in catchment for worst state primary in the area - WWYD??

[elephantsdung]

I haven't started a topic on here before so here goes (pls be gentle):

We live in a nice'ish house but have an estate behind us which also has the local primary school in the middle of it. This is obviously our closest primary school but also has the worst reputation and OFSTED report in the area. It has an above average no. of children who have free school meals and, 'whilst the majority are White British there are a large number of Travellers from Irish heritage' (Quoted from OFSTED report). Whilst I really don't want to offend anyone I am looking for some advice:
DS is nearly 3 so will be starting primary school in 2014, so I will need to apply this time next year. Originally I was set on moving but, having estimated moving costs this will cost us around £18-£20K to move to a similar house to the one we have now. We have also considered private school but this would make it really tight for us (and we have no.2 on the way)
This school has been closed down a few years ago and started again as it got so bad, the thing is all the other schools in the area are really good but I know there is a real push to send people to this school (as no-one wants to go?) so there's no guarantee we could get him into another school.
So my dilemma is - should we
a) stay where we are and fork out for private school (although we probably wouldn't be able to afford it for no.2 as well)
b) stay where we are and apply for all other schools except for this one and just keep fingers crossed
c) Fork out the money to move so we are close to a good school
WWYD??

Also meant to say that it's highly possible that if it's in trouble that the LEA will dump whoever they can in the school in order to be able to get numbers and funding up im
Pretty sure that's what happened with us only we can't prove it.

Surely they can't force you to go to a school with a lousy reputation if you don't even put it on your list?

Our local school in special measures (we moved to avoid it) has around 40% of intake "diverted" according to the statistics. i.e. they were offered none of their three choices, but given this one as it's their catchment school.

If spaces r not available in the choices you put down you will be given a place at the next school that has places available whether you are catchment or not. Each school allocates spaces in a certain order for example , looked after children, siblings, catchment, church etc and any spaces left can be allocated to children outside of catchment. My catchment school was never an option for me or many others. After first round out of An intake of 60 there were still 14 spaces left. That's how many turned it down. All of us from
The nursery school who were allocated the school turned it down. Not one put it on the list. Catchment or not of that's the nearest school with spaces that's what u will get given even if u don't pick It :(

It disgusts me that someone sees the words free school meals and travellers and immediately judges based on this.

I used to work at a school that had a very high percentage of children on fsm, 30% had English as an additional language and 15% Roma travellers. The children were absolutely fantastic. The area was severely deprived but the school had turned around from being in special measures to being a strong 'good'.

Go and visit the school and stop being judgemental.

It's stated I believe in reports so parents are aware that there is alot of upheaval sometimes. Many embrace the diversity and the potential to make new friends more often than many people would normally get to.Those children are very lucky and have a fab time. Some children just do not cope with the constant change and and for that reason a parent may choose another school.

I agree with you, ilovesunflowers. It's really depressing that people read FSM like it's the plague ('cos, you know, they might catch 'the poor') and think that casual racism is something that can be overlooked because we're talking about their children. It's also depressing when it's dressed up as their children being unable to cope with 'upheaval'. There is loads of upheaval in primary schools that serve university populations (because students and academics tend to move around), but people are usually clamouring to get into those schools. Upheaval doesn't seem to be a problem when it's an opportunity to make friends with lots of so-called 'nice' kids (because you can tell that from their parents' job titles, bank balances or ethnic background).

Well said Ilovesunflowers and caffienedrip.
I come across these revolting attitudes all the time.
My children are loving their school with a diverse mix of children including many traveller children.
It is a great school but the fanning and swooning from some in the community when they realise they are in its catchment.
Pathetic.

Sorry not well said caffienedrip but well said Arbitraryusername.

I turned my local school down not because of the people who went there. I couldnt give a crap if aliens were walking the halls. I turned it down as the resuls are that bad the school has been threatened with closure for years, spent three or four years in special
Measures where improvement wasn't sufficient and that by end of year six the children were two years behind. I am friends with people who have removed their kids due to
Poor safe guarding and a disturbing lack of progress to the point they were sugnificany behind after just two years there. Even if the ofsted read outstanding tomorrow there will not be enough evidence of the ability to sustain that for me to consider moving my child there. Until the school remains satisfactory for long enough for progress in Sats in yr six to be in line with national averages then the answer will be no.

My decision was nothing to do with my attitude towards the pupils!!

they were offered none of their three choices, but given this one as it's their catchment school.

You don't make a choice, though, you express a preference. If the schools they had put down on their lists had had places then they would have been offered those. Since they put down schools which were not able to make an offer, they got a place at the nearest school with a place. And it is the schools that no-one wants that get all the kids whose parents put down 'impossible' preferences.

That's how it works, it isn't a consiracy!

One would like to believe its not a conspiracy but when people who live further away with no siblings or any other reason that would bump them
Before u on the list, get in over those who are one or two houses from
Catchment line it sure feels like it :(

That would make very strong grounds for appeal, though, as the Admissions Code would not have been correctly applied!

Did the applicants from further away cite any social and medical reasons? Or.... use a temporary rented address???

We dropped appeal when got given the school we wanted second tw round. A few did appeal though and didnt win

If they didn't win their appeal then those other people must have had some grounds for admission to the school- SEN for example. The is no way that anyone would lose an appeal based on simple proximity. That would be grounds for a judicial review.

Several of these posts make me wonder whether any of you live near us as Happynewmind's post could have been written by us!

Have to say that we were lucky in that DS was school age before the great baby boom which is currently choking primary school provision in a lot of places. We too had OP's dilemma but held out for a good school much further away which he got into. DD got in to the same school through the sibling policy but wouldn't have done (on distance) had she not had an older sibling already at our preferred choice school.

We still consider we made the right decision and the close-by school continues to be at the bottom of Borough league tables. Furthermore we know several families who have taken their children out of the failing school and sent them to the outstanding Ofsted primary nearby....

It's a difficult one....but DS got into grammar school from his primary school (although they did not actively support him doing the selective school exams) and although I know that our parental involvement has helped our DS to achieve his secondary school outcome, I do think that had he attended the local (failing) school with 35% of children statemented, he probably wouldn't have got in...

If you really don't like it or feel positive about it when you visit, try for others and just hope and pray. You can always stay on waiting lists and if you're in London there's a lot of population movement which can free up school places at short-notice....

There is no way that u can get to this area that would be nearer than where we r. Also others living in same area were turned down. No idea why kid got in he seemed ok as in didn't appear to have trouble speaking or coordinating himself seemed perfectly happy and healthy but obviously I'm
Not an expert or haven't spent time with the child so can't judge. It just felt very unfair given the areas me and several families went through to find alternative schools. Everyone previous year got in and everyone since got in.

Stress not areas

I wonder if the schools results are bad because traveller children often have low attendance at school, so won't do too well in SATs, hence bad statistics. The school itself could be great. The ofsted report rarely tells the whole story. Visit the school and ask some questions.

Our catchment school was in special measures when I was making my choices. I went in and asked the head to explain, she did, it's a great school.

The op doesn't actually say anything about results- she only talks about FSM and traveller children.

"No idea why kid got in he seemed ok as in didn't appear to have trouble speaking or coordinating himself seemed perfectly happy and healthy"

So OBVIOUSLY no special educational need then.

If u are gonna quote me at least include what I go on to say which is that obviously I don't know the child or that i haven't spent time with them and can't judge.

seeker the parents also expressed extreme surprise at getting in as they had heard that alot hadn't and was also worried that they had made a mistake as the school was a long shot, they never expected to get in.

Amongst those turned away were people who lived nearer and two or three who had Sen.