Youngest ds didn’t get into any school choices

[PreemieBlessing]

My youngest ds didn’t get into same school as eldest ds (catholic school and we are not catholic- More catholic children applied this year). Didn’t get into the other 2 schools on our choices either (as we are slightly outside catchment for them).
Have no strong for appeal and added ourselves to waiting list of all the schools we selected. Have been offered a school right near our house we had never considered because of the lower demographic in the other side of the school. Having said that results for kS2 and 11+ pass have been higher than our selected schools. Went to see the new school and actually not as bad as we thought, head teacher was very frank that there is a different demographic but they push able students. I’m getting conflicting messages with ppl about it being a rubbish school, awful families and kids going there, but then how does this stack up to the results? On school visit we felt that the children were well behaved in class and school seemed to be in good control. They are making improvements in their library year and have 2 heads now as executive head covers 2 schools in the academy.

I’m lost on what to do, we have accepted the space at the new school but unsure how I feel.

We can manage two siblings in different schools using breakfast and after school club but it’s not ideal.

Anyone been through same thing? Words from experience?

My DD goes to a school that sounds a lot like the one that you have been offered. The teaching and pastoral care are excellent. When we moved house we chose to keep her there rather than move her to the catchment school with a better Ofsted report.

Locally there are several schools which have had a long reputation of being "the best schools in the area". All of them had been judged as Outstanding by Ofsted at their previous inspection. The catchment areas for them are in a relatively wealthy part of town.

When Ofsted finally got around to inspecting them again last year, it quickly became clear that these schools had been coasting. They went from 'Outstanding' to 'Requires Improvement' and the Heads were swiftly replaced. It was a shock for a lot of families.

I would ignore the gossip and local reputation and go by what you have actually seen for yourself.

It will do your DS the world of good to go to a school with kids from a "lower demographic" and learn to be less of a judgmental snob than you.

@PCohle oh calm down. unfortunate phrasing, but some schools from problem areas you wouldn’t send your worst enemy to. same applied to some true snob schools.

some schools from problem areas you wouldn’t send your worst enemy to

But this one has better results than the schools OP wanted, and the kids are well behaved.

So literally the only reason OP hasn't considered it is that her little darling might have to rub shoulders with "rough" kids who have "never looked at books".

add on: in a lot of areas of work) demographic groups are numbered (in my area 1-5). as it happens ,ours works the way round (1 is super rich, 5 barely surviving), but we usually talk about focusing on the higher/lower groups (i.e. 1/2 or 4/5), so i would think that’s where the op comes from. unfortunate in this context, but not the end of the world

"Lower demographic"?

Please don't use phrases like "lower demographic" around your kids.

It sounds like the school has good behaviour, strong leadership and great results. These are more important factors than being able to go to sleepovers at big houses with naice ham.

Not all well off people are snobs. Not all disadvantaged people are rough.

It sounds like a good school, other parents would probably love to have had their kids accepted there.

Take up the place, stay on the waiting lists and keep your options open. Contact LEA regularly to ensure you stay on the list.

As the area on the other side of the school (not our side closest to school) has lower demographic of families, we hadn’t considered this school.

WTF is a “lower demographic”?

Are you one of the Rees-Moggs?

I'm just waiting around to find out if lower demographic is the new euphemism for poor.

So, if the school has good results despite having a “lower demographic” just imagine what they could do for your naice middle class darlings.

by trying to find the best school for your DC.

One with the best results, for example? Seems OP is less fussed about that.

parents with the same aspirations

This is what makes you a snob. I would have been in that "lower demographic" group at the beginning of primary school. I guarantee my parents aspirations remained the same as they became wealthier and moved into one of the posh areas you clearly prefer the children from.

DD has a wide group of friends from all sorts of backgrounds. None of the parents want anything other than their children to be happy and do well at school.

But, I'm sure you'll pick her friends for her and decide the "lower" children won't darken your door.

I find this rather amusing, in Scotland we don't get a choice our children go to the nearest school in our catchment area, i was lucky my DD's school was 2 minutes around the corner, so no school run, according to gossip it wasn't a good school, DD's did well at the school and there local secondary school, both have very good paying job's, if children want to learn they will regarding what reputation the school has.