choosing a primary school...getting ridiculously stressed about it....

[lucylala]

I'm normally a laid back kind of mum - a 'oh it'll be all right' type of person where my kids are concerned and I thought I'd be the same when it came to applying for schools. There are 2 schools in our area, both of them are 'all right', seem quite nice was thinking I'd be fairly happy whichever one she went to but now I've got the form to fill in I'm having a total freak out - how do I decide????

Do I go on Offsted reports? (they both appear to score 2's for nearly everything)
Do I go on location (one is 'slightly' more convenient than the other)
Do I go on catchment areas (one has a nasty estate next to it but also a v nice estate so presume kids will be a mix)
Do I just decide on my gut reaction when I visit?

I've asked local parents and obviously they've all said they are happy with the school their kids are at - so that's not very objective.

Help!

As on paper they seem very even, go and visit. One may just feel much more "right". Thats how we chose dc's school and have never regretted decision.

I'd go on gut reaction and how 'happy' the kids seem whenyou visit. it doesn't really make much difference academically at this age - they need to feel safe and have nice friends. and you need to be able to make friends at the school gate so your gut is probably best.

I'd steer away from the 'nasty' estate tbh. It only takes a couple of problem children to ruin it for the whole class

As a completely ruthless, detached & totally scientific indicator do the shoes test and also have a look at the number of level 5s (rather than 4s) they attain for English, Maths & Science on www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables

Then on the visit see which one the children seem the better behaved at, the happiest, the most engaged.

whats the shoes test

This totally impartial, scientific method is where you look to see what kind of shoes the children are wearing.

If they are wearing sensible Clarkes/ Startrites (can spot these at 20 paces lol) then you have parents who care about their children's feet to spend a few bob on them (doesn't necessarily equate to wealth, but priorities) and are therefore are likely to be supportive parents & have nice kids. Or are they wearing plastic rubbish, trainers, heels & look like Paris Hilton in training.

I knew a headteacher who appointed based on a candidate's shoes, lol.

Visit and go on your gut reaction-the one that you think your DC would fit best.
Be aware that problem children don't have to come from 'nasty estates', they can come from expensive housing.I hadn't thought of it, but he shoe test is a pretty good indication.

I had three schools to choose from Lucylala, all close, all very good Ofsted etc. I visited all three of them and went with my gut feeling. One school stuck out as having a really good feel to it. Also, I was impressed with the fact that everyone seemed to know everyone else (it has a 2 class intake). The children said hello to the teachers as they passed them in the corridor. The head teacher had a few jokes and laughs with pupils as he wandered round. It just felt 'right'.
I'm pleased to say DS is in year 2 now of said school and we have no regrets about our decision at all.

Yes! My predicament too! Am muttering Ofsted reports to myself at work.

One school is really dinky, in a nice part of the old town, friends really recommend it to me...but...I found the Headmistress a bit well, headmistressy. On our tour of the school she was very curt with a boy found loitering in the corridors when he should have been in the playground on a freezing cold morning, and we had to step over a tiny girl sitting cross-legged and teary-eyed outside her classroom
The other one is HUGE in semi-chav type area, but the deputy head knew everyone, spoke warmly to all, kids and teachers alike. The kids seemed confident and jolly, the classes were lively.

No shoe test possible as both schools demand sensible black as uniform.

My mum used to send me to school in shit shoes ("Look at these, darling, aren't they jaunty!"). I would have died of embarrassment had anyone judged me in those.

The shoe test would be judging your mother not you! You are looking for parents who care about the future health of their DC's feet and not fashion. If they are looking after their children's feet they are likely to be supportive of the school.

I LOVE the idea of the shoe test...brilliant! Am going visiting school No 2 today - will inspect children's feet i the playground on the way in....

(note to self: do not let DD wear her plastic dressy up shoes to school visit...)

ha ha, wait till you have to decide on secondary.
got i am being so rude arentti? its just that quite frankly, primary school simply needs to be uyour loca l school. unless you have any specific reasnon s to say no to a school, choosed the one closest to you.

shoe test is easier when school requires them to wear black uniform ones. its easy to tell from a mile off, well fitted, clarks/startrite type stuff, from badly fitted stiff plasticky ones.

Pukkapatch is right, in school uniform the only aspect that does differentiate pupils IS their shoes. And on instinct alone, I'd choose the school which has a uniform.

Ooh, when did I become such a conservative old f**t?!

what a nightmare this is....

1st school - appears to be MEGA academic, reception kids all sitting round a white board in total silence....good vibes about teaching and literacy and maths etc etc BUT no mention of playing,fun,teamwork,pe etc
Head didn't acknowledge DD as we went round and was welcoming but quite patronising I thought, teachers seemed scary!

2nd school - head was lovely, chatted to DD, ALL the teachers made a fuss of DD and stopped to speak to us. The children were all playing, doing activities and we were bombarded with fabulous info of how the children bond and behave and play and do pe BUT no real mention of academic stuff other than 'our results are what they should be' (??) School was friendly and fun but shabby and run down - needed a good paint!

Shoe test - children in both schools appeared to have sensible shoes on I was glad to see!

god, am just going round and round in circles....

One of the things that swung it for me was that the reception/secretarial staff at the school I chose were really polite and caring towards the children. Also when we visited the classrooms the children were very keen to show the Head what they were working on.

Where do you think your child would be happier? I guess it's difficult to know until they actually start attending.

Don't go for the first one IMO. The Head should speak to your DD and include her in conversation. She should also talk to children as she shows you around classes and know their names.They should be bursting to show her what they are doing!Reception children sitting around white board in silence is scary!
The 2nd school sounds lovely-you can read their results on line or it should be in school prospectus.

lucy another thing to think about - where do the kids in yr road and nearby streets go?

There is a child in our road who goes to the "other" school here; it's perfectly nice school and all but it makes me sad to see him trotting off down the street and the other way from everyone else in a different school jumper.

Plus it must be more complicated in terms of playing round a pal's house (my kids rarely ask to play at this child's house as he's not at their school), and practical things like asking a neighbour to take yr kids to school (which, let's face it, we all need to do now and then?)

No contest, from what you say.

This is primary school, not coaching for exams.
Go with the school where they know and care about the individual children, where the pupils get a chance to develop their self-esteem and confidence
not one where even you feel HM is a bit scary.