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?

What does everyone else do about getting between infants and juniors? There must be a way people are doing it - having siblings across 2 schools is incredibly common.

Lots of people drive or the DC go to breakfast club

Yes we’re definitely in the catchment area for all of them. Obviously priority at the CofE school is given to children who have families who are active in the church, or who have siblings at the school but it’s not oversubscribed so from what I’ve heard from other parents there’s a good likelihood of getting in.

I’ve visited A and B and preferred the feel of B. Most of our friends with DC send them to the infant school as that’s the closest but I do know people who go to B.

There is an optional uniform but as far as I know and have seen nobody actual wears it, but I have considered just buying some plain t shirts/polos and joggers and having that as a sort of uniform if we do go with A.

B. I had the same dilemma with the church thing but it hasn't been an issue.

Where I live there are no primary schools, only infant & juniors so moving between year 2 & 3 is completely normal.

Also, if they are 'linked' which most are, their start & finish tunes are synced so that you drop at one before the other, with a difference in time allowing parent's to walk between the 2 (most are on the same site or next door though).

I'd go for either A or B, depending on which one I had a better 'feel' for when I visited.

B

It sounds like your gut feeling is B. I went with my gut when faced with two very good schools (lucky position to be I I know, although our closest school is awful!). I'm glad I did. You can email the county to see how many children were given a place last year versus their admission number. Being in catchment doesn't guarantee a place.

Put B as your first preference, then A, then C. The travel to C would wear you down I think.