When it comes to choosing a school for your child why do so many parents......

[graceM]

go for the easiest and most convienient choice for THEM, not their child? The only reason I ask is that most of my friends/aquaintences/neighbours etc have their children at the same primary school and then automatically chosen to send them to the feeder secondary school despite it being rated a grade 3 school (unsatisfactory/requires improvement). For most of them (and theyve admitted this) they chose to send their children to the school down the road as they are too lazy to have to drive a long distance and they "just can't be bothered"

Whereas myself I chose to opt for a catholic primary and secondary school for my children in the neighbouring borough

Am I alone in not even knowing what rating my dc's school is?
I must be the worst sort of mother

ch1134 absolutely true

This is a wind up,anyway.

Well firstly I'm not "pretending" to be Catholic, as we are all practicing Catholics and go to church every week. And I didn't give up my job just so I could take my children to school, I left my chosen career temporatily also to have our son who ultimately is our last child, I can return to it whenever I like really, so there's no resentment or anything similar like was suggested.

But my point was, are you prepared for the reality of the school not guaranteeing a good education?

Well, lucky you. Most people don't have that choice in their careers.

graceM

Silly me,I should use the chaffeur.

I think children making their own way to secondary school is part of the whole experience.My daughter would be mortified to be driven by Mummy, she'd much rather be on the bus with her friends. i loved getting on the bus with my friends, we still laugh about various incidents 20 years later.It could be argued that you have taken away this important aspect of gaining independence by choosing a school miles away.

I'm Christian but would struggle with sending my cc to a catholic school. If a school is failing there will be many reasons so I would look at that and also how my child's education and family time worked together. Having a child at a school miles away, with friends miles away too may result in them being left out etc. failing school should be under scrutiny so by sept things should be in place.

Having said that, I know parents who love a school that I truly do not get what they love about it. Each to their own.

"Many people feel that going to school within their local community is important."
^^ this

For a lot of us, choosing the catchment school is an active choice. As it happens, I also prefer the ethos of our local 'inadequate' secondary compared to the further 'outstanding' one. It has a much better social mix, better ALN provision, the great majority of the site is accessible to kids with limited mobility (whereas the other has a 'disabled classroom' - don't even get me started on that) etc etc etc.

I was a child who went to the primary school in the next town despite living as close as you could get to a primary school in my own town. I then had to go to the local secondary which I could walk to - no-one from my primary school came to my secondary school and I was a shy child, I pretty much had no friends for the first 2 years of secondary and never developed any really good friendships. I wish my parents had ignored the fact that our local primary was a bit crap because lots of kids who went there ended up at uni/high achieving. I lost all interest in school and did the least amount to remain under the radar.

Do the friends mentioned in your first post know you're gloating about your superiority over them on a forum?

No school 100% guarantees a child a good education as it also depends on how much effort the child and parents are willing to put in. But I do not agree that a child who wants to learn will do well at any old school they're sent to! Even the brightest most acedemic child could flounder and come out with terrible exam results if their parents opt to send them to an under achieving school. Me sending my children to an outstanding rated school doesn't guarantee that they will all come out with 10+ A*'s but at least if they are taught by good teachers that are passionate and committed to the work that they do then my kids stand a bloody good chance!

Because the head of an 'outstanding' school could leave tomorrow, and a term later this wonderful school you've chosen might not be so wonderful after all.

Whereas those people who have chosen a school within reasonable driving/walking distance from their home, in the hub of the community in which they live, will always have those things from their school, no matter which head comes and goes.

And I say this as someone who has chosen to send my children to an independent school 25min drive away from our house.

We all make our own choices, as best we can, for the best of our own families.

Christians don't judge others...

Well, obv it's because you love your dc and are going to heaven and the other evil parents hate their dc and are going to hell.
There.
Feel better?

You are in a wind up aren't you.

I'm not wasting anymore sarcastic gifs on you.

No I'm not a wind up.

I've a snippet of empathy because it surprises me how many parents want them at local school "because it's close". Our alternatives are all in towns 9-ish miles away. There are buses and trains, it's a very low crime county, and kids are all 11+. I just have a different attitude to risk, I guess.

Why would Osted grade 3 = teachers that aren't passionate or committed to their work? Since when does grade 3 = "failing"?

"Mediocre"... tbh, I don't really get parents who must always have 'the best' for their child in everything. I feel uncomfortable about it, anyway.

My teens spend 2-2.5 hours/day commuting. That's a lot of their lives.

Would you like a gold star for your reward chart?

If your priority is 10 A*s then yes, they may have a better chance of achieving this in your chosen school. But I mentioned 'doing well' and 'thriving', and I meant this not just academically.
By the way, assuming that teachers in an Ofsted rated 'good school' are more 'passionate and committed to the work' is so naive it would be laughable if it weren't offensive.
At what point would you read these comments and take any of them on board? Arguing with every one screams of the lady that protests too much. Are you confident in your choices? If so, it may be time to get off your high horse.

We had similar reactions sending our son to a school slightly further away. We researched all schools around (by visiting them, didn't look at ofsted), and decided that was the best fit for him.

When a local Private Secondary school became a Free School I was delighted when all the pushy self-obsessed parents scrabbled around for places. The rest of us can now relax at the 'rubbish' school which my family love. I am very happy to choose the lazy option for my children. I went to a
extremely sought after state school it was full of tossers.

I have no idea what the Ofsted rating is either and couldn't care less. The teachers seem switched on and my Dd seems happy and is doing well.
I have no time for parents who are completely obsessed with their children's education there is almost something slightly uneducated about it IYSWIM. And my Dh has 16 letters after his name teehee.