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Original poster

Priorities when chossing your child's school

59 replies

HairyToe · 02/02/2010 13:52

Once more surrounded wherever I go by the dreaded school conversations so thought I'd canvass a few opinions here - hope you don't mind.

When I was picking a school I felt that driving children to school was bad for environment, bad for children's health and bad for the community so my ability to walk to school was one of my main priorities ( though not my only one obviously).

Many other people I meet don't seem to consider that at all and are happily scouring the surrounding district for the perfect school, seemingly taking it as read that they'll drive.

OP posts:
CirrhosisByTheSea · 02/02/2010 16:32

Blimey bruffin! I suppose it makes life simpler at least, to only have the one school in the town!

CantSleepWontSleep · 02/02/2010 16:33

We may not have a choice cirrhosis, but when I visited my first choice school for dd last week there were up to 5 places still up for grabs, as long as it went down as first choice. Am keeping my fingers crossed that there weren't lots of other last minute applications! Last year we wouldn't have stood a chance, as applications were higher.

I suppose we would still have had a choice though, between the village one that we have put as second choice, or the other village one (we are mid way between 2 villages) which has a terrible reputation, and is tiny (74 pupils in total at last ofsted!).

Takver · 02/02/2010 16:40

I would choose the school within walking distance unless there were some overwhelming reason not to, in particular the issue of friends being local.

Those of you with no school within walking distance, do you not get school transport?

Takver · 02/02/2010 16:41

Sorry, meant to say in particular because of the ADVANTAGE of friends being local - last post sounds like I want 'em as far away as possible (do feel like that occasionally when they are very noisy, but not often!)

emy72 · 02/02/2010 16:47

Well my local schools are all faith schools and I have a huge issue with that. So I drive 9 miles, yes 9 miles to the closest non faith school.

SpottyMuldoon · 02/02/2010 16:56

There is one 'Outstanding' school near us but it's a 30 min walk away which I'm not prepared to do. I'm in between primarys 10 minutes walk in opposite directions and there are another 2 which are slightly further away. All of them are rated 'Satisfactory'. So for me, there's no point in fretting about good schools around here because there aren't any. DS is 3 btw and just started nursery at one of the schools 10 minutes away.

Our closest secondary that both DDs went to is rated one of the top schools in the area as far as GSCE and A level results go. However, the LEA is rated not far from bottom in the whole country! So again, not much choice for 'good' schools round here.

I'd like to know what makes people judge a school as being terrible? What sort of school wouldn't you send your child to? Secondary especially.

NoahAndTheWhale · 02/02/2010 16:57

We are in a village and my default choice was the village school and looking round it confirmed for me that was the school I wanted DS (and now DD) to go too. It is good that we are able to walk there, but I would have had no qualms with driving to another school had I not been happy with this one.

DD was 4 in September and applications for us closed in the middle of January, so I could have done looking round when she was 4.

School transport is free when your nearest school is above a certain distance away - I know it is different for primary and secondary schools but can't remember the exact distances. It is quite likely you could be driving to a school but not able to qualify for school transport.

Takver · 02/02/2010 17:03

Here you get free transport over 2 miles - so pretty easy cycling distance (we used to live a squeak under the 2 miles, hence why I know!)

CirrhosisByTheSea · 02/02/2010 17:04

I guess if I had choice, then proximity would have been a consideration - I do think it is a good thing to go to school right in the community in which you live and where your friends are all in local streets etc. And yes, not having to drive would be a bonus too in terms of time/stress/environment. However that would be a minor consideration for me in terms of the choice of school. Main thing would be that the school were a nurturing, happy place with the children's best interests at heart (and not league tables at heart)

Things like ofsted, league tables - no place at all in my choices, I would say. I just don't believe that ofsted gives a true picture or that any picture they give is relevant to my son, who has SEN.

I don't really know what I could have done, if local school had been utterly crap and ds had hated it. Other than home educate! i guess the LA has the duty to provide a place somewhere.

CantSleepWontSleep · 02/02/2010 17:08

'School transport' just means that a taxi picks the child up instead of us driving, so no difference in eco credentials. We should qualify for secondary (if we go the state route) as next door did, but doubt that we would for primary. If the route to primary was a proper flat road with pavement then distance wise it would probably just be walkable, but on a windy single track lane with no pavement at all and only a few passing places I certainly wouldn't want to do it, esp with younger two dc in tow too!

Swedey · 02/02/2010 18:08

CSWS - I thought you were going to send yours to B Park?

CantSleepWontSleep · 02/02/2010 18:27

I wanted to Swedes, but with a 3rd on the way and dh out of work for most of last year, we had to re-assess finances.
Love my first choice state one though (C'cote - other direction from yours), so will be quite happy as long as we get in there. Fingers crossed for the next 3 months!

Swedey · 02/02/2010 18:36

Fingers crossed for you, CSWS. I've heard v good things about it. I'm currently going through a similar dilemma... we have been on the waiting list at St H's for a while and last week we got offered a place for reception. Now I'm backsliding and wondering whether RWood might be just fine. I really like the v small class sizes at St H's.

Congratulations by the way on no. 3. You are going to have your hands v v full. You must come for a cup of tea some time v soon.

CantSleepWontSleep · 02/02/2010 18:40

Oh is RWood where dd is now and set to go for reception? We seriously considered that as an option, but doubted our chances of getting in to any in H'den.

Tea would be lovely. It's been too long!

Swedey · 02/02/2010 18:51

I don't know where your DD is at nursery. Is she really at RWood? I was lead to believe you had to live on the doorstep. People talk so much rot about school admissions.

Does your DD go to nursery in the mornings or in the afternoons?

CantSleepWontSleep · 02/02/2010 18:53

No, no - I was asking if your dd was at R'wood now! Mine is at R'banks, who take anyone as long as they pay for the privilege!

Swedey · 02/02/2010 18:57

Ah I see.

No, I loathed RWood nursery, almost everything about it made me come out in hives. DD goes to Bford which is, without doubt, the best educational establishment I've ever encountered in my looooong years as a parent.

Ah Rbanks. Does your DD go mornings or afternoons. DD goes to Bford in the afternoons. Otherwise we might be struggling for a time.

CantSleepWontSleep · 02/02/2010 19:03

She goes Mon afternoon and all day Tues-Thurs, so we could do either a Monday or a Friday morning .

gorionine · 02/02/2010 19:04

I visited 4 schools that were within walking distance. The closest one was very small and did not get a very good ofsted report so I decided against.

second one was not much farther (about10 mns walk) but I felt very intimidated by the headteacher who was making me visit the school so I decided against as well as I wanted a place where I would not be scared stiff to go and discuss any issue regarding my DCs.

Third one was ok but somehow did not have the wow factor

fourth one was just what I wanted, nice headteacher, just the right size, very nice feel to it, 25 minutes walk from home. That is where they are now and although there has been a change of HT and will be another one soon, I really do not regret the decision as the DCs really enjoy going to school there.

Swedey · 02/02/2010 19:21

CSWS - Do you fancy coming on Friday at about 10.30am (I have a few things to do first thing but will be back by then). We have to leave for nursery at 12.15 prompt. I don't want you to think we are kicking you out when the time comes.

Swedey · 02/02/2010 19:34
cory · 02/02/2010 19:38

Infant school: picked for proximity- was actually a lovely little school, but would have had to be pretty grim for me to forget it was literally round the corner. I don't drive and I wanted dcs to make friends in the local community.

Junior school: not much choice on this one, as the only other one within non-driving distance is the Catholic one.

Secondary school: appealed to get dd into out of catchment school as it was wheelchair adapted- but went for the nearest of possible ones.

CantSleepWontSleep · 02/02/2010 19:55

Perfect swedes! See you then! (almost a year to the day since we last saw you iirc!)

Original poster
HairyToe · 02/02/2010 19:56

Have just got back to this and am a bit reassured to see some people seem to feel a similar way to me. Yes if my local school had been dreadful of course i would not have sent my child there but it isn't in my opinion its good enough. As a good friend said, her DCs school isn;t perfect but then neither are her DCs... ;)

OP posts:
Hulababy · 02/02/2010 21:33

I suppose everyone just has different priorities. None are really right or wrong though, just different.