Unusual things you did to get the 'right' school?

[martina81]

Hello mumsnetters,

I am not a mum, but when I came to the Uk as a student I started to work as a teacher as well and I became fascinated by your education system (I'm Swiss).

A lot of people back home wanted to know more, so I'm doing some research for my local teachers' union about how the system works and above all how do the parents feel about it.

I would love to discuss this/meet with parents who have an unusual story to tell about their choice of school - ie people who suddenly became religious to get their kids into faith school, people who moved house to be closer to a better school, people who chose private even though it's financially difficult for them etc.

I will totally respect your choices - I have the look of an outsider trying to understand a complex bit of your society.

About me: I'm 28, an Oxford graduate with 4 years' experience teaching ancient and modern languages. My crb is clean and I will provide cv/references to anyone who agrees to help me.

Thank you very much for sharing!

I looked up the catchment school and applied to it. If the press are to be believed that is an odd thing to do.

I slept with the headmaster. Honestly. We Home Educate by the way..

I pay £15k a year for 2 my sons to go private Prep. I have no other local choice other than a Primary school which is in special measures and the oversubscribed Catholic primary school but I am not a Catholic.

We sent DD to the school she was allocated (but we hadn't applied for) on the second round and she was there for a term. By Christmas a place had come up at our first choice school so she started there in January.

I put 3 choices down for state education, didn't get any of them, shuddered at the option offered to me, applied for a better job, and put my dc into private!

I lived in a residential area of the city and sent my DC to the school 10 mins' walk down the road.

Shocker. Like muminbeds in other words.

OP you might be amazed to find out that that's what the vast majority of people do (round here anyway). MN gives a rather skewed view (tho understandably so - people don't come on to post "ohh I've just got a place at the local school and it's nice!").

I visited four secondaries, then bought our house in the catchment of the chosen one... like most people here have as the school in question is the best performing state school in the county.

That's not why I chose it: though DS1 is reasonably clever and would make top or second set more or less anywhere, DS2 is less academic and would be in the third or 4th set. I wanted a school where the middle and lower sets are populated by 3rd and 4th standard DCs being appropriately taught, not 'smarter' DCs who can't be arsed thus have 'dropped' to the lower sets where they arse around and mess up everyone else's education. I think the term is 'disciplined environment'. Also the school is very middle class, and quite multi-cultural. The DCs arrive at school 'school-ready' so the school can focus on teaching not on providing de facto social services.

I looked at primary schools when choosing to move when eldest was about 2, decided against one school (because the reception staff wouldn't let me look around on a school day) that was highly regarded. Decided I wanted to live in the catchment of either of 2 other schools.
Later moved around the corner, and said I wouldn't move just for secondary. Applied to 3 local ones, was initially offered 3rd choice, but eventually got 1st choice from the waiting list.
I did also look at private but for DS wondered if he'd get through the exams (he is dyslexic) and he didn't want the stress. Doubt we could afford the fees now (don't know how people do).

I don't think we did anything unusual. I have known people let their house for a year and move into rented close to the school, to get their eldest child in. But nothing too unusual.

Couldn't get her in the 'right' school. Sent her to the local 'crappy' comp. Turns out to be the best thing I ever did. It is a fantastic school.

Just goes to show.

If you want to write about how the system works and how do the parents feel about it, why specifically ask for "unusual" stories?

moved away from a city were I would have had to "chose" from 3 schools similar distance from home each with VERY different socio- ecconomic-faith intakes, which would be followed by having to "chose" from 4 secondarys (11-16) followed again by further ed college for post 16.

Moved To a village with one school, not dreadful, not fantastic, not faith, in walking distance, every one goes there and then all kids go on to 1 local secondary (11-18) not dreadful, not fantastic, not faith, not specialised a few miles away by school bus.

As parental choice is largely disregarded, I chose to have no choice.

Mine all went to the local village primary. Suppose I did have the option of going out of catchment, but why would I? The village school had just under 200 pupils so not too small. It offered everything we and DC wanted and was within walking distance. Actually the only thing school was not strong on was music provision...we arranged for lessons after school.

The move to secondary was just as straight foreward. We live in a rural area, so they and everyone of their classmates moved on to the catchment comp. It is a perfectly good school dispite what you hear many are! It is probably more difficult if you live in a city or town where you feel you have a choice. The downside is you go through hell making that choice.....or that's what it seems like reading threads on MN.

To answer OP. I did nothing unusual at all and they all turned out fine!

My eldest 3 are adults now, and I have 3 teenagers still in secondary school.