how many of us, just send our kids to the local school

[southeastastra]

am feeling this is getting more rare now!

yes. We live in the sticks and wouldn't have got a place elsewhere. It's ofsted outstanding though, so I'm not complaining. I try not to think about Secondary, or I will be involuntarily subjecting my 6yo to 11+ coaching.

Local school , any other would be 4 miles away and bus times do not work for school run.

I do. I am middle class. My neighbours jaws drop (though less and less, as the school gets better when they hear what I've done). The school is ofsted good (used to be satis, and with a lousy reputation) but when I looked round I liked the vibe. I didn't stand a chance in hell of getting into any other state schools in the area and I hated the pushiness and other parents (almost all Eurotrash) at the local private schools. I have the odd gripe but the joy of a 5 minute walk in the morning, my children mixing with children of every conceivable background and spare cash in the bank makes up for it.

Sometimes I feel guilty when I hear about people finding God, moving, driving miles every day and paying astronomical fees for a brilliant school but I just believe in minimising stress in every possible way and am very lazy

Couldn't for primary, the village school and all the other nearby schools are faith. Had to pay (fortunately not too astronomical fees) and drive because we lost God. Bummer.

Didn't for secondary because DD vastly preferred the GS 20 miles up the road to the good local comp. Her bus-stop is just outside it, so its the same drive for me or DH.

Don't understand the question.

Surely most people would love to send their kids to local school? And if you don't go private - its mostly done on catchment/distance anyway. Rural and Urban areas have very differing pressures. Where I live (urban) there aren't enough school places for both primary and secondary. So the reality is you face a long trek to send your child to a school completely outside their own community. That's why people move to be nearer schools where I live. Not cause they want to be with other 'boden wearing mums' (YAWNS AT CLICHE) but because they simply want a local school.

The problem lies firmly at the government and local councils feet - but of course, its much easier to blame 'fickle mums.'

I don't get the point of this thread, we did look at schools when we bought our house and they do go to the local ones.

Does that make me a good or bad person?

Go on, judge away

Oh, I just remembered DS1 doesn't go to the local high school.

The nearest is a boys grammar school.

The next nearest is a CofE school/ or a bilateral school both of which we are out of catchment. The next nearest is the shitty failing school. We could get him in not probs...and class sizes are really, really small.Alternatively there is one of the top public schools. With fees at £30K no can do. Friends of his go there. They are either teachers children (who went to his primary) or have a single parent who qualified for the scholarship. (only one per year, but I seem to know a lot of low income single mums ) The next nearest we stand no hope of getting him into. Lovely school. BIG on performing arts (so not his thing!) so he goes to a state school in the next town. The nearest Catholic school. Which he gets into easily because he is baptised, and went to feeder school. It is a fabulous comprehensive. I feel rather jammy he goes there. Even if it is under subscribed.

Nope. Have not utilised local, ofsted excellent rated, small class sizes, within three minutes walk from our house where we would have been guaranteed a place for all our children.... Why? Because it really is not the beat school!!

No. I chose an independent school over the local Ofsted outstanding school. I didn't like the latter but a lot of people do so hopefully someone less local is pleased to have a place there. Lots of people in my area won't go to their nearest school as there are a few faith schools which have high volumes of applications.

We sent our DS1 to local, outstanding rated nursery school. I loved it so much I was a parent governor there. But with hindsight I see they had no idea what to do with him. 80% had ESL, 20% or more were looked after children or children with SEN .. they had their hands completely full and did an excellent job with these children but there were days when - I found out later- my son had hardly any adult interaction at all :( So no, we haven't continued with that, obviously.

My little boy goes to the little school in the next road - although it is private - only 100m away though

No, we don't because I would rather poke my eyes out with hot needles than let the reception teacher (who we have met outside school too) teach my DDs. I have heard her discuss students, their parents and other teachers in the pub and never said a nice word about anyone but is lovely to their faces.

This is sort of unfair question. It's easy to send you child to a local school is a)they will get a place b) it's an okay school.

If neither of those apply, then it's not easy at all.

My children go to the village school, but we moved because I didn't want them going to our old catchment junior or secondary school. I chose the village on the basis of the schools, so like others it is cheating :-)

My daughter went to the village primary. We bought a house in the village because for the past 5 years prior to us moving in, over 50% of their year 6s regularly passed their 11 plus. DDs loved the school, it was an excellent choice for us.

We couldn't afford to move into a good catchment area, so dd goes to our local school... which happens to be private . I got a lot of raised eyebrows and nasty comments about our choice while my friend who paid a ridiculously inflated price for a house in a nice mc professional catchment area the other side of town obviously didn't ?

Yes, closest infant school and we're applying for closest junior school at the moment. Didn't move into this area for the schools, just fell in love with the house. Sadly the senior school is crap.

(although our CLOSEST senior school is not crap. But it is Catholic, so a no go)

Mine go to the local and nearest school which is rated as good but was very low in the league tables at one point. There are Ofsted rated outstanding schools within a short drive. I live in a mainly middle class area with pockets of poverty. I have heard some people say they avoided certain schools as the kids off the council estates go there! In my area it is very common for parents to battle to get into the 'outstanding' school and people tend to 'shop around' for the 'best' school rather than just go local.

We decided against our, very middle class, very high performing local school and picked one which has a much more mixed intake because we just didn't get a good 'feel' for the local one.

Although DH and I have professional jobs etc we are from quite working class backgrounds and hated the snootiness and cliquiness of the local school (DS1 attended the nursery class for a term before we decided we hated it). Not least of all because DS1 is really shy and I felt would have been affected by the cliquiness etc.

Now have DS in YR and DD in Nursery at school in much less affluent area- they are doing great, they (and we) have made lots of frinds already and I am so glad I made the decision (although I had admit to having a few wobbles when DS was about to start).

Now we just need to try to get rid of the bloody overpriced house in the catchment area for a school we don't even like!

so I guess no one is really answering the actual question................I dont think. I reckon the original question was more do people just send their kids to school without researching first. From the above answers Id definitely say no they dont seem to a lot of research seems to take place..................or maybe Ive misread the question;-) BTW I researched the school my kids go to - its not outstanding but all the first schools are comparable with ofsted league tables etc so it boiled down to feel and its within walking distance. My friend moved to get her son into an outstanding school - paid huge amount for the house and she now regrets it as her son is feeling really pressurized with expectations!!