what would you do?

[susia]

We live close to three excellent state schools (5 min walk). Ds got into none of these but was offered a school 2 miles away in special measures despite every neighbour in our street and surrounding streets being offered one. After being on the waiting list for all three all summer and appealing he still had no place.

My parents pay for him now to go to a private school. Ds is doing very well academically and is very happy, his class has 15 pupils. I am pleased about this BUT want him to go to a local school where he would know the children in the area. We live in a very community based area and it was/is very important to me but not to the extent of sending him to a failing school.

I have reapplied for next year but still looks unlikely as there have been alot of new builds in the area in the last year.

Know this is off topic but just now have a difficult choice if he ever gets a place. Do I move him from where he is happy and doing well (he is the youngest in the school as well) or keep him where long term I feel he would be happier knowing and mixing with local children?

I am a single working parent and he is an only child. To me, friendships and playing with children locally are part of childhood, very much a part of mine and one I very much want him to enjoy.

What would you do????

I assume he has only been at private school for reception year. Have you stayed on the waiting lists at these three schools ever since you first applied.

Are your parents able to finance his private schooling up to school leaving age?

I see you are a working parent, will you need to arrange before and after school care if he went to a state school?

I would ask myself these questions, and if it were possible, I would move my child to state for the reasons you stated.

I'd keep him where he is. Otherwise you would be risking his happiness for a purely hypothetical advantage, imo. And my kids go to state school. You can have wonderful friendships without living next door to people. YOu can still have his schoolfriends round to play and vice versa - it's not like they'll all be playing on the village green as in some mythical past, will they?

Ok, just read OP again. Thought you were thinking of sending him to failing school. Send him to excellent primary if you want and ask parents to chip in for secondary if you think he will cope well with transition. I don't think going private is a problem though, socially.

yes he is in reception. No I would only move him to the good state schools. It would be for social reasons, he goes to after school club currently at his current schools but would go to the one attached to whichever school he moved to if he moved.

The children round here all walk to school together, all nip into each other's houses etc. My childhood was like that as well, it's one of the reasons I moved here...he went to the nursery of the one I appealed to and he and I got to know a lot of people locally but since lost touch as he no longer goes there and because I work etc.

Yes my parents could afford it and yes have been on the waiting list for all three ever since...