Secondary school for 3 year old

[bowzen]

Hello,

Were looking at moving to a new area and have found a house we love. My boy is age 3 and local infant schools/junior schools look good. Trouble is, there are only 2 secondary schools- one is religious and has strict entry needing a priest to agree so unfortunately not an option, the other currently has a needs improvement ofsted and looks like the school has recently changed names and is now turned into an academy (not really sure what that means).

There is a lovely secondary school close by but the house we like is just out the catchment area and it is oversubscribed.

Would this stop you proceeding if the house? He is only 3 years old so aware things can change but also that life moves fast...

You’ll get a lot of responses saying schools can change a lot in that time, which is definitely true. But you’ll be relying on a school improving which seems a bigger gamble to me.

How often do houses come up in the catchment area you want?

I wouldn’t worry about it at this stage; 8 years is a long time and good schools can go downhill in that time too so it’s a gamble wherever you go

Sounds a bit like an area I know. The school that requires improvement was failing 30 years ago when I first moved to the area. In that time the catchment for the 2nd school has reduced if you live in a certain direction. If the requires improvement school is a blip it will probably turn it around as quickly but if its always been the one no one wants do not buy the house.

There are no catchment schools for senior schools. There are feeder schools which might help with admissions. Have a read of the schools admissions policy which should be available online

This isn’t the case in Wales. But then we don’t have academies either.

As he’s only 3 he was born in a low birthrate year, so pressure on places may well be lower by the time he comes to transfer. Obviously other factors may come into play (migration into and out of the area, new building schemes, schools opening or closing) but don’t assume that you wouldn’t get into a school years down the line just because it’s currently oversubscribed.

I say buy the house you love.

Thank you so much for the feed back everyone!
Ive just worked out the the county website was set to only filter 2 results so ive found out there are other schools (a bit further away) but phew!!
Do secondary schools not tend to have catchment areas then!?

Ours do, due to the shape of the district they work on what's called geographical priority. There's some areas who just wouldn't be able to get into their closest school without it.

Ex secondary school teacher here. Secondary schools were I live in the NW tend to select based on feeder primary school. If a secondary is undersubscribed you can sometimes get in if you are in a primary outside of the area. It is correct that a lot can happen between now and then however, in my experience there is a lot more turbulence in terms of results/ofsted grading in secondaries compared to primary schools. It's not uncommon to see a secondary school go from good/outstanding to inadequate etc. there is a website called 'watchsted' which allows you to focus in on a map of your area and there's a colour coded pin to show the status of all schools. You can select for nursery's, primary, secondary, sixth form etc. I found it useful.
Also if your area has FB community pages you may find people asking advice on schools let's say if they are moving into the area. Always useful to see which ones parents are banging the drum and singing praises of as ofsted grading isn't everything xx
Some primaries have tots mornings held in their hall and all have summer fetes etc. go along if you can to get a feel for the school community xx

A school which needs improvement now will be a good school by the time you need it.

The secondary schools round me (Hants) have defined catchment areas.
You need to look at admissions criteria for specific schools you are considering.

When we moved house with our 4 year old we considered the secondary school options. Around here, many parents don't, and then they opt to move in year 5 or 6 to get into a good secondary. Then they have to commute back to the old area to continue in the old primary school, or change primary school in the last couple of years, which is disruptive (especially if you have several dc). Plus we really wanted to be settled in our house and do some renovations and be part of the community, so didn't want to have to take that route. And moving costs are high, especially with stamp duty (London house prices).

Our local secondary has had an excellent reputation since I was at school myself (didnt go there but it was known to be sought after), so not sure why people always say schools will change. It offers places on distance, not a catchment, so we looked at the last few years of admissions and chose a property that fell well within the last distance offered.

So personally I'd try to buy a property within catchment (or last distance offered, whatever the policy is) if at all possible. The house you love might be nice but houses come up all the time and there is bound to be a house you love closer to the school too. A simple decision now can save more hassle of having to move again a few years down the line.