Too much of a gamble?

[theapplesinthetrees]

Hello,

I am another parent with a reception 2022 starter.

We have now been and seen the schools in person of the ones that we have a realistic chance of getting into.

We liked them both and whilst I appreciate that none of you will have first-hand knowledge and experience of the schools we are considering, I would welcome your thoughts.

One of the schools is a 2 form entry of 60 pupils per year group. The school is consistently good. Without being a snob or classist(?), the catchment is very middle-class and the school has some fantastic clubs and enrichment opportunities on offer later down the line when DD is a little older.

The second school is a Catholic school. In 2017 it was Ofsted rated as requiring improvement. It was subsequently closed in 2019 and re-opened as an Academy as part of a Trust. Since then there has been a clear out of staff and the new staff have turned the school around. Locally it has a really growing reputation with parents. The current HT has done a fantastic job. However, they haven't yet had the Ofsted visit, which is due Feb 2022, after the primary applications have to be in. The school serves a much wider catchment area with a high proportion of disadvantaged children, not so many clubs on offer, but I am having my head turned by the growing reputation....

Would we be gambling with DD's education by considering it - are we mad to even be thinking about it if the current staff leave would it revert back? The nice middle class school is the better (and safer) option, isn't it?

(I should DH is a Catholic and DD has been Baptised).

Help me see sense!

From a similar experience with secondary schools, the previously failing school will be having more money thrown at it and a new HT can make a big difference. I'd look at the catchment secondaries for the two schools and go for the one with the easier route to the secondary school you want. (also a 2022 reception parent, with an older DC at secondary)

Personally I would go with school one, the intake of children can make a real difference over where time and money is spent and the extra curricular is really important to us.

Extra curricular is important to me, but DH has said that the Catholic side is important to him.

School 1 without a doubt

Is RC one one form?

I personally would go with school 1 but it's an individual thing as religion wouldn't be on my list of priorities for a school and it does make a difference to the day to day of how a school is run and will have an impact on the experience your DC has in school. I think you need to sit down with DH and make a list of top 5 priorities for schools and this might help you come closer to an agreement on what is right for DC.

Easily school 2. You are creating a value base for your young DC, and to me, being able to socialise and learn in a diverse setting would be right up there with academic attainment and extra curricular activities.
I have worked for decades in 'school 2'-type schools. My DC attend a 'school 1', and it's good, but they are missing out on the vibrancy and dynamism of a learning environment reflective of a broader demographic. I worry that their school sits a bit smugly in its position of relative privilege, and that this is evident in how the school 1 engages with important issues in society; either with ignorance or benign condescension, because, well, they don't really need to know. DD1 once described someone as a 'chav' last year; she'd heard it at school. I cannot imagine a pupil in my school ever using this phrase, as they'd instinctively know it was disrespectful.
If your school 2 option also has a more diverse cultural mix, it would be in the bag for me. You will be opening doors and facilitating connections and friendships, the conditions for which would otherwise likely never happen.
The social opportunities offered by a broader catchment such as school 2's are really hard to replicate as a parent, where as if your DC's school doesn't offer netball club as an extra curricular activity, you can easily make your own arrangements.
Otherwise, consider whether the school feels warm and happy. A parent said to me just last week that she chose our school years ago because she'd seen a group of us teachers laughing and talking in the playground at the end of the day; apparently we were there as the group of parents arrived for their tour, and still there 10 minutes later at the end of the tour. She said it told her all she needed to know; we liked hanging out together and didn't seem stressed so ours was likely a happy, relaxed school. Spot on.

I agree with @WarmthAndDepth
Mixed demographic diverse schools win my vote. Massive advantages in terms of life skills & the culture.
But I also like bigger schools.

I think the diversity thing depends on the school. I live in a very white, middle class area. We are semi-rural. I had no choice but to send my child to a 99% white, middle class school. BUT the school we choose is brilliant. They very much acknowledge their lack of diversity & actively work to show all walks of life, religion & cultures in school. It’s something their last Ofsted really praised & I’m continually impressed with depth they go into. Ultimately, I can’t get away from DD only playing & having white friendships but with school & our education of the world at home, I don’t worry that she’ll be remotely disrespectful or ignorant.

I have yet to see a diverse Catholic school where I live. People drive miles to go to them and they are selective based on religion! Poor people cannot afford the transport! City schools might be different.

The Catholic schools are all about keeping the faith. Other schools have a daily act of worship but don’t push religion. I think you can do the RC bit if you need to and it would be the last of my priorities.

High quality teaching means way more. A child that’s challenged and engaged is a happy child. Yes, schools do yo-yo in and out of RI and worse. It is far more difficult to keep staff where pupils are challenging. Easier jobs beckon elsewhere. Or they move on to the next challenge. The schools that yo-yo the most tend to have more children who need more input. So if teaching isn’t good enough or children are not supported Ofsted notice. Children make their own decisions about their “tribe” eventually. You won’t social engineer their lives.