Which school would you pick?

[bucketlistice]

We’re looking for primary schools for DS and we have 3 options and we’re really struggling to choose. We’re in the catchment area for all 3, but for 2 of them we are on the very edge of the catchment area so they’re further away.

Option A- Just under a 10 minute walk away and seems like a nice school. Good Ofsted results. My issues are that it’s only an infant school and we would have to change to the local junior school in Year 3. This would be difficult when DC2 starts infants and we have to do 2 different school runs as they start at the same time. There also isn’t a school uniform and I’m worried about it causing a hassle in the morning when getting dressed. It also doesn’t offer any extra curricular activities, except for the normal after school club.

Option B- 25 minute walk away, but a nice walk. Good Ofsted results. Lots of extra curricular activities that DS would enjoy. It is a CofE school and I’m not Christian which put me off a bit but it seems very accepting, teaches lots of other religions and isn’t overly preachy.

Option C- 15 min bus ride away, travel could be quite expensive when added up over the year. Really good Ofsted results. No extra curricular activities other than the after school club.

Out of the 3 options which would you choose for your DC?

Pretty easy B for me!

I would go for a. It’s near, non uniform is a huge bonus. Being an infant means they specialise in just the younger ones and you can change school at year 3 if it doesn’t work out.

Reading your write up I think you also think B. I wouldn't give the CofE thing a second thought.

B

B

B, so long as the walk is manageable in all weathers. The separate infant and juniors for A would be too much hassle, and non uniform is a pain as well. It’s much easier when they know exactly what they can and can’t wear. I wouldn’t even consider C - no point getting a bus if good schools are walkable.

B. Deffo.

B, but I’m a Christian so the others wouldn’t be a consideration. You’re lucky to have 3! We’re only in the catchment for secular schools. The nearest CofE school is only infants and a 10 minute drive and I doubt we’d get a place.

Definitely B if it were me.
I really like the C of E schools though, they have lovely values in my opinion and the schools I’ve been to that are C of E aren’t overly religious.
Do you drive? Does it have parking for a very wet day? Not sure if this would bother you but worth thinking about.

For me I think non uniform isn’t a bonus. It would just be quite a faff in the mornings choosing different clothes instead of a set uniform.

I do drive, I’d prefer to walk but if the weather was awful then I’d drive and there is decent parking. At the very most we’d have to park the road away from the school and walk less than a minute.

Check the arrangements for A... the sibling split between infant and junior is common and they plan for it.

B sounds like the obvious choice. Plenty of non-Christians go to CofE schools without being preached to and benefit from the values instilled. The extra curricula opportunities would be a big plus for me too.

I wouldn't even consider a bus when you have more local options and the first one sounds a faff if you'll end up with two at different schools.

Have you visited all three schools? B is the obvious contender from what you’ve written, but I’d give a lot of weight to how it felt during open mornings.

B or maybe A.

I wouldn't care about the lack of uniform or church of England but I wouldn't want to do the bus and would prefer they don't move in yr3 - it comes round so fast and I would want kids in same school for aslong as possible for an easy life.

Our local Church of England school has daily prayers and collective worship with a strong emphasis on the Bible. It might be worth a visit to go and see.

B from what you've said but only if I'd visited all three.
Also make sure that you're happy for your child to join in with prayers, religious celebrations and Christian teachings etc before signing up. It's likely to be a big part of school life at at most CoE schools.

I am happy for DS to join in with prayers, collective worship etc. I went to a non religious school and still did them things. I have been to school A and school B, speaking to people at school B prayers aren’t specifically Christian, the children are invited to pray to whoever they want.

Not C. Depends how big a deal religion is to B. I know some CofE schools where it’s very important, others where you wouldn’t really notice. My DC go to a non-uniform school and it’s great! No faff in the morning at all, most clothes are ok for school and my DC are fine with the idea that some items are for “best” only, plus they tend to prefer comfy leggings/joggers etc as they’re better for play time. It’s not like non-uniform days in schools that usually have uniform, I remember that from my own school days as being quite pressured to show off your best outfits! When it’s everyday, no one cares. I love sending my DC off to school in comfy snuggly clothes in winter or in loose breezy things on hot days. I’m sure it works out better value for money too as they get more wear out of everything.

From what I can gather about B, religion isn’t majorly important and they’re very good at including other religions.

It’s good to hear that you’ve had a good experience with not wearing uniform. I think for me I know DS would want to wear something that isn’t necessarily weather appropriate or something that I wouldn’t want to get too messy and it would cause a tantrum. I think the extra 15 minute walk to school B would actually save more time than however long resolving a tantrum would be.

People are so institutionalised to wearing school uniform in the UK (England especially) that it's hard to see otherwise and generally you only hear from people whose children wear uniform, as it's the vast majority, about how awful non-uniform is. My child's infant school is non-uniform and I've never heard a single parent complain. I have also never heard anyone complain about a lack of uniform at nursery, and it's just an extension of that. Most children wear the same handful of outfits which are clearly their 'school clothes' (so no arguments in the morning) but it's generally much more practical clothing than school uniform and means you never have to worry about not having done your washing. I'm so pleased my child spent their reception year in comfy joggers and trainers, not school polyester. Clothes also don't tend to get lost - we didn't lose a single item, even for a day.

Have you checked the school day timings for the infant/juniors? They are very common near me but always have a different start/finish times so you can drop off at both on foot. Infants normally has a shorter day. I'm sad mine won't be at the same school for many years but for me (a teacher) the benefit of a focused EY/KS1 environment then later KS2 environment outweighs that.

Good to know you’ve had a good experience with no uniform, in case we do get that school.

I have checked the school times, there’s a 5 minute difference but the distance between the schools is more than 5 minutes

I’d go for A or B. But visit - your gut reaction will tell you most of what you need to know. Ask about, any friends with children at either of them? Read their latest Inspection report.

Don’t be put off by a lack of uniform - you can always buy a selection of lower cost tracksuits and creat your own, albeit more colourful, uniform.

B.

Are you sure you'll get a place at all of them?