Junior School Admissions Dilemma

[dizzyday07]

My DD is a Yr 2 at an Infant school so we have to apply for a Junior school place for her. She is a bright confident outgoing child who is now a free reader and is expected to reach Level 3 when she finishes the year.

There is a linked Junior School that the majority of the children move on to. We have heard mixed accounts of the Junior school school and at their last Ofsted report got 3s.

We went to a recent tour/visit and came away not wanting her to go there! I don't think it was helped by being shown round by a Guvernor who'd been there 40 years and just kept harping on about how the school was in the early 1900's (I kid you not!). Part of the school is a Victorian building and on this afternoon which was quite dull all the blinds were drawn giving it a bit of a dingy feel. The "prospectus" was a couple of quite badly typed up sheets which didn't read very well. We couldn't really put a finger on what was "wrong" with the school but it was a gut reaction/instinct thing like you get when you view a house you are looking at buying iykwim.

Across town is a Primary school that is perceived as the "better" school. Ofsted rated them 2's. They have Yr 3 intake from a small local Infant school but have 17 extra places for others. They are also not full in their current Yr 2 class. We have a couple of friends with children there who say it's a lovely school. Due to DH working away we won't be able to visit until after they go back after Xmas.

The only other option is a Primary school which is 5 miles away (although it's catchment area starts @500yards from our house) but it's in a different Council area. It has 170 kids in the whole school with @ 25 in it's current Yr2. It is Ofsted rated 2's. It's online prospectus and website are informative, well written and give a "good feel". Again we can't visit until after Xmas.

I know this is all rather hypothetical for you all but do you think there is much point putting the 2 primaries on the form as preferences? We'd rather not add the Junior school at all but understand that we really should - just to be on the safe side!

Hi,

I'm in a similar situation, I have a ds in yr 2 and am applying for junior schools. I'm not convinced about the junior school he's due to go to either, but that's due to problems with ds 1 who is already there.

I would suggest that you look through the pack that your LEA sent you (if they're still called that). I think ours says that if you apply for a primary, they won't be able to tell you until late august if there is a space.

Do have a look around all the schools through. Junior schools do have a very different atmosphere to infants, and ofsted reports don't tell you everything!

Good luck!

Sounds like the smaller Primary that you have friends at would be better suited. Why can't you go and have a look on your own? At least you could get a better idea.

Go with your gut feeling, if you don't think the linked Junior is right now, you will always have your doubts!

You obviously need to be mindful of the cut off date for on time applications but I would look to visit both the other schools ASAP and then put them in your preferred order. None of the schools sound as they are massively over-subscribed so you should work on the principle that you have an opportunity to get into one of the schools.
Put down the junior school as your third preference (and back stop position) and make a decision on which way round you would prefer the other schools as first and second preference.

If there are spaces at the other primary, is it possible to apply for an in year transfer, i.e. Move her sooner rather than later, I realise that it may be disruptive if her friends aren't moving, but if she turns up at new school part way through a term, she will be a novelty, rather than when lot more children start in September. Go and have a look at both, but I do think it is nice to be near to your school rather than 5 miles away.

Why is it a dilemma? Seems very clear that the primary is a better choice. You would have to do a different admission form for the second primary if the LEA was different, I think.

I would think about switching next term in case there is a sudden surge of people wanting the same school.

I would almost certainly apply for the school across town. I would think harder about the further away one, it depends on how your child would get there etc.
I would put the local one down, as otherwise you could get offered an even worse school 10 miles or so away.

Just an update

We decided in the end to put the school across town as our first preference and today we found out that we've been offered a place!

DD is quite happy even though she will be leaving most of her current classmates

Lovely news and thank you for updating I always wonder what happens.