What are schools like these days?

[ScurfyTwiglet]

Sorry for the odd thread title. Basically I went to a really, really shit school in the north east of England - so shit, that it closed down after years of falling pupil numbers and crap OFSTED reports. At my school, if you took anything more than a grudging, passive interest in anything at school, you were a "swot", and subject to ridicule. Same if you dressed or spoke in any way differently. Racism, homophobia, and intolerance were rife. Expectations were embarrassingly low, as were achievements.

This was all a very long time ago and I now have a baby boy, and I need to make sure this is not the experience of school that he has, when the time comes. I want him to be nurtured and encouraged and not be afraid or ashamed to show enthusiasm or achieve his full potential. I probably won't be able to afford to send him to a fee-paying school, so I'm wondering what ordinary state schools are like now? Have things moved on or are there still shitholes like the place I went to? I live in Kent now but we're considering a move back to the north east in a few years time... any tips/suggestions appreciated!

so you live in a grammar county ...

how about you get the prospectus / website / facebook page
go visit the schools
and take your blinkers off

DO you know how many thousands upon thousands of schools there are in the UK? Or even just in England ?
How do you expect anyone to be able to generalise ?

I don't recognise what you describe in any of the schools you've described, but surely, when the time comes, you visit, you talk to other local parents, you can read OFSTED reports if you like, and you make a judgement then.

What rude, aggressive responses. I never cease to be amazed by the way some people talk on here. Are you like this in real life?

OP, probably the best starting point is to talk to your local friends who are parents. There will be many who have first-hand knowledge of primary and secondary schools.

I think state schools are better than they were in the 80s and 90s and have better pastoral care, for the most part.

Kent is a grammar school area, so there will often be a lot of parents who are pushy about academics at primary level. If you stay in Kent long term, you will probably have to think about the 11+.

Schools in the NE are reckoned less good on average than those in the South, I believe, but there will be huge local variation and there will be lots of excellent state schools there too. If you are serious about moving to the NE, you should first narrow down your area (NE is a very large place!) and ask on some of the local forums here on MN and see which districts are in the catchment of schools that are considered good and have a lot of kids whose families value education.

What rude, aggressive responses.

eh ?
Where?

DO you know how many thousands upon thousands of schools there are in the UK? Or even just in England ?
How do you expect anyone to be able to generalise ?

This how can you possibly think schools are all like the one you went to, by your own admission it was closed down because of these issues.

All parents want the best for their children but people on here cannot really help with how schools are especially if you're likely to be moving. Your best option is to go and look around schools close to you to get an idea and put your mind at rest.

Have things moved on or are there still shitholes like the place I went to?

Whilst things have moved on, just like decades ago, there are good and bad schools. The crap school I suffered 40 years ago remained crap and has been in special measures for a few years and is now earmarked for closure. You really can't generalise - some schools are persistently good, some persistently bad and some swing from goodbad according to their head and management team changes. You really have to have a good hard look at your options, do your own research etc.