Anyone's DC go to Cof E school that is NOT their church school

[CURIOUSPARENT]

Also posted this in primary education but thought I may find someone with experience here aswell........

We are in the process of applying for primary place for DS. We go to a village church which is also where he goes to nursery. The C of E primary there is outstanding.

BUT we are thinking of putting 1st choice as a different C of E school even though we would like to continue our worship at the church we currently attend as our DC were baptised there and we feel very much at home at that church.

How practical is this? I am thinking that lots of the services, such as Harvest, Rememberance, Christingle, Easter etc etc will also be shared with the church and in a way it will be nice if you can attend your childs school service in their usual church rather than have close ties with 2 church's (one via school activities and the other via usual worship?).

Anyone have any experience please?

TIA.

Not all CofE schools are that closely tied tothe local Church. You really need to find out from someone locally. Our local Head of the CofE school has fallen out with the Vicar anyway, so there are hardly any services in the Church. I would think of it as a way of extending their experience of Church.

Why are you thinking of the other school as first choice if the natural choice is an outstanding school? Just out of interest.

Both have pros and cons. The one we are thinking of is closer to us - both require a drive as we are rural - and also I think the one that he goes to the nursery now is more likely to be oversubscribed in the future so getting our daughter in 2 years later may be more questionable (although at the moment siblings are all fine).

If I were you I would look at the entry criteria for the school attached to your church & nursery etc and see what they are.

Your daughter will have parents who are regular attendees at the attached church, a sibling there.... Surely that should do it for a church school, unless you are a long long way away. Our schools are quite strict with parental church attendance the no1 criteria but still people get in unless they are silly distances away.

I don't think you should cross off the school that is attached to your church, and which you attend the nursery for, and which is really good, on the basis of what might or might not happen in a couple of years.

Well we are 4.5 miles away from where he goes to nursery/we go to church (last year people got in on distance - i.e. non church attenders, which is last criteria, up to 3.5miles away).

The school we are considering instead is 2.4miles on distance, again this is last criteria, but being a faith application we are obviously higher up the list.

I think for both schools they are:

looked after children
Sibling in catchment
church in catchment
catchment
sibling out of catchment
out of catchment church but within parish
out of catchment church not in parish
distance (by

Whilst our daughter would go up a criteria there were more houses built in the catchment area of the school that is where son goes to nursery/we go to church and more young children about toddler age which might affect our daughters entrance success.

My dds primary school (ordinary community school) had Harvest, Easter and Christmas services held at the local C of E church during the school day so they did not clash with services at our church. Yes they handed out invitations to their services to parents but these were aimed at people who did not attend church regularly. It can be a good idea for a child to get more than one view of church and I wouldn't see this as a problem.

Curiousparent how many of those new people are also going to be going to church though?

I would double check the criteria as well if I were you, rather than going on what you think is right - you might get a surprise!

I just think that you are probably being overly pessimistic about what is going to happen in the next 2 years and it seems a shame to go to a different school which is not linked to your church, or your nursery, and is better anyway IYSWIM.

won't your DD get in on "church in catchment" anyway? which is criteria 3 on the list

Hi Sardine

Thanks for your response, I did check this morning and both schools are as I said. We are not in catchment for either school and so DD won't get in as church in catchment.

The school that we go to the church/DS goes to nursery is 4.5 miles away. The other school is 2.4 miles away. Our catchment school is a community not C of E school. These 2 schools are our closest C of E schools, there is one other community school that is about 3 miles away.

I understand what you are saying and I mostly think that going to the same church/school would be better, but I have also heard from others on mumsnet who have got their 1st child into a school only to have a problem with subsequent children, hence my concern. The school is very popular and as such it attracts a large number of people to live in the area (house prices are absolutely ridiculous in that village compared to other surrounding villages). A recent housing development there sold all it's houses very quickly, compared to housing in the area being quite depressed in general (I work in this sector and was involved in the houses that were being built).

So whilst my heart tells me one thing I am concerned that my mind may be saying another. :)

Does church in catchment not mean that the church you attend has to be in catchment? Which it is. Rather than that the family live in catchment and attend a church in catchment? IYSWIM

Some C of E schools do not have a sibling category at all but your choices both do so you should be OK.

No it means you attend church and live in the catchment area. Or you can attend church and live out of the catchment area. :(

Oh right I see. Our rules are quite different around here which is why it always pays to read them!

Hmm

So even though you attend the "correct" church, you will be going in pretty low down the list with both children.

Have you considered calling the school, finding out how oversubscribed they are at the moment, that sort of thing? A chat with them about your situation and concerns might help.

Yeah I think you could be right. at the moment both have taken down as far as the final category - ie on out of catchment by walking distance. So the school that we attend the church last year they took 5 faith out of catchment and then 2 out of catchment by distance.

The other school they took 1 christian out of area and 4 by out of catchment ondistance basis.

So although they both have a similar number left to offer to out of catchment - some of which go to church out of catchment and then on distance, with the school that we go to the church I think that village is growing more than the other possibility. That would then put a higher number of children higher up the list than my DD (even though she would rise up the list). I know it could be the case at either school. It's so hard to decide

Also you don't know how many of the people in the new development have children who will be entering school at the same time as yours.

Or do you? You have a lot of info and I know that people around here know who the competition are and spend time poring over maps looking at where their houses are (yes really).

I think having a chat with the school might be your best option and see from there. It seems a shame not to go for the natural school on the basis of what may or may not happen in 2 years time.

FYI my DD attends a v small faith school in an area where all schools are terribly over-subscribed, and there are right shenanigans that go on. Non church siblings are the lowest on the list, and despite the competition they say they have not yet had to turn down a sibling. So the feelings about how difficult it all is sometimes don't come true. Some people don't even go for the schools as they don't think they will get in (as you are considering).

I wish you luck with all this it is terribly stressful.

Thanks much appreciated. At the moment I change my mind almost daily on which to put as first option

Toss a coin then.

Go on.

Yeah ok

It always works. Lets you know what you really want to do. Have you never done that?

No!

But I did for entertainment - and it has come out as the school where we don't go to nursery/church.

I'm still going to explore the queries with the school to see if they think that siblings out of catchment would become a problem. (However, I also posted this in primary education as tbh I didn't expect much response and a poster there said she sent one of her DC to out of catchment faith school when it was undersubscribed and now 2 yrs later sibling won't get in - eeek!). When we looked around the school they told us that the 2011 intake was the first time that everyone who had applied hadn't got in - that in the past all applicants had got in and that 2011 was the first year whereby some wouldn't get in.

I think they also changed their admissions priorities after this, previously all siblings were the same category - regardless of whether in or out of catchment and so they do seem to at least be preparing themselves for this eventuality.

Sorry I think i got that bit about changing it wrong, I looked at the admissions selection criteria in 2009/10 and it was the same

I wasn't being flippant with the coin toss! I have found that when you can't decide, and you toss a coin, your emotional reaction tells you what you really want. So when your coin came up "other school" - what was your immediate reaction? Disappointment, relief... You see?

Yes do talk to the school.

Yes I see what you're saying. I think it was relief first, followed by a decision to do best of 3 (still came out the same school though)

Relief eh?

Interesting!

Talk to the school, I'm sure that whatever you do will come out right. Good luck

thanks :)