School move, need some thoughts on our options please.

[Sonatensatz]

DH and I are trying to choose schools for our children in a new area we have 3 on our short list:

1. Ofsted outstanding school, 2 form entry rising to 3 form entry currently has a space for our eldest, may be able to take others but may have to go on waiting list. Seemed lovely when we looked around, great opportunities for the dc's
2. Ofsted Good school, currently has spaces for all our dc's on paper seemed like the most realistic choice, single form entry but after looking round we just didn't get a great feeling about it.
3. Ofsted Requires improvement school, single form entry, tiny classes so plenty of spaces, we loved the atmosphere when looking round and they had great facilities but the children they currently have were below average ability on entry and looking at past sats history non of the children they had achieved the level yr5 ds is at now in maths. this is also concern for ds2 who loves maths and is doing well. This school would also have a pre-school space for my youngest.

School 1 also has music provision which is my Dcs hobby whereas school 2 may be able to provide lessons in one dc's instrument but the others we'd have to go private and school 3 has no music provision.

Which would you go for and why?

How far away are the schools from where you'll be living?
If you went for the first one and not all children got places, how would you educate the others?
From what you've said I think you prefer the first one, but you need to consider the practical aspects as well.
When did the third school have its most recent Ofsted and what were the main points raised in it?

The schools are all well within walking distance the furthest away are 0.8 miles schools 1 and 3 and school 2 is 0.5 miles (this school is over the county border)

I could home educate in the short term whilst waiting for places at school 1 (this may depend on finding a childminder happy to have the younger 2 for 1 day a week and a pre-schooler) or I could put them into one of the other schools as a temporary measure and send the eldest on his own.

School 3's Ofsted (Nov 2012) the main concerns were that the school is not challenging the children's thinking skills enough and that they are not being challenged to make good progress. Children's progress is also not meeting the government's minimum standards. However they had a monitoring inspection in January which says that the school has responded well to the recommendations made by Ofsted and is taking positive action.

I would put the eldest in school 1, definitely. I would put the others in the school I liked the feel of, and move them to school 1 once a place came up. They would be close to the top of the waiting list because of the sibling link presumably.