If you're planning to have kids, think carefully before living in a rural area

[user1477391263]

About a tenth of all councils are at risk of bankruptcy and the spiralling cost of delivering children to school by taxi has been noted as one of the factors. We've already seen more than one bankruptcy this year. The finances on this are going to get very ugly very quickly over the next few years.

I don't really have any practical advice or suggestions other than "Think carefully before buying a house in a village, and be prepared to have to move house if you child turns out to have challenges that require a special school." Rural bus services will probably mostly evaporate as well - they cost a fortune to run.

Spiralling SEND transport budgets threaten financial sustainability of England’s largest councils, report reveals - County Councils Network

Highly doubtful considering people travel from miles around to get their DC in. It is over subscribed. It is clear you have zero actual experience of rural schools.

‘Most village schools here are at capacity or over subscribed. They are the preference over town schools where parents can accommodate this. A lot of parents at my kids school drive IN from neighbouring towns’.

Same here.

@23treefrogs I live in area where it is mainly rural schools and yes there are people who send DC to village schools rather than a town school, but the number of people around here who can afford to transport their children is falling, so this is not happening as much.

In areas where it is mainly rural, most Primaries will be in an Academy as it is the only way many of them can survive financially and resources including funding, staff etc are shared.

If all schools in an area are in the same Academy the hope would be that standards should be broadly the same across all schools (eventually) including behaviour, so the desire to go out of catchment will reduce.

@Nw22 is what true? Everything I have written is true and none of it is outrageous.

@Almostnew2023 those parents with reception age DC need to challenge it. Transport must be suitable and non-stressful. The maximum recommended travel time for primary is 45 mins. Many do travel further, but when the travel time falls outside of this because of multiple pick ups parents can force the LA to provide alternative transport.

OP, it is clear you don’t have a child with SEN in the English system. The LA’s duty isn’t optional. A lack of resources is not a lawful excuse. LAs waste large sums of money each year defending indefensible cases. They could always use this money for transport instead.

Rural schools facing difficulties
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/education/rural-primary-school-closures-in-yorkshire-only-likely-to-get-worse-4350330

My rurally bright up dc had huge exposure to cities. Living rurally doesn’t mean you never leave the countryside!

But schools aren't all within the same Academies locally and this isn't the national picture. I don't know of any area that is under just one MAT. Because that would not be manageable. Culture does still vary in schools in the same MAT as it is also influenced by factors outside the MAT control.

Again. Fine logic but no consideration is being given at all to nuance.

It seems like your opinion is formed based on a limited view point or perhaps from one experience?

It is too simple to keep saying all primary schools in rural areas will close. Far too simple. Some will. Some won't. Some will thrive and adapt, some won't. Some parents can afford to transport their children to desirable schools. Some can't.

The degree of either side will vary regionally. Birth rates also vary vastly from one area to another. This is why blanket statements about viability cannot be made. Regardless of the common sense and logic behind it.

And yes. I know small.schools share resources. You can't repeat that and repeat it, it's a common business model and often deployed. It actually isn't a problem so I don't understand why this keeps coming up when it's known small schools share resources and mix year groups. It isn't a problem? I wouldn't have willing sent my child to a school like this if so.

Who has said all rural schools will close. But parents saying I love sending my child to a school with private school sized classes (especially if not mixed years) may have to accept changes in the next few years, be it mixed years being introduced, sharing HT, shared SENDCO, reduced admin time, reduced TAs. And inevitably some (not all) schools will close.

These changes have happened across many schools in my area in different Trusts and some parents don’t like it, so it isn’t all about class sizes. The traditional headteacher in village schools will be a thing of the past, if numbers are tight, as there is more likely to be an Executive Head across a number of schools. Many parents don’t like mixed year groups. Some of our local schools don’t have intakes of certain year groups, so no intake of reception years, if that continues how viable is that school? If your child is the only child in Y1 or the only girl in KS1 would you keep your child in that school?

@crumblingschools

For those saying their child is in a village school with class sizes of private schools, don’t be too sure those schools will be hanging around for too long. School budgets are horrendous, Primary schools are closing across the country due to falling birth rates

You? Appreciate you don't say but again you are talking about one small representative example of rural schools.

There's a broad range like the Exec Head model (in place at my child's school) where the Head leads multiple schools and resources are shared (as you keep mentioning). My child's school had this model and small class numbers (mixed years) and is financially viable (it is my job to know this).

There are more traditional rural schools. There are others that have a more typical 1 form/1 year entry with class sizes akin to towns.

As I keep saying, you are talking about one small representative example of a rural school. Yes they might close. But you are responding to posters with NO IDEA as to what that individual set up is.

I would not send my child to the school you example. But that does not mean that school isn't viable or that others wouldn't.

It is you that keeps trying to argue there is no variation and portrays a very strange image of all rural schools being the same.

It will blow OPs mind even more to know that our school minibus travels up each road picking up/dropping off each child at their home if the weather is bad. I assume it's because we live in a rural community where the bus driver used to be the policeman so he knows all the kids and parents. We text him in the morning if children will be absent. He also texts to update on road conditions during the winter and whether or not school is open. Wouldn't swap it for city life if you paid me. Also smaller class sizes and generally safer.