Please help me choose which school!

[Doublegloucester]

Hello, would be grateful for thoughts on which order you'd put these schools in in my situation please (dd reasonably bright, due to start at 4.5). All four are Ofsted good, currently. Don't have previous admissions stats but people from my area seem to get into all four:

School A: 12ish min walk away - closest. Over 400 children there. Stats not great in terms of pupil progress. Ofsted report before last was in need of improvement and mentioned that the high achievers weren't being pushed as much as they should have been. Near industrial estate and motorway noise pollution. New interim head starting to turn things around, I think.

School B: 15 mins total journey, walk and bus....except buses are rubbish, so bus gets to the village at the same time as school starts. There is earlier bus which would be ok for breakfast club (for 4yo?). 30 min wait after school for bus home. I don't drive due to disability. Dh drives but works irregular hours - he could prob do 3 drop offs a week but no pick ups. Taxi would be only other option. However only 100 children there, 15 admissions per year. Classes with 2 years mixed together. Fields next door to school. Results skewed by the fact that there are so few children there so it doesn't come out at the top but consistently good Ofsted. Small community feel tempting.

School C: 25 mins walk and bus but on a better served bus route. Less need for taxi/lift/hanging around than with school B. Around 400 pupils. Better progress stats than school A. Village, so nicer area than school A. Still big.

School D: 25-30 mins walk away. 350 or so pupils. Good Ofsted and progress stats but near industrial estate/motorway noise pollution. Trek!

Thanks for any help!

Which senior schools does each tend to go on to?

School A, or failing that school D. You will be heartedly sick of getting the bus well before your DC has finished going there - and you also need to think about picking them up from playdates/after school clubs and events.

100 children might seem great for your 4 year old but it will feel very claustraphobic once they get older.

A

None of the other schools are enough of an improvement over A to make the hassle travelling worth it. You can do lots to help her at home if it is a bit 'bog standard'.

420 (so 2 form entry) is the perfect size IMO- Primary teacher who has worked in a lot of different sized settings.

Go visit them all, stats can only tell you so much. School A is the one to beat

Ooh interesting responses, thank you! B and C feed into a reasonable secondary. Number of options on secondary for A and D, ranging from inadequate to reasonable.

I would say A as well

The extra time you have after school cab be used to touch up on anything you think they are lacking on.

Take it from someome who's done alot of buses etc. It's hard work and miserable in the winter and it's only worth it if the school you are avoiding is extremely dire (ours was)

Secondary is probably more important so save any extra hassle for that.

I would look at them all carefully, assuming A as the default. Being close by will pay of dividends ++ when your dd can do that walk there and back independently.
25-30mins walk +/- buses sounds a major hassle for many reasons (consider potential for very tired young child in early years + never being able to do it independently)
If school A is much of a muchness in terms of academics etc to the others then I think you should go for that. If your dd doesn't do well there for any reason there is always the option of moving her later on. You can always consider a change of location later on as well.

Our ds was at the state primary he was allocated (about 15mins walk away, not our catchment school or the next closest to that) - being close was fantastic. Unfortunately he hated it (60 EYFS kids in one large room, 90% of those kids from a socially challenging area on the other side of the school from us which seemed to lead to endless problems) and we moved him after two terms. It is possible he would have eventually settled, but there were other things I didn't like (no reading books in reception 'because reading is too difficult for them', minimal aspirations by the school, poor struggling stressed out overworked teachers etc).

I would consider the surroundings of the school to be irrelevant really. Yes lovely green fields, old historic buildings and no traffic noise are fabulous, but it doesn't really affect quality of education or your child's happiness.

DS1 is about to enter yr2 in his independent school. It is a small school (1 form entry up to yr8) - the facilities are perfectly adequate but not flashy/new/spacious etc. It is in the centre of a town with whatever concerns about pollution/noise that might bring (none to me). But ds1 enjoys it there and it seems to be able to provide something for each child. For him, more order & structure, with celebration of his interests has been really valuable. Shame it is 15mins drive away!

Two form entry in walkable distance would get my vote - my two went through a one form entry village primary (5 mins walk from home) which was lovely in the infants but they really could have done with a change / bigger pool of friends by years 4 & 5.

I'd choose A and spend the extra time you have filling in any gaps / encouraging him at the subjects he loves or struggles with.

Buses are great until one breaks down or there's an accident causing delays anywhere on route.

Good luck with your decision

I'm surprised that the consensus seems to be the larger schools tbh, thought you would all be saying to sacrifice everything for a smaller class size. Glad that has challenged me.

I'm surprised that the consensus seems to be the larger schools tbh, thought you would all be saying to sacrifice everything for a smaller class size.

School B would't have a smaller class size though as two years are taught together - so still 30 in a class.

Class size won't be smaller though - if there are 15 per year it will still be 30/class.

A. Round our area 2 form / 400 DC isn't big. Most are 3 form entry.
Nothing will make your life easier other than going to nearest school unless it was totally dire. We walk 10-15 mins and would not want to commute more. The logistics re clubs and friends are sooo much easier if you are close.

Its not only the drop off/pick up you need to consider. DS's school which admittedly is a 3 form entry seems to have numerous times each year where parents are invited/requested to go in (parents evenings, meet the teacher, sports days, share sessions, information sessions, shows, etc).

There would need to be something very wrong with school A for me not to choose it.

Smaller school=fewer resources.
As a PP has already said, an intake of 15 doesn't mean smaller class sizes as 2 years will be taught together - which is actually potentially a minus as the teacher will have to cater for a wider range of ability.

Hmm thanks, that's true re numbers. The thing that bothers me about school A is that it has only come up to a 'good' standard about a year ago and the progress stats are worse than the other schools.

That probably means they are going to work hard on their progress stats so you would be joining at the right time. It would concern me more about an interim Head. What is the plan for a permanent Head? That appointment will be key.

If you cannot drive, the other options are pants really. What would you do about after school clubs? Friends? It will end up being isolating with buses to catch. How will your DD get home after play dates after school?

Generally speaking, visit the local school and ask lots of questions. Don't forget the progress (or lack of progress) has been achieved under the previous regime. It is not a current judgement for children lower down the school, so ask what progress is now looking like. What are they doing to accelerate progress and where are their strengths and weaknesses? How are they going about improving their weaknesses? Do they welcome parental involvement to help with this, e.g. Hearing children read. I would say go local - and 400 is not big. Staff will know all the children.

Being able to walk to school is a HUGE plus, particularly if your alternative is a bus, it will become a big hassle so I'd rule out B&C.

Sounds like it's most likely that your child will get a place at A, as will children who live near you. It will be a helluva lot easier for you, as a non-driver, to manage after school activities, friends playdates etc if you can walk everywhere.

Go with A

B sounds hellish for you. Not B!

Have you seen round them?

I think it sounds like your heart is set on School B. So go with School B. It is a bit of a trek but lots of people travel farther. Maybe you could move nearer when she starts?

Remember "Requires improvement" used to be called "satisfactory".

DD has just left primary school but we've seen the whole range of Ofsted ratings during her time there (and her older brother's). As a parent I have no idea why the schools' ratings changed so frequently, nor did they necessarily agree with my perception of the school as a parent.

Also remember the national curriculum changed a couple of years' ago, so progress figures have to be treated with a pinch of salt. It sounds like A is a school on the way up, which is a great place to be joining in Reception.

A unless when I visited it I really really didn't like it

Thanks everyone, you've given me plenty to think about. I will do some digging re the school A situation, what's happening about a head etc. I know they welcome parents coming in to listen to reading, which is a positive.
Really glad I started this thread, it's been very thought provoking. Thanks all.

It's quite hard when they are so little (3.5 now right?) to imagine them at 8,9, 10... but try to if you can!
I opted for small village school initially and it worked well for the first couple of years but much more quickly than I thought it just felt too small - small friendship pool (exacerbated for mine as they are twins), not enough kids to form teams for sports, limited resources etc. Moved them end of year 1 to a two form entry and it's been so much better for us.
So do try to think a bit about how the school will suit all the way to yr 6 (assuming you have no plans to move area etc)

And def the closer the better...the school run very quickly becomes utterly tedious so make it as short as you can unless there is a really excellent reason to go further afield

Good luck!