school choice dilemma

[oodyboodyboocs]

I am applying for a reception place for my youngest dc.

My other Dc's are currently in different primaries, one is outstanding and the other requires improvement. The Dc's in the requires improvement school are at the top of the waiting list for the outstanding school.

My dilemma is, do I apply for youngest dc to go to the outstanding school and hope that the others get in during this academic year with the risk that I will end up with 2 school runs or do I decide to keep them all in the requires improvement school and make up for the weaknesses in the school's teaching at home.

The Dc in the outstanding school is year 6 so will not be there next year.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

You have 2 school runs at the moment? How many DC in RI school? How many children per yeargroup in the Outstanding school?

I would apply for outstanding school if I felt they had a chance of getting in, if I felt it was best for them. Particularly if others are top of list.

Why did your others end up in the RI school? Did you apply and not get in (in which case your youngest might not get in either), or did you not apply? If you didn't apply, why not? If you did apply and failed to get in, was your older child already there?

I only have one school run at the moment as my yr6 (age 10) Dc goes by himself.

I have 2Dc's in the RI school, the Outstanding school has 60 children per year in my Dc's years. The younger 2 are in the RI school as we moved house and they were the only spaces available for them.

The youngest is likely to get in the outstanding school as we are within the distance for the furthest place offered last year and as yet they have never been oversubscribed, they currently have spaces in reception.

Does the RI school actually require improvement and is the outstanding school actually outstanding or just good at pleasing Ofsted.

Send youngest DC to the school that's best for them, move older DCs if it's best for them.

Dragging them away from friends and disrupting their education, just to go to an 'outstanding' school, may or may not be worth it.

You have DCs at both schools, unlike Ofsted you can make a proper considered decision.

I would apply for the outstanding school and hope that your youngest (assuming that that is the school you would most like all your children to attend).

Remember that, if your other children don't get in this year, they are likely to fall back down the waiting list at they will stop being siblings from September. In most schools a younger sibling also counts, so that will also help your other children get in at some point.

i would apply for the outstanding school so that your other children still get sibling priority...

The main reason I have the dilemma is that the outstanding school is really outstanding my oldest dc is flying along there and the head is amazing. The atmosphere is lovely and they have loads of fantastic opportunities.

The RI school is struggling with children from difficult backgrounds who have had a poor start and they are just about getting most of them up to national expectations when they leave, it's a small school, my youngest is in a class of 17 and they seem to be meeting her needs, my oldest is in a mixed year class of 30 with the year below his. I would really like him to get in the outstanding school as he is already working at the level that most of the children reach when they leave and he is year 4 (I am having to supplement his learning at home to keep him progressing). Also due to the small size of the school he is missing out on things that were provided at his previous school but they don't offer.

I'm also not sure how I would do pick up at the end of the day from 2 schools, the morning would be ok as one school has a breakfast club.

Sounds like you have already decided, outstanding school it is.

I doubt I would ever have had the choice, no way would DD2 have ever left her friends. Not at 4, not now at 12