Anyone not got 1st choice of Primary School but it turned out good?

[OnEdge]

We have a fabulous Primary School in a nearbye Village. It is not our nearest school and it is fairly competitive getting kids into it. I will find out in March if my daughter can get in. I am determined not to get worked up so was wondering if anyone had been unnsuccesful with 1st choice, but then were pleased with the school they went to.

Yes! We moved in the summer between year 1 and year 2. I was hoping DS would get a place at an outstanding school down the road. It is the school everyone raves about in the local area.

DS did not get a place (there was a waiting list of 17 children, all living in catchment for a year 2 place).

The school we are allocated was rated "good" by OFSTED and i was a bit disapointed. However, it is fab!. Huge playing fields, a vegetable patch, pond and nature trail. the outstanding school has a small concrete playground. Our school has really imaginative theme learning that has made my previously ambivalent boy love school.

His year 2 SATs gave him all level 3s, so I have no worries about his school not seeming as academic as the super duper one- I was slightly concered about the lack of compulsory home work whe he started.

We have too. Very pleased with DS1's school and it's definitely first choice (quite apart from logistic issues) for DS2.

Yes - didn't get DS into any of the, ahem, 'middle class', scratch-your-eyes-out-to-get-in schools in our patch of north London (we applied in 2 separate boroughs too!) & he went to the one that always has spare places. Had a look round before applications and thought it seemed fine. DS couldn't be happier, is learning well and now his sister's following him in September. Meanwhile one of the local middle-class choices has failed its OFSTED and parents are still ploughing through appeals to get their kids in. Go figure...

ds goes to our second choice school and its fab, he really loves it. meanwhile, his first choice school is joining one of the worst schools in the area.

We got our 3rd choice and it is by far the best school out of the 3 and most suited to my DC and us.

Oh good, that has cheered me up. I ought ot look round them, they are probably fine. It is definately a class thing. All the consultants kids go to the 1st choice. I think I have been swept along with the snobbery of it. They will all end up at the same secondary school anyway.

DD's in reception at our 2nd choice school.
It's always been in my mind to get her on the waiting list for the 1st choice, but I've just been seeing how it goes.
And as it's turned out, she's thriving at her school and is really happy, so I'm leaving things be.

(The 1st choice was a very big school and she's now at a small village school).

TBH I reckon a lot of the first-choice shenanigans are more for the parents and not the kids. Some parents seem afraid of not being amongst people like themselves, whereas the kids generally couldn't give a monkeys

You are right, bobthebuddah.

People feel more secure when surrounded by people like themselves.

They will talk about 'good' schools but really they mean 'similar parents'

However, it's safety in numbers; if a school is failing, at least we're all failing together as a lovely big middleclass cohort.