Do heads talk between different schools?

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If I went and looked around another school would the current head find out that I had been to look even if we decide against moving the dc?

It should be confidential I would hope!!!

They definitely talk. I moved DD about 5 years ago. Saw the head of the new school at lunchtime, he offered her a place so I went straight round to the old school to tell them she was moving. I was there within 15 minutes and she already knew (and was vey unpleasant about it - which is, of course, why I was moving DD in the first place!)

Yes, mostly they talk; they usually have a local headteachers meeting every so often, formally or informally, and meet at all sorts of training days etc. They will also, naturally, give each other a quiet heads-up in certain situations.

But if you're just looking round, there's no need to say where your child is currently at school, or to divulge any information to the prospective school until later in the process, so I wouldn't worry about it.

They will talk. They will almost certainly ring your current HT and find out everything.

However - they can't turn you down. If they have a place they have to take you.

And - you have already decided to move.

So just do it! :)

Have rung and waiting for a call back.

Am going to speak with her on Friday. She was very nice. Lets just say was surprised that its taken this long for my call considering all the problems.

To put a somewhat more positive spin on this. What happens locally is that there is an agreement with all the primary schools that any parent asking about a move will be given all the necessary information, shown around etc but they will then be asked to go back and discuss the situation with the head of the current school. The current head will be informed of the parent having visited the school.
No pressure is put on the parents and if the parents turn the thoughts of moving into a formal request for a place then that happens.
The schools are all in it together and there is then no questions of schools poaching etc as it is all done above board. I should also add it is highly likely that the head who is approached will already know exactly what issues there are at the other school. So nothing will be knew to them.

yes heads talk all the time especially if the schools are nearby.
We work in a cluster of 8 primary schools and 1 secondary.

Yes

Had this very recently in ours. Parents called to make an appointment to visit another local school, that HT called us straightaway to ask what the background might be. No nastiness, just curiosity. Works both ways, of course; children come and go from both. But it's unusual to shift a child from one school to another in Year 5 when the family live locally and have their other children still in the original school, so the "new" Head had questions that the parents might be reluctant to answer.

Is it only the case that they talk if they are in the same cluster?

Verin - there will probably be more opportunities for Heads to meet if they're in the same cluster, but Heads will communicate with Heads outside their own cluster too - meetings etc, plus email of course!

oops! :o

The head of DCs school has lived in this area all his life. His wife is also a head, his ex-deputy is also a head as are a number of other teacher (including one in the North of Scotland now). Lots of other heads have sent children to his school, so he knows them, at least to give and receive phoen calls. He regularily sends children to various private schools, and also knows those heads. He also did a research project where he visited a number of schools around the country and over seas. At least one of his children is also a teacher. So there is a huge network of other heads he might talk to, or be talked to by.

Are Head teachers not subject to confidentiality. I would not be happy if my old Head had been discussing my child without my permission and the New Head had cornered me on issues that I had not introduced.

When I finally decided to move my dc I had to sign a release form for the old school to pass on confidential information to the new school.

Within the state system these records get passed on automatically, and usually are preceded by verbal discussion in case there are special needs to be considered.
But also there are very limited chances for heads to reject pupils (if they have space they have to take them, and appeals are independent).
Also just because Heads speak doesn't mean they value each others judgement.

When we moved our DS last term the head of the old school was very upset. When we looked around I could tell the heads had been talking and the new head even said that she was friends and didn't want to step on the toes of the old head. The new head gave me till the end of the day to tell old head we were moving and then when I phoned the old head to tell her she told me she was going to talk with the new head. Luckily the new head had already been pre warned of all the problems we were having by us and so didn't take to much notice of the old head (she was very bitter as she had failed our DS and didn't think any other school would be able to help him as she couldn't.

Try and tread lightly when you look around, it is all a big club and they are friends so try not to appear to bitter or they will label you as a trouble maker before you even start there