Experienced primary parents top tips!

[gd1976]

We are about to look around 4 local primary schools, and of course we have our own criteria and what we would like from a school, but I just wondered if there was anything that any mnetters would advise asking about and looking for when we look around the schools with the benefit of experience and hindsight?

Do you have any friends who are primary teachers? They would be invaluable in 'translating' the ofsted reports for you!
My DCs went to a very 'academic' primary school. It gets excellent reports and the parents are usually very happy with it - provided that their children have no developmental problems eg aspergers (in my DC's instance). IMO the senior staff were woefully lacking in knowledge and sympathy.
I'd be wary if there is an absence of emphasis on the school being happy or there is lack of talk of non-academic values.

I'd go for where the children seem happy and confident... and thats about it really :)

Ours go to the very small local village school. they are happy and confident and taught in very small classes. when we moved here the school didnt have a very goof ofsted and "results" published were not great. Some local parents feel that the school "pushes" the children enough. on the basis of that a;lone wouldnt have sent children there.

however recent ofsted was much better and more importantly all the staff and children and most parents know each other. There are rarely any problems with bullying and if there are they are dealt with quickly. Results in sats etc still tend to vary a lot but that is the problem with small numbers of pupils.

chose something where you think your child will be happy. everything else will follow!

I think gut feeling is the most important thing. My first impression of our school was a warm and approachable head, happy children, and a warm buzz about the whole school.

A school visit tells you far more than reports etc (although our latest Ofsted also flagged polite, happy children, warm atmosphere, and exceptional pastoral care).

Thank you, yes I will definitely go with my gut feeling and I'm not keen on the heads who rave about results and nothing else.
The 4 schools we're looking at are all village schools, but the class sizes vary enormously, up to 30 in a class. What are people's feelings in big classes? The smaller classes share a classroom with the year above/below so either way they seem to be in a big classroom. Any strong feelings??

I would say that the most important thing is to find out well in advance how likely it is you will get a place in any particular school and plan ahead. I visited 4 schools and didn't get any of my first 3 choices or the catchment school. Essentially my visits were a total waste of time. The council allocated a place in a DIRE school 3 miles away in our town and insisted no places in surrounding village schools. Cue several weeks of MASSIVE worry.
A colleague tipped me off that the village school her children attend had spaces left. It is 7 miles away but absolutely perfect for DS so he is going there. I wish I had explored all the options in terms of village schools around the town as I could have saved myself a lot of worry and sleepless nights.

I don't wish to put a dampner on anyone's enthusiasm but the reality is that if you are unfortunate enough to live in a high birth rate area there is no choice at all unless you happen to choose the catchment school and even then its not guaranteed if you live towards the edge of the catchment. I don't live in London or a big city, just a small rural town and never for a minute anticipated there would be problems around demand for school places locally (and neither it seems did the county council.)

Really hope you get what you want.

My kids have always had 30 kids in a class and in primary usually more. It's fine, they usually had a TA in the early years, and as a full school could afford things like specialist teachers.