Looking for advice on choosing a school...please help if you can

[crazybutterflylady]

My daughter is 3 and will start school next September. We are lucky enough to have a few outstanding schools on our doorstep and I thought this process would be really simple!

However I am torn between two. One not catchment school A (1.8m away, has 12 to a class), and our catchment school B (walking distance, 27 to a class).

I wouldn't be worries about this so early but for he fact that DD has been accepted at the pre-school for school A. However this doesn't guarantee her a place there for actual school.

She is doing a morning a week at the preschool of school B (they are not connected in any way, unlike school A). She also does 2 days a week at a private nursery.

I initially looked at school A when she started the preschool as I felt it was unstructured (especially compared to the nursery) and not necessarily the preparation for school I wanted. When I've viewed both schools this has been reinforced - school B seemed to treat their reception class as pre-school where school A they wear uniform and short bursts of learning are interspersed with play. In a sense it feels like the children at school A are a year ahead in their learning. I guess that's easily done with such small classes.

My gut instinct is that I'd love for her to go to school A. However, there's a chance she won't get a place and will have spent a year making friends there. Fair enough. School B is a great school too but I'm assuming that if we put that as a second choice there's a chance she might not get a place there too??

So I am well and truly stuck!!! I am totally new to this so wondered if I was missing a viewpoint or some vital information. I'd appreciate any help you can offer.

Oh and I forgot to add that she will most likely leave her private nursery if she attends preschool at School A as that's run as a 5 morning place; School B she would stay at nursery 2 days and increase to a full day at preschool.

Putting school B at second place on your preference list will NOT decrease your chances of getting in (except by getting into your first preference, you would 'lose' your place at your second obviously).

Way it works, is, for each school the LEA creates a list of all applicants (independent of preference order), and ranks them according to the admissions criteria. If your child makes it into the top x (number of places) for two (or more) schools, she will be offered a place at the one you listed higher in preference, and will be deleted from the list of your lower preference. The preference order ONLY plays a role if you would otherwise be offered a place at more than one school.

As for the rest, you will just have to decide what your priorities are... we ended up choosing distance (or rather lack of), over excellent school; but schools differ in so many ways, and people's priorities regarding school differ as well, so it's really about determining what matters to you, and which schools provide what.
As for your DD risking having to move schools when moving from preschool to reception, that would be quite low on my personal list of priorities, but if your DD struggles a lot with making friends and you have reasons to think that won't change within the next year or so, then clearly it would need to be a bigger factor for you.

Can I check the timelines - she has a place at school A for pre-school this September, and this autumn you will be applying for a reception place for September 2015?

In terms of reception admissions, it doesn't matter what place you put the schools on the form as the Admissions Code says that an 'equal preference' system must be used. Schools are not told whether they are 1st, 2nd or umpteenth preference. They are simply given the information which allows them to rank all applicants in order of how well they fit the entrance criteria (the LEA does this for schools which it controls, but again in a preference-blind way).

Preference only matters if you qualify for an offer for more than one school - and then you are offered the one that you ranked highest preference. So you can apply to school A as your (genuine) first preference, but if you do not qualify for an offer there, it will make no difference at all about whether you get an offer from school B.

Yes those timings are correct.

So what you're both saying is that she could in theory be given a place at both and we choose which she attends?

x-post!

Assuming you are in England, a sensible approach is to put the school you really really want top, even if you know it would take a small miracle to get an offer. Then use middle preferences for schools you like and are reasonably likely to qualify for. But always include in last place the school you are most likely to qualify for, even if you don't like it much, as it's better to have that than some other undersubscribed school that may not even be logistically convenient.

12 to a class? In a state school?

It might be 12 to a class in a village school.

But no, you will not receive two offers. If you qualify for more than one school, you will receive a single offer from the one you gave the highest preference to. So your 'choice' is made when you fill in the form.

Yes crazybutterflylady, except you have to choose ahead of time. So you put down your list of preferences, then afterwards you will only be offered one school, and it will be take it or leave it -- but if you theoretically would have been offered more than one, it will be the one you listed highest.

sorry for x-posting - at least with everybody agreeing, you can be confident in our answers! :)

64 she definitely doesn't struggle to make friends and in fact she does already know a little girl who would be in her year.

I just feel as though school A is much more suited to her. I'd have to drive her which is a pain, but I think she would thrive a lot more there. They encourage reading from pre-school age which really appeals to me and she too loves books, it seems a lot more 'preparatory' for school if that makes sense, both academically and in terms of the daily routine. I know she's only 3 and has a lot of school time ahead but i feel this decision is quite important.

We are in a lower/middle/upper area so my husband reckons she might find the move to a huge school at 9 difficult but I'm thinking we never know where we might be in 5 years so we can't plan for that...?

That's great help, thank you all!

So where my head is now I'd list school A at 1 and school B at 2? There are other schools nearby but is rather she went to school B if she wasn't offered a place at A.

Oh sorry, yes it is a village school. Both are.

Well on your current thinking, I'd say you have a sound plan: put A first B second and 'banker' other school/s in remaining spaces.

Thank you all so much, I feel so much better!

don't only list A and B though, just because you are in catchment does not guarantee a place.

Are you sure they teach them as a class of 12? The PAN may be 12 but many schools with such a low PAN run mixed classes.

I'd be pretty amazed if a state school could afford to have an actual class size of 12.

And research how likely you are to get A. If it's unrealistic then I would go for B. They all follow the Early years curriculum and most learning should be play based at this stage. 12 in a class would put me off

Charles, they only take 12 each year but, yes, they're generally taught as a mixed class of 2 year groups with 2-4 staff members.

The head said they teach to key stage not age which I really like. It did put me off at first but she put me at ease.

I thought they all taught to key stage. My experience of good schools is that they group children according to ability in phonics and maths (from about age 4) and start those that are ready off with appropriate group work. My DC did this. Those that are not ready are not pushed too early, which is vital. As they are in a large school there are several groups in each class.

I am not keen at all on mixed year groups, differentiation nightmare.

You really seem to prefer A though so I think it's a no brainer to put it first.

I too would be stunned if a school could run a class of 12. Does this mean they are in mixed year groups throughout most of the Primary years?
You need to investigate that a bit more - there's no way a state school can survive on that funding, not if it's not on a really remote island somewhere where there isn't a choice (which clearly you aren't if another school is less than 2 miles away).

Personally, I think being able to walk to school is a MASSIVE advantage.
Going only on what you've said, I'd choose school B

x-posted

I suppose it's all down to personal preference and how the school feels. I just got a much more friendly, happy vibe from the smaller school. The head seemed a lot more involved than the 'business' style leader at school B. It was nice that she knew all the students by name for instance.

I think you've answered your own question really!

Yes the decision was much easier after the lovely PPs told me about how the application system works