Starbear - my tuppency worth on this matter is as follows:
distance of school to your house
what happens when kids are seven at your present school (often the age at which parents will remove kids if less happy with school, even if initially things going well)
is your mother likely to improve and continue helping?
do you like the people in the existing school, have you found soulmates etc?
We have two faithschools in our area. Some parents, although churchgoers, have opted to stay in local multicultural schools despite worse academic record, because they just liked the school better and it was next door, and they felt that was the best "community choice". They have been happy in their decision right up to 11 yr level. Others have sent kids to faithschool and pulled them out in the end because school still wasn't right for their child, although everyone said it was "Better".
So ask parents higher up school for their impressions, that can be a better test, and see what you think of their kids, are they happy at your existing school?
For the record, mine ARE at a faithschool. I like the festivals, the interweaving of faith into everything, and most of all the fact that it is two minutes from our door but the other non-faith school is v. high quality too, and has strengths ours doesn't. And they do projects there instead of just worksheets
Now SIMPLY-BALDRICK, I was thinking of you only yesterday, when Ruby was talking about planning. And have come up with a cunning plan to get to Berkshire, circumventing cousins and Waterloo station. Windsor!!
Feeling much better.
TM - thinking of you too, and wishing I had your organisational skills, your computer skills, your driving skills, your courage. That is a lot of things not all of us have