Help me with school decision!

[CantStopEatingCheese]

(Sorry this is so long)
I was wondering whether I can get some help from the collective Mumsnet wisdom. It is that time of year again when I agonise over which school to put in the Primary school application (we have until tomorrow).

The dilema is as follows:
Last year we applied for DD1 who started Reception in September. We didn't get any of our 4 choices (which was the schools closest to us that we liked the look of). There was one school in particular (let's call it school A) that we were really keen on. The reasons for this were:

• fairly close to us (about 12 min walk)
• very dynamic Head who is turning the school around from a failry 'bad' school to 'Good' (they got reviewed last year and Ofsted seems to think they are improving)
• their results are also improving which hopefully is going to carry on while my daughter goes through primary school
• good facilities, including nice playgrounds, a lot of IT equipment
• the Head is constantly looking at ways to improve, is trying to make the school 'fun' so the kids want to go to school

This school didn't use to have a catchment area at all so we were pretty sure we'd get a place but last year it suddenly became more popular and at 0.4 mile away we didn't get in (to this or any of the others we put down!)

So we had to go through a 2nd round of applications and got a place at school B. It is slightly larger (2 form entry) and because of the demographics of the area it's in, a lot of the children going there don't live that close to the school.

Positives of school B:

• my daughter has a great teacher
• she is loving it there and has made loads of friends
• she is doing well with her reading/writing and they are very good at accomodating that, she is being challenged and not getting bored (which I understand from other threads is an issue at other schools)
• lots of music provision and other extra curricular stuff (at Reception they are doing Music once a week, Arts once a week, Makaton signing (not enirely sure what that's about?) once a week)

Negatives:

• a bit further away (more of a 20 min walk)
• not that easy to arrange playdates as a lot of the kids live further away
• a lot of nice parents but also large proportions from a couple of nationalities who seem to stick together so I haven't been able to really talk to them at all (I am not British and would probably do the same if there were other parents of my nationality so not criticising but it has meant that there are parents/kids in her class I don't know at all!)

So this year we need to apply for DD2. The question is:

• do we stick with the school that her sister is in that we know and are happy with?
• OR do we give school A another shot? If DD2 gets in (and there is a chance as we were at the edge of the catchment area last year), then DD1 moves straight up to the top of the waiting list (as a sibling). Then we only need one child to leave to get in (and I have a friend there who is considering moving to a different city in July so there will almost certainly be a space opening up)

So do we risk moving DD1 to a school that looks good on paper, looks good on the visits I've been on but obviously might not live up to expectations? But where we will probably be able to have more of a community of parents living closer to us, arrange more playdates, help each other out with drop off's/pick ups etc?

Forgot to say, DD1 is very confident and sociable so even though I don't want her to lose the friends she's already made there, I am sure will soon make new friends and will not have trouble settling in. DD2 is a bit shyer and less sociable so a smaller school might be better for her? (Having them at different schools is not an option!)

Any advice/similar experiences/angles I haven't thought of?

How do you plan to do drop-offs and pick-ups if they are in different schools? This would be a major concern for me.

Having them at different schools is NOT an option precisely for that reason! It would be impossible. Plus they are looking forward to being together. The only reason to apply for DD2 to go to a different school would be so that DD1 moves straight to the top of the waiting list (as she would then have a sibling at the school) and would probably get in by September. Worse case scenario is where DD2 gets in to School A but DD1 doesn't get a place. If that happens I would ring the LEA and ask for DD2 to be given a place at DD1's school (it didn't have a catchment area last year and still had places available for people who didn't get into any of the schools of their choice so I think this will be possible).

I'd go for school A. Smaller and with more of a sense of community. Put B second. If you get A great, and keep fingers corssed for place for dd1. Maybe be prepared to have dd2 start at Christmas if you don't get dd1 into school A, to give more of a chance of someone leaving. If you don't get a place at A then you've got B as a good backup you're happy with.

But why would you want to move dd1 from a school where she is happy and thriving? I wouldn't take the risk, personally!

I would go for school B for both. You say dd2 is shy- but she would be going to a school where her big sister is happy and settled, so she should settle in fine.

Thank you both!
titchy The smaller and sense of community are the main draws of school A. But I think a Christmas start would be tricky as DD2 would be fully aware that other children from her playgroup will be starting school and she wants to start school NOW. I think it would be upsetting for her to have to wait. Plus might be trickier for her to settle if all other children have started in September and made friends etc. (There is no January intake in our area.)

tiddytape Thanks, that does put it in a better perspective! Maybe we are being overly optimistic (and knowing our history we are bound to be unlucky!)

seeker Yes, I'm sure DD2 would settle in fine in either school. Her shyness is not an issue as such, she is just not as sociable and extroverted as DD1. I only mentioned it because all our discussions up to now were about what's best for DD1 but suddenly last night, the thought occured to us that we haven't really talked about which school would be best for DD2 (if she had been our only/first child). Sounds stupid, I know but it kind of struck me suddenly!

Oh, I know that feeling- suddenly remembering that second child has needs too!!

I still think that unless you are as sure as you can be that school A is significantly better, I wouldn't move. And I am usually banging on about always going to your nearest possible school.

seeker School A isn't even the nearest possible. There is also School C which is really close, has Outstanding Ofsted, good results, tiny catchment area (though last year had a freakishly high number of siblings so again DD2 might be able to get in this year as we are also on the edge of it's area). It was our second choice last year but this time we want to narrow it down to 2 rather than having DD1's school as the 3rd or 4th choice. I am not too inspired by that school, as facilities are not great (not that much outside space or inside for that matter), the Head (who has been there for decades) is retiring so there will be a complete unknown quantity with a new Head and that's about it! Overall people I have spoken to are really happy there. We just thought we have to choose between A + C, rather than confuse the issue even more.

I didn't want to confuse the original long post with 3 schools.