would you put your child into a school that had OFSTED 'Notice to improve' (and was actually 'improving')?

[tiredemma]

Im having a never ending nightmare with my house-move. In july when our offer on house was accepted, the very nearest school to our new home (which is a brilliant school apparently) had a yr 3 and a y5 place available. Excellent I thought at the time.
Education authority advised me that I couldnt actually apply for the places until I had exchanged contracts on the new house (which the tosspot estate agent had led us to believe would all be 'quick' and 'rapid' -

Anyway- still have not exchanged contracts to date- this is due to happen tomorrow- so I ring the education auth today to see if the spaces are still available. Of course they have gone.

Im gutted- the two other local (and very good schools) are also full. The only other local school that has (unsurprisingly) spaces is a school given 'notice to improve' by ofsted in july 2009.

I have just read its most recent inspection report (july 2010) which indicates that it is improving quite significantly and is expected to continue improving.

Im in a quandry- do I stick it out on a waiting list till the 'ideal' school comes avialable (if ever???) or go with the 'improving ' one (and the one that people in the area implored me not to send my kids there!!

Ds2 is 'below average'- I have a horrible feeling that im setting him up massively to fail in education if I put him into what the locals have called a 'crap school'....but Ofsted have seen significant improvements (outstanding in some areas apparently)

any advice???

Just to say, Join the Governing body. You get to see lots of the school that you wouldn't otherwise and also be a positive influence. If your child is pre-school age then you can usually be an LEA governor .... look on your local council website where they will normally list all LEA governor vacancies. If there are no LEA vacancies, there may also be community governor vacancies open which would be known o the head.

I am a governor of several schools now and its' very rewarding

Tireddemma - i would LOVE to get my ds1 into a secondary school with that provision. As I said previously I am very pleased with the primary we are in.

Which area of the country are you in?

If you like the school you could send them there but also put them on the waiting list for the other school. At least then you have all bases covered i.e - if it isn't as good as you hoped you have a contingency plan in operation and if it is good then you can just stay there and not take up a place in the other school when one becomes available.

I had thought of that - but what really worries me with that is changing again schools for the kids- its so unsettling.

I have been so upset about this, I would love for them to stay in their current school.

Its so frustrating.

tiredemma It sounds very similar to my daughters' school, which has come through special measures (albeit a few years back), is now "satisfactory", but good in parts. It also has a Learning Support Unit attached and a very, very high level of special needs, ADHD, ASD etc etc.

It's a lovely school, the girls are thriving, exceeding expectations for their age, blah, blah, blah. All sorts of "extras" which come with the funding to support special needs, which all the children benefit from. And some very skilled teachers (the Head has quietly encouraged some less skilled ones to move on, which is also a key source of improvement!)

But there are still a million parents around here who wouldn't even go and look at it, and give me pitying looks when I say where my children are at school.

I really hope you feel reassured when you go and look around.

Have you actually called the other school that the lea has said there are no places in - you often find that the lea aren't always are of spaces in a school. Might be worth speaking to the school secretary instead.

A friend of mine was told by the lea that there were no spaces in a school for her 4 kids and after a quick call to the school found out that actually there were spaces and they could start asap.

In general I would say "yes"

Send your child.

Extra resources from the LEA will have gone in; both money and extra support and advice. And the school will be tightly monitored.

LEAs simple do not have the resources to support all schools to a high level, so they target those identified by OFSTED as in particular need.

Not advice really - but perspective. Two local schools, 1 which was my catchment school until I too moved Oct 2007. Had to go to other local school which had 'good' OFSTED the other one had 'outstanding'.

'outstanding' school recently had a 'satisfactory' OFSTED and DS school was told they didn't need one as same head 'good' school etc. The other school is 4th in the legue tables in area for SATS and DS school is about 16th . The other school got torn apart about how it doesn't stretch the more able but does loads for the below avarage children.

The point..... I do not like the school DS is in and would send him to the other one straight away if they had places. (and I'm in education and have just had OFSTED!!)

I would say if they have had a bad OFSTED then they will be pulling out all the stops so probably an excellent choice of schoolimo.

I would say not to chase schools with good ofsteds and good reputations - things can change quickly. (although I think I trust Ofsted more than reputations).

My dds school a few years back had some very poor KS2 sats results and was given a NTI. However, I wrote to the head about the results and had satisfactory answers; they had a very poor year group that year, most of whom weren't able to continue in mainstream schools.

But, as a result of the NTI, the school was given a development partner and - by gum - it's been great. The already good teachers were encouraged to implement new interesting ideas. They are so keen that the bright children are stretched that they are allowed to race away with their reading (no slogging through every ORT book).

It has always been a school traditionally avoided by the middleclasses (even when they had Outstanding ofteds) who have gone out of their way to drive further-a-field to a 'popular' school. However, this school has now been given a NTI! Perhaps they rested on their middle-class laurels a bit.

'But there are still a million parents around here who wouldn't even go and look at it, and give me pitying looks when I say where my children are at school.' I experience what Smithagain does, despite my dd being so ahead of children in the more popular schools.

Inconclusion, go to the school that you like!

Well we went and had a look around a good chat with the headmistress today. We took the boys with us, DS1 loved it immediately, Ds2 less so, but the more he saw, the more he liked.

The Headmistress was brought in to 'shake things up' and she appears to have worked wonders. we feel very confident that they are now providing some excellent education and opportunities.

Im so glad we went to visit and didnt discount it.

They have spaces so we plan to start after october half term- thank you all for your excellent advice- you gave us some good pointers and questions to raise.

Feel so bloody relieved i could actually cry.

The only way to find out the reality is to actually be there, as a volunteer- for example. A friend did this ages ago, and found out that the head of school resigned without making it known to the public/parents for ages! Many other staff left with short notice, and the school was 'floating' with no head of special needs department for months. And guest what? This happened AFTER Ofsted's report of 'great improvements'. It was a shambles...There are Very slim chances of people wanting to work in a 'satisfactory' school, therefore, after staff quitings, there were no applicants for the jobs at this school. Very sad! There was money 'pumped' into the school, but the commitment was not there. The number of children in one class was only 20, but there were supply teachers coming too often, so I believe that the money were going fast, and the children... not really learning.

Tiredemma - fantastic!
I am so glad that you visited and that your DCs liked the look and feel of the school, and I am so glad you too feel so much happier - it is always nice to hear when posters have a happy result!
Happy children learn, and yours are happy to be going to this school.

Good!

Our school went downhill very badly when the last HT started having personal problems. He left and the school went into special measures. New head came in and it's has improved massively - came out of SM in about 17m. It always was a happy and welcoming school but it is now getting much much better results.

The head was fantastic - really open with us. The last Ofsted visit took them off the 'Notice to Improve'. the head was brought in to shape things up and she appears to be doing very well. Ofsted have stipulated that by the next visit (which will be in the next 3 years) they want 65% of the teaching to be 'good/outstanding'- due to the hard work and change of staff they are already at 55%.

She said when she took over the school they didnt even have computers- the last head had an attitude of 'we dont need them'

My kids cant wait to start, its such a lovely small school with just over 200 kids. Our current school has 430 so it will be a massive shock to the boys.

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO SAID "GO ALONG AND MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION"!!!!!!