Help re primary school oversubscription and question whether better to be in a class of 30 at a better school or a smaller class at a not so good (but still good) school

[ChristianaTheSeventh]

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Hard call and I understand your position as I am in a similar one with my DS1, who is August born (I am in England) and very very small for his age, but also developmentally fine....

My experience so far with schools is that bullying episodes can happen in any set up (from leafy lane to small/big setups) it is just how they deal with them that makes a difference. I guess what I am trying to say is it would be useful for you to speak to someone at the school(s) to see what the word on the ground is re: safety of all pupils. Sometimes bigger kids also get picked on/get into trouble because they become a target (I had this with my DD1).

Other things to consider might be whether the better school is likely to suit your child in terms of hothousing, activities etc

Not sure this helped, but I am considering the same so feel for you (((hugs)))

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If you tried (but didn't get) a place at the catholic school, would you then automatically get a place at the other school?

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this is why religious schools are crud
UTTER discrimination

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Yes for example our catchment school, also in a very middle class area and oversubscribed, is a bit of a hothouse and although the results are top in the country, some kids are not that happy because there is not much going on apart from academic stuff. Also very strict on rules, holidays, etc.....worth asking around as I said in my previous post. good luck! (we are still debating what to do ourselves....)

I personally wouldn't send my DC to a Catholic school if we were not (and we were not so we didn't).

I went on a training day at an RC school recently and while it was a lovely building (pretty new) I noted the proliferation of religious images/displays about first communion/etc etc.

Not surprising and not a problem if you are catholic, but worth knowing about if you aren't. Just FWIW.

Catholic schools IME have a lot more going on wrt religion than CofE schools.

I think smaller classes for young children are definitely the way forward. My 5-year-old DD began Reception in a class of 13 at a 'not so good' school whilst waiting for her to come to the top of the waiting list for the school I teach at (a more mixed intake both in terms of class and race). Being in a small class was brilliant for those 13 children especially as they had two adults between them. However, the small class wouldn't have remained long-term and another 17 children joined in January (which is when my DD got a place at my school).

Although the Catholic school may be 'better' you may find that your DD finds herself feeling very left out and excluded if, as a family, you are not involved in the church. Events such as first communion, the baptism of younger siblings, feast days and the like can play a large role in the life of a Catholic primary school and unless you're willing to become part of that you may find that point 5 is the reason you'd like your DD to be at the other school after all!

Interested in this thread. christina, we have just accepted a place at the private catholic primary ( we are c of e) near us, for dd in september. she is the youngest in the school year and like at yours, will be taught with others who are younger in the year, and in a class of 17 for reception.they then have 1 1/2 classes(so mixed year classes) for the remaining time, with approx 28 per class.

we ummed and ah-ed about it but ultimately, although we are not catholic, we think that any issues there will be outweighed by the benefit of her 'youngness' being helped.

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A class of 30 may have a TA. IMO it should esp at FS2 level. But then a class of 20 may and maybe should too.

There is no legal requirement AFAIK for more than one teacher and no TA for 30 children, even at FS2.

Personally "middle class" is not high on my list of reasons for choosing a school. What is the smaller class school like in feel/how are the children/what sort of facilities and resrouces etc?

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Christiana, my DD isn't at a Catholic school but my husband is also a teacher and until 3 years ago has always taught at Catholic schools which is one of the reasons I know that feast days etc. play a large role in the day-to-day feel of the schools. I also have some close friends who teach in Catholic primary schools and others whose children are at the local Catholic Infant school. We did apply for our DD to go to the local Catholic Infant school although we attend a CE church (DH is Catholic) but didn't get in (we never expected to). However, as regular members of a CE church and with grandparents who are practising Catholics DD is already familiar with church in general and also with the Catholic side of things so we didn't think she'd find it too hard to become a part of the school community.

Re: TAs, most Reception classes will find they have a nursery nurse for at least some part of a day but the requirement is one qualified teacher per 30 children in Infants/KS1. My own DD's class has a teacher, a nursery nurse and then two or three additional TAs who support specific children so there seem to be at least three adults with the class at any one time.

I would not worry personally. If both schools are good in terms of teaching, then really the only thing that is going t o make any difference is the quality of parenting you give (which will be fab because you care) 90% parenting, 10% school

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Can I just put in a good word for deferring? We're also in Scotland and we deferred entry for a year for our dd1 and ds, both first week in Feb birthdays. So they started school at 5y6m and we have been overwhelmingly delighted with the decision. They are both very bright and we could easily have sent them at 4 and a half but that extra year in nursery really allowed them to flourish and its been great for them. In fact, when dd2 started at 4y9m she seemed so little and she has really not done as well at school in the first couple of years - though there may be other reasons for that as well.

And because we are in Scotland there is none of the jumping a year (missing reception etc that you often read about on here) - they just stay in the year they are in, so my oldest are 10 in primary 5 and 8 in primary 3.

From experience, the smaller classes are much better, I would say. Personally, I don't think I would go for a catholic education as there can be a lot of emphasis on the religious side which we wouldn't want for our kids (though we are Christian, we just think that this is something for home/parents not school). Our school has classes of 25 tops and that has been good for the children too I think.

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Don't defer - if teacher says she's good she's good. 40 per cent non Catholic means she won't be out of things (not 'crud'). Bullying is in all schools - esp among girls so don't worry, she will live.
Religious images in a Catholic school - good as a non catholic she will at very least come to learn basis of most art.
Class size - other things being equal smaller sizes better but other things are not equal so go for the Catholic school.

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Christianatheseventh - no not based in Zanzibar but close connections there; you won't be putting your DD up a year - she may be the youngest in the class and depending on her ability I guess she might be above average if not near top of her class academically, and perhaps in terms of sport etc.

Go for the Catholic school giving the ethos of the school as a reason for your choice, based on your concerns for your DD and your support for the values that underpin the ethos (community; love; truth; justice; foregiveness;

I think most of the research shows that the quality of teaching and level of parental support are much more important factors than the size of the class, so I think you should go for the Catholic School.

Can you flatter them by explaining the bullying issues and saying that you know they won?t stand for that sort of thing because of the ethos of the school??

From your posts, you seem to prefer the Catholic school too, so go with your instincts.