Has anyone bought by a 'requiring improvement' school

[platerspinner]

We're due to see a house tomorrow, exactly what we're looking for but the closest school requires improvement, DS1 is due to start reception in September.
The next closest school is rated as Good but it's an extra half a mile away so think it would be very likely we'd be given a place at the requiring improvement one.
The inspection reports since that we've read all sound positive and like the school had have been staff come in and are making real changes to improve things, I just can't help feel I'm sacrificing my sons education to buy a house we love (potentially)
I'm aware reports can change and there's no guarantee a good school won't drop down but the offsted reports are all I have to go on as we're moving to a new area where we don't know anyone.

Is there a local (internet) forum where you can ask current parents? Can you go for a tour? My friend did a gamble on a requires improvement school as she liked the new leadership team when she visited. It was rated good within a year of her child starting and is now outstanding.

Requires Improvement schools tend to get resources/money tipped into them, so they improve. Probably best time to move to catchment, given Excellent Ofsted reports can be quite old.

Unless there's anything obviously and dramatically wrong with it, I really wouldn't worry too much about a primary school. Good parents make up any difference without trying (so my friend who is a primary school teacher tells me).

My elder DC goes to a school graded as Requiring Improvement. Its previous Ofsted grading was Outstanding.

IMO it wasn't Outstanding then, and isn't bad now - the actual experience of a pupil at the school falls somewhere in between.

After moving house last year, DDs moved from a Good school to an RI one. Its been brilliant for them. DD1 is barely recognisable, she has a lot more self confidence and her academic work has come on a storm. DD2 was having a lot of friendship issues and generally unhappy and her teacher and other staff have put a lot of work into helping her.

You can't really judge a school by its Ofsted rating. I look for any safeguarding concerns, look at the results and progress scores (but bare in mind, those are all a few years old now...) and talk to people.

To add to above... we had chosen the area for the Secondary school, which DD1 starts in September. The slightly poorer primary (on paper) was the trade off for the highly regarded secondary on a range of factors.

I would take ofsted reports with a pinch of salt personally. They're not always up to date, plus I think the ones requiring improvement can be much better and keen to raise standards than one that hasn't been properly inspected for years because it's coasting along on old 'outstanding' report.
If the good school isn't over subscribed then you should have no issues getting a place there so worth looking at that too.

I’m a head of an RI school. We won’t be at our next inspection but the good school half a mile away most certainly will be.
I urge you to go round and have a look. People change their minds about my school as soon as I can get them through the door

I used to be a teacher. The school I trained in got a bad ofsted when I was there; cue lots and lots of paperwork, another inspection, then they were good again. Same teachers, doing the same thing but with a bit more paperwork and stress. I've been pretty sceptical about ofsted ratings ever since. Dd is going to 6th form at a school that used to be outstanding, now 'requires improvement '. I don't care about ofsted's assessment at all. It has the right array of subjects, and teachers who seemed motivated and interested.

Thank you all that's been very helpful and reassuring. If we offer and it's accepted I think we'll make it a priority to go for a school visit asap