I must get my DC into a village school!

[Hmmmmnotsure]

My first little one is off to school next September so we are looking around local schools currently. We are considered all kinds of schools but It seems that everyone I know is really keen to get their child into a smaller village school. I really do mean everyone! None of them are in catchment for a village school either.

I am just wondering why village schools seems to be largely favoured? We are quite keen on our local school, which is a three form entry school, it's really making me second guess this. Do children in village schools have better outcomes (including socially)? Would love to hear your experiences and advice.

Yes I think it seems lovely until you realise your child is stuck with a bully and they can't swap classes/ stuck with a teacher that's not great/etc as people whose kids have gone thru a small school can attest to on this thread. Obviously its not everyone - but if the "amazingly friendly small school" Im aware of it seems to happen to quite a number....

I mean.. I want my daughter into a village school because I live in a village? I would imagine that's the case for a lot of people?

Our furthest offered place for this year was 0.7 miles so it's not like people are coming from far away for the spaces

My dc go to a village school and I really like it.

There is about 100 kids max in the entire school

Everyone knows everyone and because it’s so small, the kids get the attention they need

Mine are in a village school, there are only 50 children in the whole school, this is from reception to year 6. They have done well there and they get more attention from the teachers with less of them, but the opportunities for friendship are more limited with so few children. And also they havent had the opportunity to join clubs or teams through school as there just isnt enough children to make a team up.

My DCs go to school in the village we live in and quite a few children attend from a nearby town.

It doesn't make sense to me as the ones that live outside catchment have to be driven and can't 'play out' with their classmates which I think is quite important.

Pros and cons like any school, we have smaller classes but less resources for SEN it seems. The children also go from a small primary to a huge secondary so it may be overwhelming for some.

I think people think it’s like the good-old-days in village schools. In reality there’s a lack of diversity, lack of opportunities and a massive lack of funding if they’re anything like as undersubscribed as the ones near my family.

People mistakenly think that small class sizes are good but in state schools it just translates to a serious lack of funding since funding is linked to number of pupils.

My 3 DC's went to a village school. 80 children throughout the school, mix year groups. Reception, Year1/2, Year 3/4, Year 5/6 in the same class.
Positives were. Everyone knew each other by first named terms, my DC's felt secure and happy. They all enjoyed their primary school.
Negitives. They only had a few friends in their Year group. 6 girls in my DD Year, no support before we knew she was dyslexic and no guidance at the time. Ended up paying for an assessment outside of school which has been the best money well spent. Had all three tested outside school.
Worried about secondary school as it is so much bigger but they have all adjusted to the size. Only thing that spoilt going to the village school was some of the local parents who generation's attended the school. (Goes back to 1860) through outsiders shouldn't take up the places because their family children's should have the school places even when we moved into the village years before our oldest started primary school. I hated the politics of it all. Maybe because it was so small they felt protected over it.

I went to a village primary and it had good and bad points.

Good was lots of outdoors space, lots of 1 to 1 from teachers, lovely country walks, visiting local farms, watching lambs being born in lambing season etc. Plus as pp said there was always the opportunity for everyone to be involved in plays, sports etc. - nobody ended up being 'sheep number 7' or whatever in the nativity haha.

Bad, for me, was mainly the limited potential friend pool. There were only 5 of us in my year and only one other girl who I had absolutely nothing in common with. We did mixed year forms, so one year we'd be with the year above and the next with the year below. I didn't click with anyone in the year above really, so half of my time at primary I had no friends in class. I had a couple of friends in the year below but tbh those were more friendships due to the situation rather than proper friends.

I also witnessed a major fallout between the three girls in the year above me which led to one being ostracised for over a year - obviously there was no other class for her to be put in so she just had to ride it out.

I'd personally choose a larger school!

I think there are 3 types
Village school that is very small, 3 classes with shared years
'Normal' one form entry school, 7 classes and pre school maybe
Big schools with 2, 3 or even 4 form entry which is madness and as big as some small secondaries.

The last type seem to be quite new and I can see some benefits to being able to swap classes and share resources, but I'd much rather type 2 with a good head so practice is shared across the trust or diocese or la.

I think there are 3 types
Village school that is very small, 3 classes with shared years
'Normal' one form entry school, 7 classes and pre school maybe
Big schools with 2, 3 or even 4 form entry which is madness and as big as some small secondaries
my DC went to a village school with 2 classes per year.

Unless there are issues with your closest primary, I’d always advocate choosing that. You can then build a better local network, can walk to school and potentially begin to give your child some independence as they come to the end of primary in readiness for secondary. Also, all schools are under increasing financial pressure and small primaries disproportionately so. With the Schools White Paper saying that all schools must be part of a MAT, there is also likely to be some changes ahead for any school not currently part of a Trust.

The last two places I've lived consisted of a slightly rough town surrounded by more well to do villages. In these sorts of situations I think the outcomes can be much better in the village schools, and several families commute to our village school for this reason.

My 3 went to the local village school. With 2 year groups in most classes. Ds1 was one of 5 that started in the Easter. There were 8 in total in his year. Ds2 started in sept, there were 10 in his year. The school gradually became more popular, soon there were the maximum of 12 in each year. By the time ds3 had started the year groups had increased to 15. The school always gets outstanding ofsted reports and has a waiting list. People come from villages further away which is annoying as locals don't have priority over siblings from further afield. My ds's all enjoyed their primary years in a small school. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. But they are limited on friends as not many per year. I'd say perhaps they had more attention than a larger class as there would be a teacher and 2 TA's in key stage 1. I guess people have their preferences as to whether they prefer small or bigger school. My dc's are all older now. The oldest graduated this year. Ds2 is at university. Ds3 is year 9. I'm sure the smaller primary contributed to them do well at secondary school.

Pros and cons.

A larger school has a larger budget so can offer more usually.

A smaller school has a closer community feel in general.

All schools that are any good will suit different children and families for different reasons.

I sent my autistic ds to a smaller secondary (699 pupils) thinking smaller would be better for him. They were dreadful!

He did better in the school twice the size that was right for him that I moved him to.

Thanks so much for the replies, it is great to hear the different perspectives. I feel reassured that going to a larger school also has many benefits too.

A big part of me feels like you can't truly know what kind of setting will help your child to flourish until they are in it. I have a slight gut feeling but I know that is also slightly blurred by own experiences. It feels like such a huge decision!

My kids went to a four form entry primary school and the head also knew every kid by name!

Honestly, the best thing is visit lots & try not to go in with preconceived ideas about what is better.
We thought it was a no brainer to send DD to our catchment school - 1 form entry, could walk at a push, OFSTED Good, good reviews from other parents. But visiting it was such a disappointment, didn't feel right, the supposed opportunities of a larger school (larger for round here) just weren't evident. Then we looked round the tiny village school & we're blown away - so much better for DD & us.
Assess the schools on your criteria also - do you need wraparound care? What clubs or extracurricular stuff do they offer? Do you need/want it? (My DC already attend external clubs) Do they offer swimming? Forest school? Are these important to you? How will you get to school? Etc etc.

I was going to say that. The idea that heads don’t know children in larger schools is stupid. As posters haven’t been to a larger school, they just imagine the heads don’t know the DC.

My local infants school is now 4 form entry. It’s superb. Some of the best heads manage bigger schools. They get paid more!

Posters here cannot agree of small schools have less money or not. The money is based on pupils enrolled. However a class of 17 isn’t viable so if a small school has small classes it’s not making the most of its money. Bigger schools can do more effective team teaching. Also sport, music, drama and clubs are usually far more developed.

Children fall out occasionally. A bigger pool of Dc is desirable.

Cons - no wraparound care; no school hall, so lunch is held in classrooms; no sports hall, so PE takes place in playground/green/field or at local sports centre; no IT suite; small library; less extracurricular activities after school; cannot move class if major friendship problems occur.

I refer you back to my previous post - our village school has wraparound care, a school hall where the children have lunch an do PE, lots of in-class IT, a massive programme of after-school activities.

It does not help that people stereotype schools - not every village school is like any other, any more than city schools are.

I find OP that these things become flavour of the month and then everyone wants to follow the crowd. It can be quite entertaining at times. There is absolutely no guarantee that one particular type of school is definitely going to be better than the other. It all depends on the individual school and the staff working there. My daughter is in a large school with three classes per year very socially diverse and it's a really kind and caring place with a great principal. My son attends a much smaller school (he attends a special class but in a mainstream school) and again lovely vibe. Amazing and dedicated staff and he is thriving.

Hmmmm, interesting! We were really keen for our children to go to a village school, mainly because we wanted to live in a village anyway and also because I loved my primary school days in a village! They go to a good, well thought-of, two-form entry village primary which we’re happy with but is nothing special. I say this as someone who has worked in many primary schools and the one that has impressed me most recently is a three-form entry town primary! It’s a really well-run, well-oiled machine with fab teachers. I’d be happy for my kids to go there. It feels big but nothing overwhelming and I’m sure it prepares the kids well for being in the secondary environment.
So really, I don’t think it’s about school location but down to the individual school.

Why wouldn't you just go to your nearest school?

My DC have gone to both a larger primary and a smaller one. On each occasion they have gone to our nearest school (moving house necessitated the change). I genuinely think the starting point when choosing a school should be one you can easily get to tbh, given how much stress there is around parking etc I am v glad not to drive.

Big isn't always better. One of my DC hated the larger school, felt their efforts went unnoticed and they were never picked for anything - plays, choirs, sports etc, there were just so many kids that they never got their chance to feel noticed or to shine. They were miserable in the playground with older children often left pretty much unsupervised around the younger ones etc. Having a large pool of children did not = more friends at all. Similarly, although there was wraparound care, you had to book at midnight as slots were released as there were not enough spaces. The big popular primary near us tickets all their plays and concerts and parents genuinely miss out if they don't get a ticket in the ballot. It sounds hideous to me. The performances are glitzy and slick but the kids may not have a parent watching and many are lost at the back of a big chorus.

Smaller school has been transformative for us. DC feel noticed and acknowledged, all get a turn to shine at what they are good at/have an interest in. Everyone can be a librarian/captain/play leader/dinner helper etc if they want to, everyone can have a part in the play etc. Our school maybe is unusual but there are lots of clubs etc and the wrap around has space when wanted for anyone who wants it. I love how all the DC know each other and have a real sense of responsibility towards each other. The mixed year group classes mean they get to know different DC each year and these friendships have been rekindled at high school. Going from a small school to a large secondary doesn't seem to have been an issue.

OTOH, a family member didn't get their first choice of village school and reluctantly accepted the 3 form entry offer they got. It's been brilliant for them and their DC have thrived. One has some issues and benefits from the additional spaces and resources a bigger school can provide. They openly admit they were glad not to get their first choice.

There are pros and cons to any situation but I would make your own decisions and not have blanket rules. I know people who ruled out a school with mixed year groups or only wanted one that had certain extra curricular offers without really thinking through all the other variables. A huge amount of your experience will be based on the characters involved - how the school is run and how you feel about the teachers and parents as much as where the school is located or how big it is.

Best thing to remember is you can always move if it doesn't work out!

I went to a school that only had 30 pupils. There were 3 of us in my year and we were combined with a year below and a year above us. I hated it and never felt like I had friends, my sister enjoyed it but if you don't get 'your people' there's no other choice and primary school was a very lonely time for me. I also was quite socially inept which I do blame on that environment and struggled adjusting in secondary school and always felt a bit like the odd one out. We have a school in our village (2 minute walk) that has just short of 40 pupils and another local school in the next bigger village (5 minute drive) that has 250. My son is in the one with 250 and it's worlds apart. There are lots of clubs, opportunities, and far more chances to make friends. People in our village our very vocal about keeping the little school going, and how we shouldn't put our kids in the bigger school but it was never a question for me.

Also he could start half days at 3 and has full wrap around available 5 days a week and through some of the holidays. The small one has none of the above!