser" school the better choice than the one with the best Ofsted... or it may not be so good in 4 years time, and it seems that ime it only takes a change in leadership for that to happen.

I still think the simpler answer is build a business or career and buy a place at one of the best schools in the country. Then you're not at the risk of changing catchments and changing standards. If you take a school like North London Collegiate my daughter was at that has always been in the top 3 - 8 for the last 20 years. Those type of good schools don't go up and down in league tables so much and as you're paying you get more power and choice although of course most children who apply don't get in - they have to be very clever but then who wants their child to get into a school which has places and takes all comers?

us - we moved to a (rented) house when ds was 6 months thinking we would be moving somewhere else in a year so didn't even think to look at catchment areas. Ten years later we are still there in what is now our own house.

Me - I'd go for the catchment area and the dodgy house but that's just me.

Here's a thought. You buy the house on a main road, spend years worrying about accidents (and sadly, the dog is likely to get run over) and just as you get to the time when you can satisfy yourselves that all this sacrifice has been worth it, the LEA changes the admission system. Instead of opting for a first choice of your choice, your son goes into a ballot and could end up anywhere.

Alternatively, you go through all those years of sacrifice and discover that today's favoured school is now in special measures because over the years not enough middle class parents have been able to play the social engineering game.

Put the house before the schools. You know it makes sense.