Priorities for choosing primary school

[lebkucken]

My DS is nearly 3 and due to start primary school next year. Our nearest primary school is a big one (c. 500 pupils), rated "Good". Also near to us are a few village schools. The closest has c.70 pupils and is rated "Outstanding". None of the the village schools seems to have the wrap around care or the clubs of the big school, so this option would be trickier in terms of childcare.

DS goes to nursery and seems to be quite advanced for his age, e.g. He is desperate to learn to read and write, can already recognise most letters, read his name, talk confidently and accurately about what sounds words begin with. His speech is on a level with some of the 4 year olds in his nursery class. He can be disruptive when he's bored or not engaged and was moved from the toddler section of his nursery to the pre-school early for his age because of this. I'm concerned that when starting reception he'll be in a class with children who have never been in a formal learning environment before and this will frustrate him hugely. Would an "Outstanding" school be a better place for him or should I make life easier for myself by choosing the closest option?

I've also noticed on the school websites that the large school receives quite a lot in pupil premium (c. 120k) while the village schools don't receive much at all (less than 5k). What are the implications of this?

First and foremost: parents get to express a preference not make a choice. Have you checked last distance admitted at the schools in the last few years to see if you realistically have a chance at both or just the nearer one?

Many (most?) children entering school these days have had some early years education because of the free 15 hours.

Have you read the Ofsted reports? It's harder to get an outstanding these days and you may want to see which areas were identified as which and how old the reports are?

Go and look at any that are an option. Don't rule out any on the basis of OFSTED reports.
Find out if you have any chance of getting in to the further away, small, outstanding school, the lea will publish how far away the furthest person who got in lives.
Pupil premium is paid for any pupil who qualified in the last 6 years under the heading of free school meals, looked after child, forces (?) so a larger amount means more social diversity. It also means more money in the school coffers. They have to demonstrate that it is spent on the qualifying children but IME it benefits all of them.
To be 'outstanding' schools need to have good results in SATS, however this takes no account at all of the starting point of the pupils or how much progress they are making. 'Outstanding' can mean naice middle class intake, it doesn't necessarily mean outstanding teaching. My kids go to a fantastic school which has catered brilliantly to their needs but with a high proportion of FSM, EAL it will never rank as 'outstanding'.
Why do you think the other children will never have been in a 'formal learning environment', assuming by this you mean nursery/preschool and your 3 yr old is not doing 8 hours of tutoring a day? Reception is not and should not be formal anyway, they get plenty of opportunity to play and do self directed activities. Go and ask how they differentiate work to cater for bright pupils. My sons have both been reading well before school and it hasn't been a problem, in some ways if school are used to dealing with a very wide range of ability and starting points they may cope better with children at both ends of the spectrum.
Don't underestimate the importance of the time spent travelling every school day for 7 years and having local friends, plus convenient childcare.

It sounds like you are expressing a preference between good options, so that's a good situation to be in. Make sure if you go for the outstanding school that you include the one you are more likely to get into as option 2 or 3. Don't fall into the trap of putting 3 village schools and getting none of them, or you could be sent anywhere.

Go and have a look - the feel is probably the most important thing. How do the teachers and head interact with the children? Are the classrooms colourful and cared for? Or are they too "busy"? Do they show work from the full range of pupils (its a bit suspect if all the year 2 writing is beautifully done).

Personally I'd go for a bigger school, they have more money and staff, so usually can offer a wider range of extra curricula activities and other enrichment.

Most children have attended some for of pre-school or nursery, it is pretty unusual for a child to start school having not been to some early learning before.

I rate the importance of location very highly. Being able to walk to school and have local friends should not be underestimated in my opinion unless your local school is pretty terrible.

Our son's school has a 90 intake and is a very good school (Outstanding OFSTED) so don't assume a big school can't be good.

I agree to check maximum distance offered a place for the past few years as to get into a small school with an Outstanding OFSTED round here (suburbia) you'd have to live on the doorstep.

I also agree to check the OFSTED reports and look at the dates as I believe it is now harder to get an Outstanding. Also visit the schools and see for yourself what you think. They usually have visits in the autumn term before you apply.

And I agree yet again that the majority of children have been in a formal setting before starting school and many can do the same things your son can (and some can't). Any good school should be able to manage a range of starting points. For example my son is flying with his phonics but not so hot on writing. The school is supporting him with both.

Good luck finding the right place for your child.

There is no simple answer to this as you really need to assess what setting will help your son thrive. I have experience of both sizes of school so will tell you what I have learned from that.

Social aspects
A school of 70 pupils is very small. This means that your son will have very limited choices for finding a compatible friend. Also, boys tend to form group friendships and in a small school, that can mean that the group may not be one that suits your child. In a larger school, there is a greater chance that he will find his place socially.

Sport
Lots of chances to be on the team in a small school. However, size limits sports opportunities - will they have enough pupils to make up a team?

Music
Many small schools have next to no peripatetic music provision due to small numbers. There are also insufficient pupils to make up an orchestra/band etc.

Academic
If your child is very able, in such a small setting, it is very very likely that he will end up in a cohort of 1. As social animals we take much of our motivation from our peer group. In my experience being in a tiny academic cohort is socially isolating, demotivating and not much fun.

Nurture
This is where a small school comes into its own. The school can become an extension of home where individual needs are genuinely met.

Special needs
Quite often, bigger schools are better set up to cater for special needs. However smaller settings can often tailor provision to individual needs far more precisely.

Your son is still very young and it is hard to predict what he will need in the future. In a school of 500 children are still taught in small groups and whilst there may be less flexibility I suspect you may find that your son will have more choice within it. There is also a much bigger spectrum of ability so he is more likely to find a peer cohort.

One of the questions you might ask when you go round any of these schools, is how engaged the parents association is in the school. It will give you some idea of how invested the parents are in their children's education and what level of genuine school/parent partnership is embedded in the school culture.

I've probably forgotten lots of things, but ask around among as many parents as you can, making sure you talk to parents who have children at the top end of the school as this is often when deeper school problems start to surface.

Thanks for the replies- I'll definitely organise some visits later in the year and have had a read of some of the Ofsted reports. Convenience of location over the 7 year primary period is important to me. I loved walking home from school as a child,but to be honest,round here, "local" friends could still be a drive away.

We are in a rural area and children from the town I live in are admitted to all of the schools I'm looking at so i think they are realistic possibilities. The Ofsted report for the large "good" school says that the most able children are not reaching their full potential but as this has been identified as an area to work on perhaps that will change. Ofsted report also shows that the outstanding village school definitely has outstanding teaching (though it also has the "naice middle class intake" bakingtins suggested).

My comment about children who have never been in a formal learning environment was probably badly considered. It was based on something a friend who used to teach at the big school said to me about there being a stark difference in reception class between the children who had been to nursery and those who hadn't but now I think of it her experience was before the introduction of the free 15 hours.

Thanks StrongAsAnOx, some good suggestions on things to think about. I hadn't considered the limited social possibilites a small school would offer, though now I think of it, I remember DH (who went to a tiny school) telling me his sister had no friends at primary school as there was only one other girl in her year and they didn't get on .

lebkucken - I think it is great that you are taking it so seriously. School will become an enormous part of your child's life and will partly inform how he develops. Don't be shy of visiting now and then again later. When I visited schools for my first child I really had no idea what I was evaluating.

Make a table of criteria in order of priority and after each visit to a school score each box.

Go into classroom lessons. Are all the children engaged? Are there some pottering around getting their resources? Good learning behaviour is not the same as compliant behaviour. What level of resource is in place for small group teaching? How are the teaching assistants used in the school? Try and visit in the afternoon too when there might be external provision in place for languages, music and sport. Do those teachers have the same skills and standards as the regular teaching staff? (Remember Ofsted will very likely not have seen those external teachers who are essentially often providing cover for teacher preparation time). Also, watch the children on the playground and in the lunch hall. Is there adequate supervision? Are there any lonely ones and how are they catered for? Another great indicator of a good school is whether the local teacher training college thinks they support their Newly Qualified Teachers well. It tells you an enormous amount about the management of the school which is a critical factor in the success and happiness of all pupils.

It is also worth considering that in a very small school, the loss of one outstanding teacher has a huge impact. In a large school there is more scope for consistently high standards.

My children benefited in many ways from being in a small nurturing environment. Would I do it again? No. The social and academic downside for pupils working way ahead of their age cohort group had a very negative effect. But only you know your child and the right environment for him.

Big local school every time. For all the reasons above. Limited scope for friendships. Imagine a bookish boy stuck with a few boisterous boys or a sporty boyish girl with lots of quiet girly girls.

The nursery bit is a red herring. Few now don't do 15 hours some where. Those that don't typically have parents who instead do loads of stuff with them at home

around 500 children is not a big primary - I'm guessing that's 2 classes per year which is pretty standard.

Local school has huge benefits and for me would have to be dreadful before I'd consider something else. 70 children I would really worry was too small - in fact it's likely to consist of 3 mixed age group classes so much larger range of ability than your local Reception class!!

I'd also remember that you are picking a school that will suit your child to age 11 - don't get too focussed on what you want out of Reception.

I am guessing the 500 school actually has closer to 420- which is two classes per year.

As well as social factors of a small school, a big thing for me would be teachers. 70 kids is presumably 3 classes? That is only three different teachers over 7 years. If one is not so great, or simply not a good fit with your child, that is a big deal. Especially the case if they do a tiny YR class and then three years each with two teachers.

Another random point, I come from a family of teachers who all prefer to teach in at least two form entry. You get fresh ideas from your colleague in the same year and difficult groupings can be reduced when classes are shuffled.

This has been really useful. Loads of things to consider which I would never have thought of. I think I had a romantic idea (and no experience ) of what a small village school would be like so it's useful to have potential disadvantages pointed out.

I'd agree with many above that location is very important. If its walkable they can walk themselves in later years, if you have to drive, you will still be driving in year 6. If there are any siblings then you could have several trips with DC going to different clubs etc.
Do you know where the neighbours go? Can you ask their parents what they think. Very good points about more friendship groups, although re SN, DS1 goes to 1 class intake and they've been great.

DDs went to 2 form intake infants, then 5 form intake juniors. Juniors is brilliant - so many opportunities arise because of the bigger size - social, sporting, drama, music plus, importantly, academic as they can set for maths and other selected subjects. Friend's child is in a 1 form entry primary - so bigger than the ones you are looking at - and the opportunities are poor in comparison. Something to bear in mind