Any advice re- picking Primary or Infant/Junior school type set up?

[BackToB4Beatrice]

Have started looking at schools for DD.

In our area with have two schools.

School A- Good to Outstanding on Ofsted, Mainly 2s, some 1s. Is the highest out of our two schools in league tables. Is a Primary School (ages 4-11).

School B- Is Infants and Juniors. Obviously DD does not have to attend both, but surely would make sense friendship wise? I presuming most do continue onto the Juniors from Infants?
The Juniors is an outstanding school- pretty much all 1s, although is lower on league tables than School A. Problem is, Infant School is good to satisfactory, mainly 2s, couple of 3s.

So questions are- would it be worth sending her to an average infants school, so she will be settled friendship groups wise, ready for the Outstanding junior school?

Or is that silly when I have a very good primary school I could send her too?

Also- School B, Ofsted for juniors was done in 2007, Ofsted for Infants was done in 2010. Is it possible that Junior school has gone down hill, with its Infant school, but is being protected by it's old Ofsted report. If so, when will there be a new inspection?

I know I need to go and see the schools, and have plenty of time, but would really appreciate some of your first feelings/opinions, what you think you would be inclined to think you would do.

TIA

Should add-
School B- 2 schools, 2 heads, 2 Ofsted reports. Are a walk over the road from each other.

I expect the Junior school will be Ofsteded very soon.

Ofsted reports are not the be all and end all though. I would go to all three schools and ask about all the things that are important to you in a school and go with the place(s) you like better.

Ofsted is not the only indication of a good school. You need to visit and get a sense of how things are in the school. I would base my choice more on this than ofsted.

Although in your case there doesn't sound like there is a lot of difference from what you have said so I think you need to visit. It may just be whichever is more convenient for you.

My dd is about to start her fourth school after half term so I have a little experience and unless the school is failing miserably then it is not really a big issue which one you choose.

I think Ofsted is only useful in this case to pick out areas that you might want to ask about.

Go and see the schools. If the separate infants/juniors are across the road it's very likely that most children will go to both. I would just check on application policies - is there any concern you may get a place in the infants but then not juniors?

Are the infants and juniors the same size (or does the junior take "extra" children)? My DS has really thrived going to an infants then moving to a bigger juniors. He actually cites the school being bigger as the main reason he likes it!! He also had got stuck in a rut in the infants and it was great that he had the chance to move to another school at 7. If he'd been at a primary I suspect I'd have ended up moving him anyway. I know lots of schools are 4-11 but I now realise how many years that is to spend in the same school if you don't really gel with your friendship group/ like the school.

Infants/juniors set up also has more pros re being more targeted at the relevant age groups - though if smaller schools may have fewer resources - e.g. DS's infants had few books targetted at more able readers, not an issue in a primary. You will probably find the Y2 children get responsibilities in an infants that they wouldn't in a primary school.

You haven't told us anything but the Ofsted report info. Which is nearly the least important thing to think about.

Like how big are the schools, which one is more convenient for your preferred travel mode, which one is most of her friends going to, do they have own nursery schools on site, what reading schemes do they use? What do local parents think of each? Where do their leavers go onto? What is the catchment character like for each? Do they have any extra facilities or specialisms?

A lot of infant-junior school pairs are being unified in near future, too.

We chose an Infant/Junior setting for our DD. In our case both Infant and Junior had a good Ofsted report, similar to all the primaries in our area.

The main reason was the size. DD turned 4 in July last year and we felt she would be happier in an Infant school setting compared to a Primary school which would have overwhelmed her. Our Infant school is very much learning through play orientated.

The Infant she now attends has very strong links to the Junior next door and Year 2 goes there in the last term one day each week and the schools have buddy classes and also work together on some projects. Classes are re-mixed in Junior but with just 60 children per year DD will still see her friends even if they don't share the same class room anymore.

But it depends a lot on the child. Friend's DD (August child) chose a Primary as the girl is quite advanced and would have been bored in an Infant setting. This came as an advise from the Head of an Infant school who knows the girl (Family connection).

They both sound really good. The differences in the Ofsted aren't big enough to weigh as a deciding factor. Just go and visit the schools and see how they feel and how you think they will meet your dc's particular needs. Also, check out after-school provision if you need it, and go at pick-up/drop-off time and have a look at the other parents in the playground. Do you feel comfortable there?

Generally speaking a primary school is better because the dc don't have to go through the upheaval of changing schools in Y3 (so says my aunt, ex head of a highly successful junior school!).

This may or may not become an issue for schools in your area but the funding formula for schools is going to change significantly from next april and this will start to put pressure on infant /junior schools in my opinion because of firstly size of school but also because most LAs currently have a funding formula that gives more funding to infant schools. From next April the same funding applies to all pupils from reception to year 6 in any LA.
I wonder whether you will see moves to go from I/J to primary schools. It may well pay you to try and establish whether your LA has been combining I / J schools when appropriate. That is quite often when a head teacher leaves.
However the absolutely the best decision is to go and see the schools during a typical day and see what you think, believe your gut feeling as much as anything else, but a key issue for me would be what are each of the schools doing as well as the things that they have to do by law, so before and after school clubs, other extra activities etc

Thankyou for your replies. Really appreciate them.

Obviously I must see the schools, this could all become a mute point if I hate one!

Was just thinking whether it was worth "putting up" (need a better word really) with the okay infants, so that she can go to a better school when she is 7.

Obviously if I sent her to the primary, it would (hopefully) be unlikely she would want to move half way through to attend school Bs juniors because of friendship groups.

She is also a (very late) summer birthday, and hasn't been to nursery yet (starts pre-school in September) so is possibly a bit behind as far as understanding structured teaching/sessions etc, so perhaps the infants may be suited more. We will see.

Just to reassure you Beatrice my dd was also an August born and has been at nursery over this past school year. She has done fantastically well and is ready to head off to reception come September.
All the schools I have had anything to do with have kept the younger children apart from older whether that has been an infant or primary. So personally I don't see any difference on that issue. My dcs have been attending a split primary (infants on one site, juniors up the road but same head) and they are all moving to a primary school on one site this year.

I read all the ofsted reports and had an idea of what to expect and which school I'd choose. Then I visited them and reversed my opinions entirely. DD went to the largest school we visited with the least impressive ofsted report. We all came out from the visit beaming.

Summer born dd is half a term away from finishing reception and academically is top of the class but more importantly is settled, happy and has encountered no problems caused by her age.

I am v surprised by how little ofsted seems to reflect what a school is actually like.

A teacher friend of mine says this

Infants do better in infant schools, Juniors do better in primary schools....

SO there is no one "right" answer. Which of teh two school do you like best after visiting?

My DS started in reception at an infants and then we moved and he has gone to a primary. There are pros and cons to both as people have already said, but what stood out for me was that he has really enjoyed interacting with the juniors. They have a buddy and also read every week to a year six ( as well as the teacher obviously!).

There is a separate area for reception and they have separate play times as well so it doesn't feel too overwhelming for,him. I would say it is best to get a feel for the school and not worry too much about ofsted. It can be outstanding but if your DC isn't happy then it won't make a lot of difference!