Choosng a primary school

[Oysterbabe]

My DD is due to start in reception September 2020 and we're just doing the school tours now. There are 3 schools that we're in catchment for and have a good chance of getting into whichever one we put as first choice. DH and I can't agree.

School 1: Rated outstanding. Closest to us. DD's best friend from nursery is going there. Our next door neighbours kids all go there too and she would be happy to help with pick up if we found ourselves stuck one day.

School 2: Rated good. Most convenient for drop off because it's on DH's route to work. A few nursery friends will be going there. It has a really slow and gentle settling in process that I think will suit our sensitive child.

School 3: Rated outstanding and has best sats results. Least convenient location, it would be a bit of a pain but we'd figure it out. Half the number of pupils than the other schools and quite quirky - no uniform or lessons. Excellent breakfast, afterschool and holiday club.

What do you think are the most important considerations? I've changed my mind about 20 times.

If it was me, I'd forget number three immediately... location and travel is really important for primary school imo. It's seven long years...you don't want to struggle with that trust me.

Either of the other two sound promising...

In my opinion
Most important considerations

• is it local (huge intangible benefits to going to a local school)
• can you get there easily (walkable would get extra marks from me!)?
• do you like the ethos of the school?
• Can you imagine your child being happy there?
• can you imagine your child being happy there in 3/4/5/6 years time (you're not just picking a school for Reception!)?

Not important

• Ofsted (especially if the report was not particularly recent)
• friends (Your DC will make friends and you'll make new contacts wherever she goes)
• the settling in process (IME slow is a pain as the child just finds it confusing tbh) - you are picking a school for more than the first 6 weeks.
• size would also not bother me unless very small

I mostly agree with RedSky - Ofsted is important to me but it can change - my kids good school is now RI.

But are you really lucky enough to be in catchment for all 3? And do you really have a good chance of getting into any of them? --In my limited experience - this doesn't happen with schools with Outstanding.....please please please double check the entrance criteria and the actual admissions that were made last year and the year before. And if it is true....please share where this place is, as there will be lots of people wanting to move somewhere there is a choice of outstanding primaries where you don't need to live next door to the school and the property prices haven't risen 2000% above the area with the RI school.

1 and 2 would both be fine so I'd go by which I felt most comfortable with. If you still can't choose then I'd go for 1 because you have the neighbour who can help out and having friends within walking distance will be good for dd when she's older and more independent.

I'm a great believer in gut feeling with choosing schools. Did one give you a more positive gut feeling over the others?

Number 3 sounds odd. What kind of school is it?

1 and 2 both sound equally good so I would go with whichever is closest to home.

Scrap 3. Inconvenient location is a no go.

Go with gut feel on the other two.

How do you feel about the ethos of no3? This should be an easy one - if you love it then you will sort logistics. If you’re not sure then bin it. Personally I like the sound of no lessons, child centric learning. But does it work in this case?
The aftershool care is a massive plus if you work.

Good vs outstanding doesn’t matter that much, though just check the report and see what the comments were.

I agree that long settling ins aren’t always the best - until your child is compulsory school age (which none will be until January at the earliest) you can always give them a 4 day week etc until they’re ready for 5 days. But if the school has a more nurturing ethos in general this sounds a good fit for your child.

In short, what is your gut saying? Go with it!

Thanks all, this is really helpful.

We are 450m from school 1, 500m from school 2 and 800m from school 3. We're one corner of a diamond shape if you drew a line between them. Based on the 2017 and 2018 admissions we would have been just inside catchment for all 3. And yes, that is reflected in the housing costs round here! There is a risk we won't be in catchment for them all if there are a particularly high number of applicants this year.

We haven't seen school 3 yet, the tour isn't until December. It's still obviously very close to us but it's in the wrong direction and timings will be fairly tight. It's difficult to call it between 1 and 2, they're both lovely. Maybe I slightly preferred the head at school 2, she was very warm and friendly and her own child started reception there this year.

450m from school 1, 500m from school 2 and 800m from school 3

You’re in a good location!

I really don’t see that those distances make any significant difference.

Many people will say scrap number 3 but we went with the school some distance from us (3.5 miles in our case!) because our gut feeling was by far the best, we liked its quirkiness (sadly since become much less quirky, including the introduction of uniform). 800 m is nothing. If wraparound around and holiday care is important to you then having these on site is a big plus (this also factored into our decision). Our DC1 is in Yr1 now and we remain happy with having gone for the less obvious choice, despite the logistical inconveniences. Though we are considering moving nearer (for other reasons too). Just to give an alternative perspective!

Catchment and distance to school are two different things. Catchment is the defined area they have to accept from. It makes no difference on the number of applicants as to whether or not you are in catchment - that doesn't change.

Then there are the actual admissions criteria below catchment - so Looked After Children is typically number 1, then siblings in catchment (by distance), then children in catchment (by distance), siblings not in catchment (by distance), children out of catchment (by distance). -- throw into the mix children of staff which can be higher or lower priority depending on how hard it is to recruit teachers..... One of your choices needs to be the school you will 'definitely' get into.

Catchments here don't really exist as such. They'll offer places to the looked after kids then siblings then allocate the remaining places to the closest children. There's no defined area that they have to accept from, so the 'catchment' area changes every year.

I'd go number 2.

• on the way to work is super convenient, makes for an easier morning and better for 'Charlie has thrown up, please come and get him'
• you said warm and nurturing
• I was thinking that before you mentioned that the HT sent her own child there and you liked that better- that's a huge compliment for a school imo

It’s not a compliment. The Head lives in catchment and its convenient! Heads don’t get any greater choice of schools. Most Heads I know, and have worked with, don’t have their DC at their schools. For a whole host of very good reasons. I actually cannot think of one Head who had their own DC at their own school.

Choose the school you prefer. Write down what matters to you and evaluate which school meets the criteria best?

Recent Ofsteds can be trusted and you should be aware of what the school is doing to improve. All schools can improve and I would like to see one evolving and planning for the future. I like a happy but purposeful atmosphere. Results tend to be good where parents are engaged and better educated. It’s not always as a result of good teaching. Some DC have every advantage and will do well, even with mediocre teaching. What school makes you exited for your DC when you go in?

They are all close, that's fab - I would go for 1 its closest and LO has friends going there or 3, because of the wraparound/holiday care / sats results and i'm intrigued by the quirkiness - is it a LEA State school? an academy?