How did you choose a primary school?

[Lelophants]

I guess I’m asking those who actually had a choice and weren’t tied to catchment. I’m looking at about six schools and honestly can’t decide. A couple are walkable and some technically walkable but I’d probably drive on some days. They’re all ‘good’. Some were satisfactory or inadequate a few years ago and some have always been good but I know this can change. Some are known for being good for sen but have wider catchment or are bigger. Some have better play space. What questions do you ask to work out which one? Did you get a gut feeling or did something stand out?

Wrap around childcare available. This told me it would be a school with other children needing childcare rather than having a parent or grandparent to always pick them up. I wanted my child to have a similar life to others at the school if that makes sense. Another school option head told me that hardly any of the children used the after school club.

Thank you

Reputation played a big part.
Walkable is HUGE , IMO. I'd really, really put priority on that, if all your options are good.
Wrap around care is a BIG consideration for some.
Personally, I would choose 3, or 2 form entry over 1
Try to remember that this isn't just about Reception, but is about what they will be doing when they are 9, 10, and 11. Does the school have things that might appeal to those older dc - sports, music, drama, other extra curricula activities ? Yes, staff change, enthusiasts move on, but does there currently seem to be much going on ?
Do they do residentials, higher up the school ?
Some people put emphasis on the fact inners are cooked on the premises.
Some people like outside space.

For me, I had a lot of faith in 'gut feeling', and the welcome we received, but I was comfortable in, and used to being in schools so might have a different feeling about that than those who don't.

I wanted one within walking distance, so that was a choice of 3. One is Catholic so I didn't want that one. Out of the other two I probably could have gone with either, but I got a great feeling when looking round from the school I eventually chose and the head gave me 20 mins of his time after my tour to talk to me. He seemed to have his head screwed on, wasn't trying to "sell" the school to me, answered all my questions clearly. There's also a low staff turnover (I kept my eyes on their website and social media for a couple of years beforehand to catch any job adverts) and I know a couple of the teachers have their own children there. I think their Ofsted is good and, while I looked at it, I know it's not the be all and end all.

All these things seemed to suggest it was somewhere I'd be happy for my DC to attend. In two weeks' time they'll be there!!

We had a few excellent ones near home. We chose the one that our favourite nursery parents recommended (they had older kids at school).

Bonus is a lovely walk across the park and no main roads to cross.

Nearest easy walk.

A lot just comes down to what you personally value as important.

For me, the important things are (in no particular order):

• walking distance because this not only affects your journey but how frequently your child will be able to meet up with friends as they grow,

• the various schools' attainment data and progress score data. The current set (from 2019) is too out of date now but new data will be coming soon and some schools will already have shared this on their websites. These, when analysed together, are key indicators as to the overall quality of teaching and learning,

• size. I much prefer a 1 form over a 2 or 3. There tends to be a greater sense of community and/or family and the children are often known to adults across the whole of school rather than just their year group or key stage,

• the state of the building and physical resources. Education is massively underfunded and so some schools are really struggling to provide some of the basics. However, if that's true before your child starts, it's not likely to improve rapidly once he/she does.

I do also like it when the school has some of their pupils available at open days, either showing round or just across school. You can get a real sense of the ethos by talking to older primary children who have grown up through the school. It's important to look at the school as a whole too. I've seen many parents focus in tightly on what the Reception provision is like, completely disregarding that Reception is only 1 of the 7 years their child will spend there.

Things I don't think are important:

• OFSTED grading. The level of inaccuracy and inconsistency in these render them useless,

• where their current friends are going to go. Friendships are so fluid that this really doesn't matter by week 3 in September.

1. Not religious
2. Walkable
3. Wrap around care

Our two nearest were very similar so not much to choose from. We went with the one that had a more holistic approach - more extra curriculars, extra time in forest school etc. No main road to cross and most of the kids on our street to go to it so that's been nice for DD and me.

That said she's only been there a year and the deputy head has left, it's turning into an academy and they've changed the catering contractor so who knows what the next few years will hold!

This, pretty much.

And I liked that it had no uniform, the children called the teachers by their first names, and the first child I encountered had blue hair and had just been talking on local radio as a member of the student council (another great thing was how embedded in its inner-city community it was, and had strong links with great local charities).

If some are walkable and others are not I’d immediately rule out the non-walkable. School traffic is a nightmare, parking near school is near impossible and environmentally it’s pretty bad that so many school kids, including the walking ones, breathe in so much pollution around school.

it’s also really helpful to have your kid’s future friends mostly within a 10 minute walk.

In my experience most primary schools are lovely places and most kids thrive in any one - you will be going a lot so nearest unless very strong reasons why not

Closest. Where I live you don't have a choice anyway.

Honestly, if all options are of a similar standard, you want the one with the easiest walk. Driving to school is always awful. When they get to year 5 and can walk home alone, you want to know they will be on a safe route.

The other advantage of walkable is when your kid is a bit older they can get themselves to school.

Walking distance ones for me, I wouldn’t want to drive and contribute to all the traffic /fumes if I didn’t have to. Other than that, after school clubs are a bonus, ours isn’t great for those and I didn’t think to ask about them before applying. With primary school there’s no wrong choice really, I’ve never come across a ‘bad’ one.

Wrap around care and clubs.

DS joined and they cancelled it all.

Headteacher was good. But left.

Ofsted was good then downgraded.

What I'm trying to say is: schools can change very quickly! Don't assume your perfect school will remain perfect.

Choose a well rounded nice school that's easy to get to and from.

Walkable for me was less of a consideration. Both DC will always be in breakfast/after school clubs and I will be dropping on the way to work so would only walk max 1 day a week.
It depends on your circumstances really

We had 3 in our catchment and 1 independent available.

Two were ofsted rated inadequate and one requires improvement but had a new Head and was on the way up (since rated good consistently).

went to the open days of all.

The one that was rated requires improvement was oversubscribed to the point that they were giving reading lessons in the PE changing rooms. When I asked about SEN provision for my son the Head visibly paled and said that they could not accommodate his needs.

The independent had great SEN provision and was non-se;ective so he could go right through to A levels.

So we bit the bullet and sent him private which had never actually been the plan.

Size was a big factor for me. My eldest has quite a lot of anxiety and a single form entry school was the most important factor.

I also had a very strong happy feeling when walking around the playground. We couldn’t view the school properly because of covid but the vibe I did get was good.

It’s a CoE school, but tbh beyond a couple of prayers in the day it’s just like any other school. The prayers they do are very nice and I think teach some nice values. For example before lunch their prayer includes a thank you to the hands that made it. Great expression of gratitude.

I wouldn’t focus on reputation too much. There’s a school near us that is always raved about. Basically all the ‘nice’ middle class white families go there. I’ve hear terrible stories though of treatment if you’re not a nice white middle class family.

Walking distance, non religious is a bonus.

The driving by parents around school is dangerous and the amount of parents sitting with engines on by school gates is disgusting.

Location (in our case so our childminder could do the school run) as that will never change. Next the attitude to working parents…one headmaster was genuinely perplexed that I wouldn’t be able to make their weekly ‘family assembly’. Then, for DS1, who had at 4 a fairly extreme attainment profile (in both directions, turns out he is autistic), a big intake so he has peers who are very mathematically able at one end and peers who also can’t ride a bike at the other. Ended up at a three to four class intake academy which is split Infants and Juniors and they’ve been fantastic.

Some schools close to me (London) are very under subscribed & I wouldn't be surprised if some were closed soon due to falling numbers. This will influence where I apply to because I do not want to have to move DD during primary school unless unavoidable.

I can’t work out whether a small or big school will be better. I personally love the idea of a smaller school and I would have thrived there, but my child might need some sen support and the bigger school is better for that.

In considering expressing your preference (not choice), I would visit each school and consider-

Ofsted performance over time - always Outstanding or Good and a recent full inspection is a safer bet, but those that have improved from Inadequate or RI and have a recent full inspection and other evidence of secure improvement are worth considering. New schools without a full inspection - look at other schools of the same phase in the trust and the performance of the head’s previous schools.

Results - KS2, phonics, progress.

Staff - do they have a good mix of staff including more experienced teachers? Are there any male teachers? Do teachers stay or do they have lots of cover by supply or TAs?

The Head and the LA / trust.

Pupil destinations - does the school have feeder links to a secondary school - is it also a good school? Do children stay to 10/11 or do they leave for the independent sector at 7 / 11 - this may be a sign of confidence in the teaching.

Finances of the school - are they secure or do they have a deficit?

The quality of the building and playing field / playground? Do they have enough space? Is the building well maintained?

Capacity of the school and number on roll. It’s expensive to run a school that is struggling to recruit.

Do they operate mixed year teaching?

School cohort - where are they on Free School Meals, SEND, ESL, number of boys and girls on roll? Do they have a stable cohort or do children often move on and off roll?

Extra curricular activities and links with arts and sports organisations. Is it a rich educational offer?

Travel to school.

Wrap around care - personally I would not discount an Outstanding, high performance school for a lack of childcare.

Express your preference wisely - include a safe preference otherwise if there is a large cohort you could be send elsewhere. Read the admissions policies. Would your child have gained a place in previous years? Have they increased / decreased the Published Admission Number? Are there new housing developments that may mean the previous information will be out of date.