Help me choose a school

[EdPops]

Hi – a week away from primary school application deadline and struggling to make a decision between 2 schools. My DS will be starting reception next year and I was hoping some parents with primary school experience might be able to help add some perspective.

Both (London-based) schools are Ofsted rated as ‘Good’.

School A
Smaller school, approx 220 pupils

Much closer to home, 2 min walk

Pros:

• Is celebrated for it’s community atmosphere, parent-led fundraising activities etc. It’s a very popular school amongst local parents who continually rally around to support its upkeep (pupils Xmas fundraising single hit the charts for example!)
• Smaller school, everyone knows everyone.
• Places it’s focus on the social development and emotional wellbeing of it’s pupils above academic achievement (in fact they have a full-time on-site Mental Health & Wellbeing Practitioner available to the kids any hour, any day). Could be important for our DS as - although undiagnosed at the moment– ADHD does run in the family.
• We know a number of parents with children already there.

Cons:

• Has by far the lowest scores amongst all the schools in our area with reading and writing scoring average, maths below average and Primary results in the bottom 45% (although the school put this down to the fact they take in more SENDS kids than other schools - 22% versus approx 13% intake of other schools – which lowers their average, and the fact they are less results driven and more personal development focused). I only have their word on this of course.
• Has been hit hard by recent budget cuts (-£432 per pupil in 2023-24) that may put some of the facilities we liked during the tour at risk e.g. the full-time Mental Health & Wellbeing Practitioner.

School B
Larger school, approx 600 pupils
Further away from home, approx 25min walk / 20mins on bike factoring in time needed to get bike out of lock-up etc.

Pros:

• Big focus on art and music which we like.
• Finances seem a healthier than School A.
• Primary results are in the top 30% with Reading, Writing and Maths scoring well above national average.
• Buildings and facilities are generally better than School A.

Cons:

• The commute concerns me, it’s only 20mins from home but getting our DS out the door on time can be nigh impossible some days.
• Bigger school, less personal… potential for DS to get sidelined if ADHD does manifest (although DS is very sociable so might appreciate more faces).
• Currently less SENDs support than School A.
• Also hit by budget cuts but less than School A (-£290 per pupil in 2023-24).

So my main points of concern are:

Academic achievement and the fact School A has such low scores, should i worry at this age??
Best environment for DS if he does develop ADHD.
Daily commute and having to get DS in on time every day.

Any thoughts or advice would be great!

Just spoke with a couple of parents who have children at School A to try and get some further insights, their responses...

Parent 1:
"The smaller size of school A and close proximity to home is great, it makes our lives a bit easier not to commute too far. I have not been checking Ofsted reports recently but having friends with kids at school B and at other local schools I see that school A is at best average. Having said that I do not think it was a bad choice for us. You have to be proactive and monitor your child progress to keep them on their toes but that can probably be applied to most schools.
In terms of finances, school A is on thin ice and just managed to raise £50k with the help of parents to stay afloat this year so not ideal. Unfortunately the on-site therapist will be the first one to go I've heard. Shame as she was helping our ds through last year."

Parent 2:
"No plans yet to currently reduce staff but it’s always been floated as a possibility next year by the head teacher if we don’t find more funding. With that said we've just raised £50,000 so cuts less likely, though not impossible."

Whilst the parent community fundraising aspect is commendable and no doubt teaches the kids good life lessons, it does make me nervous that a lot of time and energy is directed on trying to keep the school afloat (rather than education) and how much constant worry that might create for parents.
Also, the on-site therapist was a big attraction for us when we toured.

The government publishes expected progress information online. You can find a huge amount of detail about what a child ought to be able to do at the end of each key stage. You will also find out how your child is progressing through dialogue with their class teacher.