Year 6 - Open days for secondary transfer

[Madsometimes]

How is everyone getting on?

I have been to three open days so far, and still have quite a few more schools to look at.

I hope everyone else is more decisive than we are being .

Been to one, not overly impressed.

Infact is what I thought!

Ours haven't started yet!

First school is an 11-16 academy. Very bright and shiny, has only been open for three years. It replaced a failing school, and still has the old cohort in the top years. GCSE result incl M&E doubled last year from 20 to 40%. Dd1 loved it.

Second school has very drab buildings, but is an ofsted outstanding all girls 11-16 faith school. It gets 80% incl M&E. We do fulfil faith requirement, but attend mass twice monthly. Could be tricky to get in if more devout girls apply. Our favourite so far.

Third school is catchment comprehensive 11-18 (33% GCSE incl M&E). Open day was not well organised. Everyone toured the school in the same order so it was hard to see school. Dd1 saw lots of children throwing paper at each other and giving the finger through the windows of the classrooms we were not shown. We did not like it.

Not bothered with this week's lot, we'll start going round next week. Bit nerve racking as all the schools with disabled access are oversubscribed except some really low achieving ones at the other end of the city. Hoping that ds will get into dd's school- but I really don't fancy having to go through the appeal's process again.

aack. Am in a strange position.
DS (y6) is at a private school that goes thru Yr 11. He is away on a residential trip next week, so... do I go visit local HSchool for their Open Evening next week on the off-chance that DS might want to go there in future, or do I not bother because DS may want to stay at his current school until he's done GCSEs? I'll feel like a prat walking around without him.

Same sort of dilemna for Visit nights at the other local state High Schools.

We went around our favoured school without dd1. It was unavoidable, because she was sitting her 11 plus for another county on the day of the open day. Fortunately, we had been around the same school last year, so dd1 had already seen it.

Dd1 prefers another school, and I think this is because she has not seen our favoured school this year. When we viewed our favoured school last year, dd1 was certain she wanted to attend it. Now she is not so sure, because its buildings are shabby and she has seen how different a brand new acadamy school looks.

DH, DD and I will go to the favoured school, and pay for a babysitter for DS. For the other visits, I will probably take DD on my own. Favoured school is a faith school (yes I know, not popular on MN!)