Why did you choose your DC’s primary school?

[Cloud1220]

We’ve just started to look at schools for a reception place next year and I’m interested to know what others have found to be the key deciding factors when you’ve been choosing schools - what really ‘sold’ it to you?

In Scotland you go to your catchment school*. I like it because it takes away any element of choice or decision making about where to choose. Mostly very happy with my children's school.

*unless you're catholic or make a placement request under specific criteria for another school.

Walkable- sounds silly, obviously if it was a shit school then I wouldn’t have picked it but distance is important. Friends will be local, not panicked about traffic, I can drop and pick up my child from school whilst working from home easily.

Embarrassingly it was just my local infant school. We put DS's school down because it was closest.

What sold it to me was the promise of mud and campfires, the evidence that they valued individual children and adjusted to their needs and the genuine recommendations from other parents who had children there already. I will admit I was looking to like it, because it’s our catchment school and I didn’t want the uncertainty of applying somewhere risky.
No regrets though - it’s been a brilliant school for us.

Walkable

After school club. The one in my village had a waiting list for 2 year (it took 25 kids - school took 400). So we appealed for the school in the next village

Literally it's the closest and only school in the village.

Closest one and can walk in five minutes. Six years in and best decision.

Religious beliefs. Mine go to a RC school

Gut feeling. Plus strong emphasis on outdoor learning, creativity and play as well as good results. Going and visiting is the best way to decide. We hated one we thought we would
like and liked one we though we would hate. Plus you know your kid best. Doesn’t matter what works for anyone else you have to find the best fit for your child.

We went by the vibe, went out of catchment and crossed into a different county.

Regret we didn't choose the local school which was within walking distance albeit a considerable walk!

It’s across the road
It was Outstanding and has continued to be.
It has breakfast, after school and holiday care
It wasn’t horrible when we looked round.

My youngest is 10. She’ll be off soon. It’s not been too bad at all, but I am so over primary school!

It was the closest school, the only one in the village, so we didn't give it any thought.

It was small. It's the only single form entry school near us and my DS needed that small environment

@Invisimamma

In Scotland you go to your catchment school*. I like it because it takes away any element of choice or decision making about where to choose. Mostly very happy with my children's school.

*unless you're catholic or make a placement request under specific criteria for another school.

We're in Scotland and didn't like our catchment school so chose the local school we wanted. It's called a placing request. Only catch is you have to provide transport.

I worked out from the closest... Went around the outstanding school at the end of our road... Didn't have a good feel, wasn't very welcoming, very pushy academically, weren't interested (heavily over subscribed), felt a little cold... Nothing wrong with it I suppose just didn't grab me.

Next school.. Too religious for me, wasn't overly keen on only 1 class entry as reception class we looked at only had 10 children of 1 gender... Might not be as easy to make friends
Last school... Went just to dismiss it but loved it... Felt like a community, warm, welcoming, importance of settling kids into rhythm of school life over being top of tables, had 1.5 class entry, 2 classes in reception, moved kids around in ks so made more friends and separated ones that needed to be. I knew my children would be happy there..

What you need to work out is what are your priorities from a school... Hard when you haven't been in one for a while!

Some have lots of extra curricular activities, wrap around care, forest school, good music lessons etc

Closest and outstanding in every area.

It was the one we liked better of the two closest (the only two we could be reasonably sure of getting in to).

It had better outdoor space, and good results (pupils reaching expected standard, plus added value, plus we knew people there who were clear it wasn't a SATS factory) and just felt right

Both were walkable (really important)

Walkable - partly for convenience, no parking issues then and easy on evening events too. Partly because many of their friends would also be living nearby to meet up, walk home together etc.

When we looked around we got a really nice feel about it.

Great facilities, trips, clubs etc

Friends had children already there and had good things to say.

I will add that it wasn’t great on the league tables at the time, but I knew from friends that improvement measures were in place. In the time my DC have been there, it is now the best in the area.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Walkable- sounds silly, obviously if it was a shit school then I wouldn’t have picked it but distance is important. Friends will be local, not panicked about traffic, I can drop and pick up my child from school whilst working from home easily.

Exactly this.

It was close, small and a faith school which I wanted. I didn’t even look around it. I knew people who had sent their children who were very happy with it and went with it.

Only one in catchment

School one... only school in the area.
School two... only school in the area..
School three... it had places.
School four... its across the road.

We asked for the second closest due to the community feel and excellent pastoral care. I would have been happy with the closest too though- both excellent schools academically.
I only regret my choice when I'm wading through a water logged field full of cow shit because I've left it too late to walk along the roads. I'm too stubborn to take the car.

Do you get a choice? I thought it went by catchment?