Choosing a primary school. How important are results?

[StillInMyPJJs]

I’m trying to decide between two primary schools for my son starting Reception next September. I’ve visited both.

School 1: Rated Good by Ofsted. Felt very warm, welcoming and supportive, with a strong focus on developing the whole child. Has a wider catchment area and results slightly above the national average.

School 2: Also rated Good by Ofsted and is the more sought after school locally. Academic results are significantly higher, but it felt more academically focused and less warm and welcoming.

How much importance would you place on results at primary school? Would you prioritise a nurturing environment or stronger academic performance?

Would love to hear others’ experiences and what influenced your decision.

School 1. For as much as I hate the Ofsted scrutiny & ratings - both schools have the same so are officially on equal footing. Warm, welcoming & supportive wins for me.

I’d go for school 1 every time. Go with the feeling you got there, not the results of arbitrary and pointless tests.

School 1. Primary age children need a supportive, nurturing environment first and foremost. Otherwise they won't be able to achieve to their full potential.

The best primary in my town last year had only 40% meet expected standards this year. Results can vary widely based on cohort. Look for the best overall fit

Definitely value nurture, over results! You want your child to enjoy school and feel safe and valued there. SEN aside, a child whose education is supported at home will generally do well anywhere anyway. So if you're prepared to support your child's education, I can pretty much guarantee they will achieve the same results whichever school you opt for. They might not have the same experience though, in turns of their wellbeing.

They are children. Anywhere that runs like a business, rather than a school, would be ruled out by me. Children are far more than data statistics.

So school 1 all the way for me. Never underestimate the general feel you get from a school. People don't look back on their primary school days, as adults, and say "wow, didn't I achieve well in my SATs?". They remember the friends they had, how their teachers made them feel, the trips they went on, the plays they took part in, the laughs that were had, the sporting events, the end of year celebrations etc. Pick the school that will leave your child with the happiest memories.

Children who learn to love school at primary level go into secondary with the best attitudes towards education. Ultimately, that's what will help them to achieve the best results they possibly can, further down the line. Children who are already stressed by school and disillusioned by it all by the time they move up to secondary struggle to shake that negative outlook.

Go for School 1 and top up with tutoring and extra curricuclars if needed.

Depends on the child. If you have a very able child then life is much easier if there are other children of similar ability in their cohort. And that is far more likely on School 2. School 1 would be perfect for a shy or unconfident child. Both schools sound good though so most children will be happy and do great in either school. Important to remind yourself of that!

Thank you all for your replies, they’ve been really helpful! You’ve confirmed what I was already feeling, that School 1 is the right choice for us. 😊

My DC were at the school in our town (school 1) that consistently gets the “best” SATs results, year on year. For unrelated reasons we moved DC2 to a different school in the same town (school 2) which consistently gets less good results. Things I’ve noticed from this experience:

1. The “best” results don’t always tell the whole story. They usually show a race to the middle. Whilst school 1 consistently got 65 - 70% of children at the expected level, and school 2 55 - 60%, the average SATS score for Reading and Maths across the two was very similar I.e 107 for school 1 and 106 for school 2. The % of children achieving greater depth across all subjects was actually the same at both schools and school 2 had a much higher % getting greater depth in SPG. You have to hunt for some of the results. Schools can also decide not to enter students who wouldn’t achieve the minimum grade. Some schools may stop more children doing the tests than others.

1. The results are heavily influenced by who attends the school and don’t necessarily reflect on the quality of teaching. School 1 has an afterschool club so attracted the parents who commute into London who are potentially more pushy and have brighter kids (I count myself as one of the pushy ones). School 2 (same estate) has more families who work school hours or SAHM. Huge amounts of children at school 1 had a tutor (including my own as brighter children were not pushed at all in favour of getting everyone up to the expected standard.

1. School 2 is smaller and so does attract more children with SEN. This may affect the results.

My DC2 who is academically able has flourished at the school that gets less good results. Teaching has been excellent and her class much less disrupted by poor behaviour than the one at the higher achieving (on paper) school.

Always go with your gut feeling about a school. Academic results can are hugely influenced by what you do at home. If you want advice on that, I can point you in the right direction.