When looking at Primary Schools, how accurate are Ofsted reports?

[beatie]

I think we will send dd1 to our local primary school in September 2007. Me and my husband have looked around it and liked the HeadMistress and the school seems fine.

I haven't looked at any other schools. For awhile I thought about looking at one other which I'd overheard another mother, in the Pre-school collection queue, describe as better.

I decided not to visit and was happy with the decision we'd made. Just this morning I overheard a mother saying how 7 people in my local area had applied to a different smaller village school in the next village. I didn't find out if they had got places or not. Now I am left wondering what is so drastically wrong with the school we want to use, that so many people consider sending their children to the neighbouring village schools.

I have re-read the Ofsted reports of all 3 schools and our local school sounds all-round best although there is not a lot in it.

Is it people's snobbery making them look at other schools? The Ofsted report mentions that our local school hasor had travellers children and a proportion of children with SENs above the national average.Does that put people off? But it sounds like the school has excellent provision for children with special educational needs and pushes more able children along at their pace too.

How much attention do people pay to Ofsted reports? Could there be something else about the school that I don't know? Is it just that people associate early 1900s built small village schools as being better? The one we live close to is a larger school built in the 1960s.

Problems is, my dd1 goes to a Pre-school in another area. And all the local toddler groups in the area are church based ones so most of the people I've met will send their children to a church school in yet another village! So, I am finding it hard to meet local people (we moved last year) who might offer me some insight about the schools.

Should I believe what the Ofsted report says about this school?

Some people do prefer a small village school but I personally think the range of staff and the different expertise they bring to the school means a larger school is more likely to be better.

I did what you did, having moved twice so twice needed to find a school for my children without really knowing of local reputations: I looked up Ofsted reports. They haven't let me down yet.

And speaking as both a parent and a teacher, I think Ofsted knows more about the important aspects of the school than parental gossip does.

The Ofsteds generally mention whether the type of pupil populations affect the results. For example, most of the schools in the area where we used to live had a very large transient population of immigrant or asylum-seeking children, and in many cases more than 50% of the children did not speak English on arrival at the school or at home. The reports indicated this, and also made an assessment on how well both the 'English' children and the 'foreign' children did. In general, schools that served disadvantaged children well also served English children well. One thing that came out in many of the reports we read was that schools were either generally good or generally poor.

That said, it seems to me that the Ofsteds should only be one aspect of your research. Talking to head and staff is important - how do they make you feel, how involved are they in the children's lives? - and the generall demeanour of the pupils.

Our ds now goes to one of the most popular schools in the area. We are out of catchment and were lucky to get him in. Recently I have met two families who live in that school's catchment area and who have chose to send their children to different schools, because they felt their children would be better off in the schools of their choice. Just because loads of people like a school, doesn't mean it is a good school.

Go and visit the schools you are considering - you'll get a much better idea of whether the school is suitable for YOUR child, rather than a generalised Ofsted report. And don't believe everything in the reports. My school has just had a glowing Ofsted report, and its certainly not glowing! Good luck.

Ds1's school didn't do well at its Ofsted inspection but IMHO the school is fantastic. I would take the reports into consideration when looking around but not see them as being the only factor in choosing a school.

Agree your personal opinion should count for more than a report so do visit. I think you will find trends of fluctuating popularity and there are lots of reasons why some parents may have a different preference to yours. Perhaps a few years back some siblings of the children you heard discussed didn't get a place at your local school but went to the one there instead and younger sibling are just following suit. It may be more conveniently located for some to drop off on the way to work or offer after school clubs. Your local one may get specific funding for SEN children and specialist staff/higher ratio and indeed the LEA may transport children with SN from other areas if facilities there are more suitable.

With specific points like that it is definitely worth visiting the head and learning more first hand.