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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Has anyone made school choices without looking round?

28 replies

Haylstones · 08/01/2008 13:01

We live very close to our local school (2 min walk) and have put it down as our first choice. Second choice school is slightly further, probably a 25 minute walk. We have made these choices without looking round any schools- we have looked at Ofsted reports but tbh they wouldn't have influenced our decisions. The basis for our 1st choice decision was from knowing other parents who have children at the school, the distance from home, generally good reputation and (this one will sound silly) from hearing the children in the playground both during lessons and free time they all sound really happy. Second choice was for similar reasons, 3rd and 4th we know to be good schools and the next closest.
We were happy with making this decision without looking round but I'm now thinking it may help dd if she has a look round what will hopefully be her school in September (plus everybody else I've spoken to has done rounds and rounds of all the local schools, comparing notes etc, making me feel real like I haven't made enough effort)

Maybe I should have put this in the AIBU topic but I'd appreciate your thoughts on it.

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prettybird · 08/01/2008 13:09

We only aplied to ur catchment school (system in Scotland is different) - but initially we hadn't realsied we were already in its catchment and were going to do a placing request.

This was even before we visited - the school's reputation and its HMI report are outstanding. And there were other reasons why we didn't want ds to go the clsoest school.

In the event, I only got a tour of the school as I was enrolling him! (which is done later this month in Glasgow).

You knwo the schools in your area and are comfortable with yuor decsion. Don't let what others have done or not done worry you.

At our school, they do "familiaristaion days" (or more accurately half days) in June, where the next year's intake get to spend half a day at the school. At the frist afternoon, the parents get given a talk by the school about unfirm, homework, routines etc and at the second one, they are expected to leave the school and come back and pick them up at the end of the session.

Oblomov · 08/01/2008 13:13

I only looked round our first choice. It is our nearest, catholic, lovely, brilliant reputation. Quietly confident ds will get in, would despair if had to go to other choices, because they are truely awful.

bobsmum · 08/01/2008 13:16

WE had a "choice" of 2 schools. One is 5 miles away the other 10. Ds would have known children in both but we chose the closer, smaller school without seeing round the other one. And it was so the right choice - he's very happy and the school run isn't as hellish as it could have been

FioFio · 08/01/2008 13:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LadyMuck · 08/01/2008 13:21

Everyone is looking for something different when they look at a school - often influenced by their own memories of school, as I discovered when I was favouring smaller one form entry schools whilst Dh felt that 2 or more forms felt better.

If you don't feel any burning need to visit at this stage, then don't. You will almost certainly be givien the opportunity to see the place in the summer term before dd starts.

[But just to make you paranoid - I visited loads of schools. I even visited my default one three times before concluding that it wasn't for ds1]

nimnom · 08/01/2008 13:29

We are in the same situation as you. There was no question of ds going to any other school but our closest so we did the same as you, listened to other parents and children and didn't look round anywhere.

nimnom · 08/01/2008 13:29

I should say that ds started last January and he loves it and we are really pleased.

JingleyJen · 08/01/2008 13:31

we didn't look round as there is little choice in this area so even if we had loved it or hated it we would still have chosen it.

We have decided not to look at the local private option and we are going to wait and see how ds gets on with his first year at the local school first.

Original poster

Haylstones · 08/01/2008 13:48

This is reassuring, thanks. If I had any concerns about the school I'd have looked round so I suppose I should have more confidence in my own decisions! I hadn't thought about dd having a chance to have settling in sessions so am reassured by that.
Thanks!

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Polgara2 · 08/01/2008 13:57

No didn't look around any primary schools. We knew which one we wanted (well established, best in town and dh's family had attended) and put it as first choice (even though it wasn't the nearest) and the nearest one as 2nd choice (but didn't really want it iykwim!). Fortunately dd1's year must have a low birth rate because she got in no problems. Wouldn't have got in now if we still lived where we did when she started though.

aintnomountainhighenough · 08/01/2008 14:31

We looked around at both state and private but only because we didn't like the local school. It sounds like you have lots of choice around you however I must admit I am the sort of person who would like to look around/talk to the head anyway just to make sure.

Twinkie1 · 08/01/2008 14:34

DD goes to the only school in our village - checked the ofstead reports before signing her up but there is not much choice and it is only 3 minutes walk away so really easy for me to get her there. We were told by lots of people that people move to the village just so their kids get into this school as you have to have a 'village postcode' to automatically get in - we also know one person who lives outsde the village but rents a house in the village just so his daughter goes there!

Twinkie1 · 08/01/2008 14:34

Wow just read that and I sound super smug!

prettybird · 08/01/2008 14:57

ChippyMinton · 08/01/2008 15:40

We moved to a new area and had a 'choice' of 6-7 primaries, all with (at the time) fairly similar results and ofsteds, but very different characters. Discounted three on distance, and one on hearsay that it was going downhill (subsequently proved to be the case), visited the remaining two and plumped for our original 'on paper' choice, although I would've been happy with either.

You could still visit, to put your mind at rest?

expatinscotland · 08/01/2008 15:42

there is no choice here.

there's one primary school with 60 pupils in total and the other one is Gaelic with all of about 100 pupils.

and one secondary school for miles and miles, in fact its catchment is so huge, some students have to board.

TellusMater · 08/01/2008 15:47

I didn't look around. For ds I put our village school as our first and only choice. I knew people whose children went and they were happy. For dd I have put a second choice, because there are loads more applicants now (although she has a sibling so is unlikely to be refused), but I didn't visit the school in question. It is the next nearest school.

Original poster

Haylstones · 08/01/2008 15:49

Thanks all. Expat, it sounds like you live very very near to where I was brought up! I had a limited choice of primary schools and only one secondary for literally miles and miles- you had no choice on where you went!

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expatinscotland · 08/01/2008 15:50

we sort of like it, haly.

before we were in a city where if you weren't able to afford to live in some areas which could be costly, it was possible to wind up in a very, very bad school.

whereas here it's one less thing to worry about.

Original poster

Haylstones · 08/01/2008 15:56

YEs, I sort of wish we still lived there (Scotland- now in South WEst England) and my school years really were fantastic, I always felt safe and we all knew each other, especially secondary. My family still live there and my sis goes to local school (huge age gap!) and we love visiting but dh would go stir crazy living somewhere like that. Also, the job opportunities just aren't there for us, dh in particular. And I'd miss the shops Am still slightly envious of you!

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differentYearbutthesamecack · 08/01/2008 17:17

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Toothyboy · 08/01/2008 20:22

We didn't look round. The most important criteria was that we could walk to school, so that gave me a choice of 3. One was a faith school, which is v popular so I wasn't sure if ds1 would get in as we are not church goers. Of the other 2, 1 has a much better reputation than the other, so we chose that one. Ds1 has been there for a term and I'm very happy with our choice.

ChippyMinton - if you return to this thread I'd be very interested to know which is the school that's going downhill! Initial only if you prefer - just hope it's not ours !

ChasingSquirrels · 08/01/2008 20:25

I did exactly the same (distances slightly different). I would have probably done differently if I had heard awful things about the school.

ChippyMinton · 08/01/2008 20:28

It's not yours, which was my second choice. How's is toothyboy jr. getting on?
I was referring to the 'popular' one, several parents I know are quite unhappy, and hardly anyone has chosen it for Sept 2008, prefering yours or mine.

Toothyboy · 08/01/2008 20:49

Phew! Ds1 is doing really well - he loves it! How's your ds2(?) getting on?

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