Anyone get their first choice place/2nd place and subsequently regret it?

[CURIOUSPARENT]

I have done various posts in the past so sorry to anyone who may feel I'm pushing it by asking another question here .

Well I think we have finally made a decision about the order to put our preferences in. Our catchment has gone last (it's a community school, we put 2 faith schools up the list) but to be honest even that would be fine so I suppose we're really quite lucky to feel as though each of our choices is a good one and offers something beneficial.

Just wondered if there was anyone who had regretted getting one of their preferences? As our 2 higher preferences are effectively out of area just before I put the form in I want to check to see if there are any other things to think of!!! It's my last minute wobble before I set it in stone!

I'm in the same boat here!

Fortunately I applied online so can still make changes. I swapped my 1st and 2nd choice schools this morning and then swapped them back again this evening!

In answer to your question - yes I did regret sending my older 2 to the school they went to. I moved across town specifically to be in the catchment area to this particular school as it was "outstanding" and near the top of the league tables. Maybe all schools have different problems, but I really don't want this particular set of problems for my youngest.

Just wish I could "try out" all 3 of the schools and chose the one I like best...

A bit. We deliberately moved to be near an Ofsted rated good school. But I was really disappointed with the reception year and was thinking I'd made a terrible mistake. We sat it out though (no choice really as all the schools full up by then) and it has improved over the past year. An awful lot seems to depend on the particular teacher they get. I wish you could try them out.

Yes I have been thinking the same - if only we could have a little test run. As you said psketti you don't really get much choice after because all the good schools are taken. Although all of ours are good schools each does also have negative points and I'm so worried about getting it wrong!!!!

I was so distressed by my constant changing earlier that I thought it might be easier if you just got given a school without any choices .

I have felt that a bit, especially as my second child will start at the school in September. My ds is in year 2, last year in the school, and it really has seemed little more than a daycare for him. They push way too much on reading, and even if you are in the top group for reading they do not vary your work enough or actually listen to them read according to my ds yesterday. He gets three books, all considerably too easy for him, a week and nothing else to do at home. The only really saving grace is the junior school, both are rated outstanding, really pushes academics and considers itself a feeder school to the free grammar school in the next town.

I would probably still have sent him there, even if I had had a tester at the next closest school, a very good one, just to get the juniors. Have had to pick up the slack at home, but that is life in modern schools.