Rural location- school choice

[delilahdarling]

Just starting to wonder about schools for DD (currently still only a toddler). No mad panic yet, but I am interested to get views on this. We live right out in the sticks in a small hamlet, no facilities, no school in realistic walking distance. There are two or three very small primaries in neighbouring villages- ranging from 30-50 pupils.

I work part-time and after school care might be very valuable to us- not much in the way of this in the tiny primaries. To find a slightly larger school we start getting into 15 minute drives and one that I really like- no guarantee there would be space of course- is a 20 minute drive.

In addition to this, the very small schools all appear to be C of E- not wildly opposed to this, but we are bringing up DD more within DP's religion than anything and not sure how we feel about her attending a Christian faith school.

I have rooted around on here for relevant threads but would be interested in people's honest experiences of travelling some distance to get to a school that is suitable. So many people seem to have schools in walking distance and talk about the social benefits of this, that I fear I am going to feel very guilty if DD is not living immediately amongst her peers.

Thanks!

This is pretty much normal for a rural area. You don't really get school choice as such and the vast majority are CofE. However they are voluntary controlled schools, not religious so I really wouldn't worry about that.

Thanks- what is the difference between VC and VA schools? Would this have an impact?

Do you know for certain that the tiny schools don't have after school care? Our 65 pupil one has it every day, and there's never a problem getting a place for your child in it. The nearest school in town has 25 after-school places for 420 children, and people put their children's names down (for the after-school club, not the school itself) when they're still babies.

Hi,

I have a good idea of what each school offers as have asked around. seems to be the normal sort of provision you would expect in a small school- i.e, some afternoons there is a club- but this varies from term to term, depending on afternoons that teachers are available. I am not definitely discounting them by any means, but I would like to hear how people have managed at v. small local schools and also driving longer distances.

I have actually worked in a very small primary and that is why I am torn- it was a lovely atmosphere, like family. But behind the scenes i know the desperate worry about the annual budget, the many, many things that we couldn't do or buy for the children because we couldn't afford it. But that was just my experience. I would love to hear from others.

Thanks.

The CofE school my dd goes to is voluntary aided, not voluntary controlled. There is a big difference. The VA school has much more to do with the church. She has a very Christian education and is very much taught Christian beliefs. If it wasn't our family's beliefs we would probably struggle to have her in that school environment tbh.

We also live in a very rural area and our local realistic choices were all tiny VA CofE schools (the sort of size you are speaking of). There really isn't much choice. We have choosen to move our ds to a larger community primary school a 10 min drive away but not for religous reasons. There are obviously advantages to being in a small school but for our ds those advantages were disadvantages. He needed a bigger school and we do that drive to give him what he needs. My dd though is better in a small school and so she is in one.

I don't think you are denying your dd social benefits by being a drive away from her school. You will find the bigger school has children from a large distance around. For ds we make sure we participate in the school events, we are very much part of the school and that community. I would say I could potentially be faced with a significant drive if he went to some friends houses as they're a good 15 mins the other side of the school from us but I don't see that as an issue.

It is very interesting to hear what you say about VA/VC. Did you have problems getting your DS into the larger primary? I am concerned that if we opted for a larger primary further away, we would be unlikely to get in. Then would probably just get offered one of the closer, smaller ones? I am a bit clueless when it comes to admissions...

I would prefer the larger school a drive away. More chance for children to learn to socialise as the school population will be more diverse. My experience of small CofE school was that it was more religious than I liked, and already started for three year olds. I don't think socialising is a big issue, nothing stops your kid playing with village kids in the local playground and otherwise you will have to drive up and down to the nearest town to enable your dc to play with others from her school. Also, larger schools are more likely to have other after school activities (sports, ballet, music etc.).

dikkertjedap, that was some of my reasoning. I think I had a mild panic because when i researched school choices on here, so many people were within 0. something miles of their school and were happy that their children could socialise easily. I am up for driving whatever distance to take her to friends houses.

As i say though, I am worried that if i make the decision that the more local schools are not suitable, DD won't actually get a place at one further away anyway.

VA school = religious
VC school = non-religious

basically...

Usually, the typical small rural primary (ours is 60 pupils), is VC. Not sure what we would do if ours was VA!

No we didn't have problems getting him into the larger school but it was an in year transfer but there were plenty spaces and we would've got them both into the community school in September I'm sure. It really does depend on the school and area. You should be able to see the figures for the number of applicants to the number of places offered for each school if you contact the LEA. That will give you a good indication of what your realistic chances are. Obviously there will be baby boom years when you don't stand a chance.

I think I had a mild panic because when i researched school choices on here, so many people were within 0. something miles of their school and were happy that their children could socialise easily.
Don't forget that on here a lot of people are in urban areas and my impression is certainly that distance really does matter. In rural areas we're talking much bigger distances and not as many children and a lot of schools struggling to get the numbers to stay open. Even the larger school here rarely fills its quota.

"VA school = religious
VC school = non-religious"

Not true I'm afraid - the letters signify who is on the governors and where some of the money comes from only!

You can only apply to community schools in rural areas - which is what we've done because we only want a secular education. It is a valid reason to apply to schools outside the catchment and would be considered on appeal. But you really need to think hard because right now I'm driving 24 miles a day because my two are in preschool and come September I'll be doing 36 miles a day because I'll have to drop them both off at 9, pick one up at 12 and then another up at 3 when DD starts reception.

VA, VC, Community, Foundation, CofE, Non-denom etc ALL will practise Christianity to some degree but you can't tell from the 'outside' as unfortunately there are no secular schools. They range from a half-hearted daily prayer in assembly up to Heaven/Hell preached in the classroom. Someone on here said their non-religious school said grace before lunch each day. It depends on the HT.

My point is don't assume a non-religious school is less religious than a religious one - it could be completely the reverse!

That was me hocuspontas - and my DC aren't there anymore partly for this reason. Preschool prayers FFS, talk about suffer the little children

Was it really you!?

I was so at that. Especially as you wouldn't necessarily know (or think to ask). It might only become apparent once you were in. Hope your new school is more rational!

Yes they appear to be much more sensible. They are far too busy educating the kids to worry about such things

There may well be childminders or day nurseries who do after school pickups.

Really interesting to hear people's experiences. I would be anxious to avoid the kind of 'preaching' you refer to Hocuspontas, and the type of experience you have had WMMC! But have no problem at all with DD attending a school with a Christian ethos- as you say, most will have that to some extent.

It sounds as though the name of the school is no real indicator of how much Christianity is practised- is this something I could ask when visiting the school, or would that stand us in bad stead from the beginning? Quite unnerving that all could change when a new Head arrived...

I plan to have a good look at childminder options in the local villages and I think that could be really helpful.

I found the question to ask is 'does the local priest visit regularly' is a good one. When they start enthusing about weekly visits and assemblies in the church you know to leg it

DD was told god made the lambs as in that's where they came from. Unfortunately DD turned round and said 'don't be daft, they came from mummy sheep'

LOL- Wonder how they responded to that?!

This is what my dd (reception, 4yo) drew yesterday unprompted, just when she sat down to do some drawing at home as I was getting dinner ready. Just to give you an idea of what a C of E school with very strong church links does. They have been covering the Easter story at school recently. I have to say even for me I find it a bit much.

She drew lots of wiggling long lines over the paper. In the top left corner was a cross with the left and right ends of the cross having circles on the end. Under the circles were little dots.

This is her description of what she had drawn.
The lines - These are the paths of Jesus' life.
The cross - This is where Jesus died on the cross.
The circles - These are the nails that kept Jesus on the cross.
The little dot - These are Jesus' blood from his hands from the nails how he bleed to death .

I found it a bit disturbing tbh. This has come from what is being said at school.

rebl - how would you explain the Easter story?

Its the graphic blood from the nails I find too much for a 4yo.

It's probably other 4 year olds' versions from the playground! Get story straight first if you are going to go in and verbally murder teacher.