Last minute offer at primary school - dont know what to do - advice appreciated

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Hello

I am hoping someone can help shed some light on this situation. I am trying to weigh it all up, but struggling somewhat!

My daughter was due to start school today (thur), however late weds afternoon we received a call offering her a place at an alternative primary school. great, however, we are unsure what to do. If I summarise the situation hopefully that will help

The original school she was allocated is our catchment school, ofsted rated satisfactory and we werent very happy about being allocated this school. However, we have tried to get our heads around it and our 4 year old has been for taster sessions, met local children and bought the uniform for it. We can walk to this school in minutes. This school is from reception to year 6.

However, we have been offered a school about 10 mins away (however longer in school traffic no doubt), which doesnt have great parking, so would need to battle that every day. This school also only goes from reception to 2nd year primary. Before transferring to a junior school up to year 6. But this is a lovely little school, with a friendly feel to it and has received an outstanding ofsted.

Our other concern is that when our son begins school in two years time, he may not be guaranteed a place, as its not our catchment school, however would have the sibling advantage, But when our son goes into year 1 our 1st child will be going into year three in the junior school on the otherside of the town - appx 5 mins away...however again, school traffic may increase that! So effectively need to be in two places at once for 2 years.

Sooooo difficult! Do we choose convenience, local friends, already had sessions in the initial school - however its not a terribly good school

or go for the better smaller school, but only an infant school, with a transfer to juniors, but have the inconvenience of getting them to school everyday

One minute I decide one thing, to change it based on something else another minute - any different thoughts would be appreciated

We need to decide asap really as our daughter didnt start school today as we visited the one we have been offered...but we need her to go somewhere tomorrow!!

Help!!

I'd go for the school that she's been getting geared up to go to, unless there is something really objectionable about it. I think it would be quite unsettling for her to suddenly find herself at a different school to the one she was expecting.

I'd say go for the school that you prefer (and it sounds like the one you have just been offered a place at), except you need to work out now whether your second child will get a sibling priority and whether it is feasible to have 2 children in 2 different schools in a couple of years. Otherwise, however good the school is, you'll be constantly worrying.

If you are thinking about a school that is out of catchment, you MUST check the admissions criteria to see how siblings are treated. It will say something like this:
Priority 1 = 'looked after children' i.e in care or foster homes etc
Priority 2 = children with SEN
Priority 3 = children in catchment
Etc.

Siblings may be mentioned only as being considered after the other children in each priority group, or they may be a priority group themselves, and they may or may not come before or after children out of catchment. Basically, I would not even think about sending to a school out of catchment unless I could be sure a sibling had higher priority of getting in.

Also, you may find it too difficult if by the time DC2 starts reception DC1 is already at the different site for junior school.

Personally I'd go for the local one if she has already been geared up for it. Ofsted reports are not everything, what do you make of the children there, the teachers, the parents etc?

Difficult one! For me the fact that the other only goes up to Primary 2 would be a factor against changing now. What is the junior school like?

Also, being able to walk to school can be a huge stress reliever in your everyday lives - do you have constant access to a reliable car (including when you might have to do emergency pick ups due to illness)? If you have to travel on to work from school drop off, is the school in the right or wrong direction?

Local walkable school every time.

You won't get a huge advantage by having a sibling there if it is out of catchment.

My temptation is to say go for the local school because your child is geared up and ready to start there. It will only cause confusion if you now change and actually it might turn out to be not as good as you think it is. Given the situation on school places there is something to recommend the local catchment school, as with sibling priority and being in catchment you should have a very good chance of younger sibling getting a place. At the infant school and the junior school the level of priority is going to be less and therefore more potential issues over getting a place

You might do 5, schools vary hugely, many people in London rent next door to the school for a year, get their youngest in, then move 5 miles away and have their next 6 DCs follow in on the sibling conveyor belt.

The OP needs to check the small print (and them cross her fingers that it won't change). Also needs to think about local demographics and whether the new school might expand (in which case DC2 might get in on their own - after all, DC1 did, so they're obviously not that far away, unless the cohort is still growing).

Local walkable school, having friends you can call on to play out is a real bonus IMO.

Walkable every time for me.

You won't get a huge advantage by having a sibling there if it is out of catchment. - don't get this - in our area siblings come above first children in catchment so have a massive advantage.

Where we live its all catchment children first then out of catchment siblings.

I think well is in my la that the kids who went to the infants have priority at the linked junior but do check.

I prefer a primary but the 2seperate schools here do well and top in our area fotr sats,.

but do visit the linked juniors and how different expensive was the uniform?

If was confident of a place at the juniors and for DC2 I would switch to the outstanding school.

Would check if the admissions criteria put siblings above local children; and criteria for admissions to the juniors. No point in going there if stuck for a place in a couple of years (when your v local school may be full).

I would also check any plans to change the criteria (at a local school near me they have just changed so that local children get priority over siblings).