If you get allocated a 'bad' school it's not necessarily the end of the world

[HairyToe]

Just that really. I sent my children to my nearest school. It didn't have great reputation ( I got the raised eyebrows 'ohhhh' from most people when I told them) and had been in special measures. I became a parent governor when I got there and hope I am helping to turn the school around. 4 years on we are satisfactory but with lots of good elements ( not that Ofsted is the be all and end all).

The school isn't perfect but then neither am I and neither are my kids. And fwiw they have been very happy there and with my help are doing really well.

The Chair of our governors was allocated our school as her son didn't get a place at any of her preferred options. She was devastated at the time. But she now calls it her ' best worst mistake' as once he came and she got involved she realised most schools habebgoid points and bad points you don't need to get the 'best' school for your child to be happy and do well.

By the way this is meant to be reassuring not patronising or smug, but fully expecting a bit of abuse.

Sorry phone typing that should read 'most schools have good points and bad points' !

theres a lovely saying about this, something about gold shining through the mud and baser metals not shineing no matter how much you polish them up.

The school you send your child to isnt the be it and end all. The child has to work hard, and may well end up doing fabulously at a supposedly bad school, or atrociaously at a supposedly good one.

I think it depends on how the school is bad.

Dd's junior was seen as ok locally, but were actually very poor at certain types of pastoral support: in dd's case it turned out that was so important that it has messed up the whole of the rest of her school career. The children who did not have her problems did not suffer in the same way. Some children can get their lives ruined through a school that does not address bullying. But it won't affect every child in that school. Dh went to a very good secondary, but was lazy and did badly.

That's a lovely post. I think the same could be said for the school DD has been allocated. I remember a few years ago there was uproar as so many kids didn't get into the closest school and got allocated the so-called 'bad' school next to the council estate. A few years later the school is really turning around, the PTA is extremely active and everyone I talk to whose kids go there seems to be fiercely proud of the school.

(It also helps that it has had a new head and lots of funding!) but slowly local perceptions of the school are really beginning to change.

That's a lovely post. I think the same could be said for the school DD has been allocated. I remember a few years ago there was uproar as so many kids didn't get into the closest school and got allocated the so-called 'bad' school next to the council estate. A few years later the school is really turning around, the PTA is extremely active and everyone I talk to whose kids go there seems to be fiercely proud of the school.

(It also helps that it has had a new head and lots of funding!) but slowly local perceptions of the school are really beginning to change.

I agree cory, I think it does depend on why a school is 'bad' and pastoral care is really important.

In our case I visited the school and felt the children looked happy and the school had good behaviour and nurture policies. These things in my mind outweighed the downsides of the school ie its perceieved academic underperformance. I'm not saying the latter is not important, it is, but in any situation in life you have to compromise and make the best decision possible. Ideally I'd like to live in a four bedroom house in a gorgeous area with a massive garden but this isn't possible so I have to decide which of those criteria are the most important.