Reception choices help

[Mummypowerflower]

My little boy attends a school nursery in a 1 form entry school. I love the nursery he attends but very unsure about the rest of the school. We did have that same school as first choice preference but changed it to a 2 form entry as husband prefers the bigger school.

I immediately regretted changing it. Both schools have pros and cons.

The school he is at the nursery has an amazing Headteacher who is known by all children, has a good reputation but facilities are in a major needed of an upgrade and the sporting opportunities aren’t as great. I have also heard on the grapevine that there is a lot of SEN needs in the classes as the school does have a complex needs classroom to support the children that need it most. They have a lot of suppprt staff so that is a positive as the teacher will have support with SEN needs. I am worried my little one will get bored and not feel so positive in school being in an environment that isn’t modern and doesn’t have all the things going on the bigger school does especially when he is older .it also concerns me a TA took her own child out of the school 4 weeks into reception to move him to the other school because she was concerned about the amount of need in the reception class.

however the bigger school has amazing music and sport opportunities, facilities are modern and well looked after. They have a woodland area also. But the HT has changed 4times in the last 7 years and isn’t around as much as the other one. More chance of friendships with a 2 FE but worried he will feel lost and so I will In a larger school with more hoops to cross to even be seen by the HT. I also feel I will be ripping him away from an environment he has got used but also feel bad knowing he could have liked somewhere with better facilities and opportunities.

Any help or personal experiences much appreciated.

My son’s are in a 5 form entry and they are setted from y3, between them they’ve had one playdate with kids from other classes. How close they are to home and how close their friends are really matters. Towards the end of primary they walk to each others homes.

Local is easier logistically when they’re small and walking to school.

Do you meet the criteria for both schools?

Both schools are less than 1 mile. Can walk to both :) the smaller school is about a 5 min walk closer so not much between them

They both have pros and cons by the sounds of it. I wouldn’t worry too much about friendship groups because children that age are very adaptable and there will be lots of children who haven’t been to the school nursery and don’t know anyone.
I think you have to go with your gut feeling, your DH obviously preferred the other school, what was your feeling? If you’re not sure either way I would stick with the larger school as that was DHs preference.
You can always move him after reception if you/he haven’t been happy

I would always advise choosing a larger school although 2 form entry isn't particularly large. It's so easy to think of them as only the little 4 year old but they will very soon be a 10 year old who needs very different things to that tiny 4 year old.

Agreed with the benefit of hindsight (age 11 and 9 DC)

Our kids are at a one form entry. They are both exceptionally bright. It's a nice middle class village school, a few but not many extreme SEN needs (lots of ASD and ADHD but nothing which distracts the class, requires separate facilities or can't be handled within mainstream - my own DC fits this criteria). The issues we've had are as follows
(1) Socially, it's too small. It's OK until about Year 3-4 but cliques then tend to form and it's harder to find your wolfpack when you have 25 peers not 60. It makes juniors very challenging.
(2) Academically it focusses on the average to higher average / lower-exceeding kids. Those at the very top end receive little input (a problem generally I think). This is just a matter of resource for teaching.
(3) By Year 6 the kids are well and truly bored of each other.

The advantages are that it does have a community feel. But depending on your own work life, this can feel cliquey and too small.

As to facilities - sport and music. I'd say primary is just crap for this generally. You are better to focus on this outside of school with specialist teachers rather than rely on generic overworked primary teachers.

So would I. My dc went to a three form entry primary and they weren’t lost at all. It was great. I’ve also worked in small schools and it’s so much harder. Who do you think is doing all of the assemblies, playground duties, subject leadership, after school clubs etc in a small school? How many subject areas is each teacher responsible for?

Two form entry isn’t small! My DDs had 3 form entry and the head knew them all. It’s what a good head does. The head should be visible and approachable. Small schools can limit music and sport. Our school had great music and lots of sport clubs after school. Friendships can be an issue in smaller schools and rely on staying friends and finding your clique.