Year 3 moving in - how to avoid low performing schools?

[balmar]

Hi,

We are moving to BS9 1AA from Hungary (managed to get a rent there for the first year), and our son hardly speaks any English yet. We have contacted five good nearby schools whether they have any spaces for Year 3 in September, three answered no spaces, two don't quite seem to answer. The Council just sent us the official letter saying that we should fill in their form with three preferred schools in June. Do you have any suggestions what to do in order to avoid getting a low performing school? Thanks in advance.

Hi Balmar,

I am in a similar situation. We are moving to Bristol from London, we are already renting a place in Westbury Park and I have already submitted my application to the council with my three preferred schools for Y3 and Y1. I am just waiting to hear from them however I don't have much hope so we are also considering private education while my children remain on the waiting list from the state schools. Let's see what happen. Good luck to you.

You need to choose the school that would be best for your child not just choose a school based on the OFSTED rating or league tables. It is possible that some schools that are rating as Outstanding may not be able to support your child well if he is unable to speak or write in English whereas another is able to do this. The good news is that for Y3, schools can take more than 30 pupils if needed which may increase your chances of obtaining the school that you would like. You need to make sure that you list your catchment or closest school on the form so that you are not allocated a place a few miles away.

Are you Catholic? If so have you tried Our Lady of the Rosary in Lawrence Weston? Very good school and is a feeder school into St Bedes which is an outstanding senior.

Thanks for your help. We made it clear to the schools that the child does not speak English, but all three who answered did put us on their waiting lists, so I hope they will be able to handle the situation once there will be a vacancy. We definitely prefer to avoid any religious schools despite that some of them seem to be very good. Probably we will not be in a situation to afford anything private.

I was wondering if maybe suggesting a more distant or less strong school with a vacancy to the Council can prevent us put in a very distant or weak place.

Hi,
My children are at Elmlea - one infants, one juniors. Although there are very few children who speak little or no English, I would be confident in the schools' abilities to help a new child integrate. I also know of another Hungarian family at school, although the children are fluent English speakers. Good luck and hope it goes well.

Thanks, Elmlea would be great, they were one of those who wrote no spaces left.

Ask to go on the waiting list, if you haven't already. I know of at least one child not taking up their junior school place in September.

Thanks, we asked for it. At least some hope.

Accepted an offer from Henleaze Junior. :-) This was one of the schools with us on their waiting lists.

It was interesting to learn that some schools decide themselves about admissions while admission to others are directly managed by the Conucil. So, indeed it is worth contacting schools and going on their own waiting lists.

Thanks for all the help and support we got from here.