Is it 'normal' to hear bad things about big secondary?

[Reluctantadult]

There is one secondary where I live and I hear far more bad things than good.

The things I hear about are bullying, in and out of school, kids with poor mental health, teachers being petty and uncaring, poor support, no one liking the head. Primary school kids being happy until they go there then miserable. There's an anti group on Facebook that's been started up by a parent who took his kids out. I don't agree with everything that person says, aware they have their own agenda, but it's still concerning. Work acquaintances started telling me it's a bad school in the office today, unsolicited, when they found out my kids ages.

My question is, it normal to hear these sorts of things about a big school? Just by dint of it being a big school, a mixed catchment, and it being human nature to share issues rather than positives?

1 person. It's just their opinion.

When it's multiple people I'd be listening.

I live in a similar place - rural town with one large secondary that people complain about and no other real choices. In my experience children who work hard and keep their heads down do fine, but it's easy to find trouble if you go looking, or get poor results if you don't try.

No.

But if things have changed at the school it can take a few years for the community view if it to catch up.

Check the ofsted reports. Not for the headline, but for the details. Schools can fail ofsted son technicalities the parents don't care about but if the report is consistently negative that's a problem.

No school is perfect.
No school is right for every child.
Wvery school will have pupils with problems.

I don't think this is a function specifically of a big school.

A lot of the time, you will hear the moans and the issues; not many people shout up to you with "oh my DC went there, it was fine."

I know (of) people local to me who really badmouth the secondary my DC went to. It was not perfect. There were some issues. But I reckon at least some of those issues would have been the case anywhere. And there was some great teaching, good friends, happy memories, decent results, short commute, memorable trips.

If I were you @Reluctantadult I would go and look round the school, and any reasonable alternatives, and se what you think. Can you get a real view from pupils there now or anyone who teaches there (as in, someone you know personally)? That can be helpful. Rumour and hearsay is often out of date IME.

You shouldn’t listen to any parent who says the teachers are petty and uncaring. In a big school with a mixed catchment there will always be issues. You’re better off visiting on the school, on a normal school day if they’ll allow it and talk to some of the kids there.

The school is Ofsted rated requires improvement, mainly for sen support and reading progress. It has also had fines against it in tribunals again for sen. So I know some things have truth behind them.

All schools have issues.

No school suits every child.

Listen to what people tell you, read all the reports and data, go and look round and see what you think - and apply everything to YOUR child.

When I was looking, I didn't particularly care if I heard that the French department were a coven of evil witches at St Custards as they were unlikely to be seeing much of my child. I did care if the music department was 1 member of staff who was permanently on sick leave.

If you have a well behaved, NT child and the school leans draconian on discipline then you are probably fine, if you have a head-in-clouds ADHD kid who can't remember to wear matching socks then it's probably going to be painful.