What would you do to get your child into a good school?

[bossykate]

guardian article

nothing we don't already know of course, but still interesting i thought, especially given schools are clamping down on dishonest parents.

Frogs, yep that was me, sniffy was putting it mildly, I've banged on for years about how private education is wrong etc etc. I still think it is really but yes, when it comes to secondary we'll pay. Bk, I knew I'd have to confess to it on here sooner or later! And I've put my money where my mouth is on this sort of stuff for years, no more.

I am already fed up and confused by the lottery school in UK; closest school to mine is the state primary just across the road and that will do. I will put me and my child through liyng to go to a good church school, and I will not want to set this example to my child. I am in one of those 'London inner city areas' where half of the kids are entitled to free school meals etc etc but the other half are not because there are a lot of council estates right next to new trendy/luxury flats springing up everywhere. I see them taking their kids to the local school. I like the ethnic diversity and class mix. By the way, I am in the council estate part. To me it is all about parenting and social and economic background. If child's family values and gets involved with child education, a child will tend to better anywhere.

When we were looking to move house we only looked at properties withing walking distance of decent schools, because we were fed up with the drive to school. BUT we don't officially have catchment areas & the local school (at the bottom of our road- 2 minutes walk) wouldn't take our children. Then every school we tried said no because we "weren't in their catchment" (No I didn't get it either!!!) One ds went private & we left 2 where they were, on the waiting list for our local school .

Two years later the elder one went to secondary but we were very unhappy with the original primary. Still no joy from the waiting list. In desperation we tried the next town & 6 schools had places. We just picked the one that seemed right for our ds, and as it turned out he was very happy there.

In the first term DH was challenged by one of the mummies from ds's class, probing into why we'd got the place when we lived so far away (22 miles). He casually mentioned (knowing exactly what she was getting at) that two of our others were at the local private school & the journey was easier, & never heard from her again!

We only got the place in the last week of the summer term & were just lucky there was one available at that time. We made sure every school- including that one- knew where we actually lived. I can see why people lie but I wouldn't do it myself- I don't think it's fair.

at WWW!!! Are you serious? I'm speechless!

Roisin but yes, probably. It's as much of a shock to me as it is to you!

applied for the school of our choice outside catchment and dd got in however ds will not be as lucky unless we move to the area adding at least another 50k to our mortgage for probably the same house or smaller

We moved into the catchment of a really good school - silly thing is the boundary runs down our present and old roads - wrong side of the road = C**p school.

We decided extra mortgage meant we all gained in terms of nicer house, whereas school fees only benefit one. DD is doing us proud, it was worth it.

I am currently in the process of moving house - to get into a good catchment primary school area. Not the only reason for the move, but it is the reason we chose the house/area we are moving too.

Until we decided to move we were going to pay. DD has her name down at a little prep school nearby (still down in case move falls through entirely).

We won't use this if we do move though - spending the money on a mortgage instead.

I am lucky enough to have this choice, and I am more than willing to use that choice. Having worked in a poor school, there is no way I can let DD go to one - not when I have the choice to do otherwise.

I put dd's name down to go to an out of catchment primary school when she was 15 months old.I want her to go to the same school I went to,as it is a lovely little village school with a great reputation.As it happens,we are hopefully moving into the catchment area in the next 2 months,but the school isn't the only reason we are moving.

I had a horrible time being bullied at the secondary school I atttended,which is where we live at the moment & would not want dd to go there.

I attended church for 2 years to ensure ds got a place in a good school. I dont blame parents for whatever stunts they pull to get the best for their children. Instead of critisising parents shouldnt we be criticising the Government for failing to provide decent school for all children?

I won't be able to afford to pay, so if necessary I'll move or home ed when it comes to secondary.

I'm in Medway, so no such thing as catchment. Just 11+.

Quite right Bunny. People shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get their kids properly educated.

All the schools nearby me are rubbish. I home educate.

Shoot me down in flames if you like but when the time comes I would do as much as I possibly could to get dd's into the ONLY good secondary school in area.

Not read the thread but can I confess?

When dd was 2 someone told me that in order to get a place at the only good local nursery I should have put her name down at birth. So I rang the nursery and the conversation went something like this

me - hello I have my daughters name down to start in 1992 and I would like to notify you of a change of address and phone number

other person - Can I have your name and address please?

me - mrs smith 84 other st.......

other person - after a minute - I'm afraid we don't have your daughters details down

me - indignant - well I brought the form in 2 years ago.

other person - was it a green form?

me - gambling - yes!

other person - we don't have your details

me - I brought this form in when my daughter was a baby and handed it in personally - I remember the lady commenting on how gorgeous she was. do you want me to come and fill another in?

other person - yes please?

me - this won't alter her place on the list will it? you loosing the form?

other person - oh no Mrs Smith not at all!!!

She got in

Well, I'm still gobsmacked at WWW!
Welcome to the kids before principles society!

In terms of the thread, I think the difficult thing is really knowing how good the school is in advance, to make it worth the effort to get them in. At the time I had no real idea how good our (state primary) was, and also no real concept of how bad some others could be. But with hindsight I would have fought hell and high water to get them in!

When the time comes we'll do everything we legally can to get them into a secondary school which suits them well ... it's just I'm not sure there is one round here - state or private

Wouldn't go to Church, but we are moving house (which we wanted to anyway to get more room) and catchment was a HUGE part of our decision-making.
But this is primary. The thought of Southwark secondaries makes me feel quite faint.

I'm actually in www! I checked the date then to see not April 1.

"On your knees to save the fees" sums it up.

I think people can make the mistake that a "good" school is automatically the right school for their child.

My brother got an assisted place in the eighties to a really respected minor public school. He was bullied so badly that he almost committed suicide, and went into a depression which has lasted on and off until the present day - he's currently probably an alcoholic.

Now maybe he'd have been a depressive personality anyway, but he never was until he went there. I wish he'd stayed at the local comp, where he'd been happy. League tables really aren't everything.

good on you purpleturtle and mud. I quite agree and have done the same. (wigglewiggle too)
I know some posters on this subject know a lot more about education than I do. But can I just say that in my job I have been into a lot of primaries and never found one which i didn't think was really nice, with lovely kids eager to learn etc. Secondaries a different matter no doubt.
Maybe I have just struck lucky but I do live in a city and it has some very mixed-race areas where english is a second language so that can be a problem in school; also what are perceived as some "rough" areas. Certainly (as i have been posting on another thread) you'll easily get in to yr catchment area school.

How are people defining a 'good' and 'bad' primary school?

What do people suggest the government do so that every child can have a place at a decent school?

Caligula - I think it depends on what you define as a 'good' school, doesn't it? I don't want my kids to go to our local catchment secondary because they have a HUGE bullying problem. Yes, their results are very low too, but if it was a supportive atmosphere then I wouldn't care nearly so much.

I'd just like my kids to go to a school where (a) bullying is minimal and gets stamped on fast and (b) it's not uncool to do well. Unfortunately, it looks like around here we'll have to pay to even get those basic requirements.

Caligula - I agree completely about your comments about 'good' schools. DS1 is very academic, but from all I've learned so far about the 'academically successful' schools that might be an opton for him at 11: they are not the right place for him.

There are factors which are far far more important than league tables.