What school would you pick?

[valensiwalensi]

School 1: Small, one form per year and small class sizes. DD would be more comfortable in a smaller environment. Was impressive and personable when we visited, impressive approach to learning about the world. However, on one of the most deprived estates in the UK. The walk there is not nice - dog shit, gangs of teens, pungent smell of weed, motorbikes tearing about the pavements. Would never let DD travel alone to school. Worry about the impact on the kids as they get older and behavioural issues start. For some reason, finishes at 12 on a Friday and no wrap around care.

School 2:
Bigger - three forms per year, possibly too big for DD. Impressive building, extra curricular activities, varied and affordable after school and breakfast clubs. A nice walk from home, and the student population is a real mix of backgrounds, rich and poor and different cultures. Also has a separate SEN unit and more SEN resource.

Feel really on the fence.

2 definitely.

Small schools seem nice when your child is 4 but feel far too small by the time they are 6 or 7.

The behaviour issues at 1 will be significant.

Not being able to walk home alone in y6 will make transition to secondary more difficult

Definitely two.

School 2 for all the reasons you've listed.

1. No question.

Mine are in a 3 form school and once they get to know their classmates and their way around the school it doesn't seem so big.

No I mean 2! Not 1. Choose 2!

I wouldn't go for a school with no wrap around care

School 2

2 without a doubt

2 with no doubt at all

What's the catchment situation? Two sounds like the best option but I would prioritise based on catchment and where the children who live locally to you go to school. Makes a huge difference for them to have friends who live locally.

I'm not a fan of huge primary schools. I far prefer one form entry.

However, given your choice I would absolutely choose the three-form entry school.

No wrap around and early finish on Friday sounds horrendous. Not allowing dc to walk alone because it's in such a rough area would be a total deal breaker.

School 2

I's not even that unusual to have a 3-form entry these days.

2 for me

Absolutely not school 1! 2 every time!

3 form entry sounds big but actually they’re probably still in classes of 30, same as the 1 form intake and as they get older it’s much better for friendships and sports to have a larger year group. So hands down school 2. School 1 has zero redeeming features by the sounds of it!

Thanks all! DH was really taken with 1 but I just can’t ever over all the other factors.

I'm a fan of small schools but in this case I'd go with 2

School 2

Remember it is all relative too.

Your ‘small’ primary here is at least average size so not small at all Our small schools are two classes ( EY/Y1/Y2 and Y3/Y4/Y5/Y6) and can have as few as 25 children in the whole school.

While I would prefer a 2 form entry to 3, in this case I would choose the bigger school. My two eldest kids went to school in a rough area and although the school itself was lovely, by Year 4 the home life of the kids was showing out far more and behaviour was terrible.