Would you pick school A or school B (dilemma, please help me choose)

[Canteverdecide]

School A:
15 min walk from our home, good for drop off as DH would drive DS and there is a car park. On the way back I can pick him up and walk home together however the station by the school has fever trains and I commute 3 days a week.
Lovely school, got a fairly “academic” vibe, seems high performing and feeds into an outstanding secondary school.
Morning and pm wraparound care guaranteed for all pupils which is a really good thing.
Area is very posh and white British, we are a European family with a good income but do not live in a beautiful 6 figure home like most people in that area. Slightly concerned we won’t fit in with the other parents.

School B:
25-30 min walk from home, no parking space so difficult to do car drop off. Closer to a main train station so good for commute but walk to-from home is quite long with small DS.
Got a lovely vibe, sweet and welcoming and mixed types of families from different parts of the world although still fairly middle class (but more apartments nearby, mixed housing). Got a sweet vibe from it. Linked to an outstanding junior school but not a feeder to any secondary school.
Wrap around care is offered but there are not enough spaces for everyone so would have to use an external provider who picks up the kids and takes them to their facilities.

I like both schools for different reasons. So hard to pick.
What would you choose?

The first one, of course.

This wouldn’t be a dilemma for me. The more academic school that feeds into a good secondary is the obvious choice. That it also has wraparound care is a bonus.

A

A as it is closer to walk as you may change your job plus it feeds into a secondary school. Plus I am poor working class but the middle class kids may be pushed more in education so may be better behaved maybe not but that would be my thoughts.

A closest schools are best for a lot of reasons. Playdates etc too

Are you likely to get a place at both?

From your description... A. Its closer, it has what you need.

A. Without a second thought.

A by a mile. Not having wraparound care is a mahoosive pain, leaving aside all the other stuff.

A

Seems like a no-brainer. The plus points of school A far outweigh those of school B.

I see no reason why your family wouldn't fit in. I also fail to believe most families at the school would live in a 6 figure home, even if some do and it feels that way from the outside. No state school would cater just for those sort of families. If you live in the area, there will be plenty of other families who live in similar accommodation to you, where you are, who go there.

Thanks all. I might be overthinking this.
So we have a lovely 2 bed garden flat but it’s definitely one of the cheapest properties in the area and on a less “naice” road whereas 90% of other homes are houses and mostly beautiful. I want my kid to fit in and also us as a family especially as we are from the EU and school A is mostly wealthy British I think.
We are not bad off at all but can’t compete with that level of wealth and I’d like playdates etc to be with people more similar to our socioeconomic level iyswim.
School B also have wrap around care, it’s boosted by an external provider that picks up the kids and take them to the afternoon club behind the corner. It is more convenient to have it in the school I suppose especially if we send him to school run clubs etc

Six figures is only £100,000! Do you mean £1,000,000? Thats fairly easy in London but not a universal price elsewhere. Even very expensive areas have small houses and flats as well as social housing. Plus the richer people use private schools. Therefore definitely A. It’s not a school for you, it’s for DC.

Sorry I meant 7 FIGURES!!!

@TizerorFizz yes we live in Surrey so very expensive area, we are just 30 min from central London

Both schools are rated “good” by Ofsted

School A as it’s closer. Better for play dates.

I’d consider the second school if I thought it suited my child’s temperament.

I hadn't even registered that and even replied quoting 6 figures, talking myself as if it was a million as I knew that's what OP must have meant 🙈

OP, the key part in your reply is the words 'I think'. You need to research school A a bit more, as it's probably nowhere near as 'posh' or 'British' as you fear. That's assuming only British people are wealthy. Clearly the school's catchment is going to cater for families just like yourself too. You absolutely won't be the only family in the area living in such accommodation. Rather than make assumptions, look into it a bit more so you can make a more informed choice.

A

You wont be the only "normally off" family OP

There will be others just like you at the school who aren't living in mansions

I’m just over 30 mins from London and it’s not all £1m houses. Just remember that the richer parents will have dc at private school. And who cares about other parents?

You would be surprised about demographics tbh. If you live in a flat, it's 99% that yher3 will be others in flats, on estates or in various other arrangements.

I live in a relatively affluent area, similar to the one you described. On the surface, the school serves a white, kiddle class, wealthy demographic. However, Dd's friends and classmates have all manner of living arrangements and family backgrounds, and it's arguably more diverse than many local schools. The catchments aren't always linear, and the school serves not just the large houses nearby, but also (unexpectedly) the local estate with a bad reputation (for the area. When we lived in London it would have just been normal, tbh)

Don't underestimate how helpful.it can be to live close by, especially as your child gets older. It makes drop off/pick up, clubs and meetings a lot more manageable too.

Visit the schools (if you haven't already) and go by what you see, whether it will suit your child and your gut feeling.

This doesn’t sound like a dilemma to me - School A of course! You can walk school, your child will local friends.

visit both , talk with parents and go with your gut

school A

We did visit both which is why we can’t decide as we liked both!

I know the area and the schools you are referring to. Have you looked at all of the local schools? There's another one that feeds into an outstanding juniors and the outstanding secondary and (although I am not sure you are right about being out of place at school A) is definitely a little more mixed/tempted to say "up itself" than the area school A is in. And it's closer than school B.