What do you like about your childs school ?

[LottienHuw]

In September I will have the problem of looking for a senior school for my Daughter. I havent got a clue what I should be looking for.

She is currently at the local primary school but we didnt choose it based on anything other than it was the local school.

I genuinely believe a good school will inspire your children to do well and will turn them into rounded happy people (hopefully).

SO on this basis, are your children happy at school and what is it about their school that makes them happy? Is it the teachers/subjects/extra-curricular activities/achievement etc

A capable, positive head usually makes for a very successful school.

Excellent head at DD's school - very positive, an excellent thoughtful speaker, he is very hard-working.

Lots of very likeable, enthusiastic teachers. DD loves most of her teachers. (Although she has had a poor teacher for one of her subjects this year and last year.)

However IMO there is too much emphasis on independent learning - not enough homework is set. The pupils are told that they ought to do x but this is not enforced and I feel that some of them consequently under perform. The school decides what level DCs will take exams at not always allowing pupils to sit exams that they might fail.

Excellent lunchtime clubs and opportunities for trips/expeditions/visits.

Her school is a state school but often sees off competition from fee-paying schools in debating contests, sporting fixtures, music competitions, chess/maths tournaments etc.

It is on the edge of the countryside - very nice surroundings.

The DSs teachers are more intelligent than average, and the graft they appear to put in is incredible. They routinely give up lunch hours to coach pupils who are at risk of falling behind, or who have been absent and missed topics in class. Homework is rigorously monitored and always relates to what's happening in class.

The behaviour is excellent too. No messing about in class and if you walk around the school, there's a kind of happy but sensible buzz. Pupils open doors for each other as well as staff and visitors, and are able to hold a conversation with a visitor without looking or feeling silly.

There are extension programmes for the best mathematicians, linguists and musicians, and a special personal development programme for the pupils who are not at all academic (it's a non selective school). There is a lot of Outward Bound/D of E and so on, included in the curriculum.

I'm sure a good school makes quite a difference - but it doesn't offer any guarantees of success. At the moment - though this will probably change - there is little scope for memorising info in a huge burst at the end of the year and trotting it out in the exam.

I agree that a school with lots of extra-curricular activities is a very good thing for quite a few reasons.

I think the most important things for my daughter are approachable teachers who encourage as much as possible, somewhere she feels safe, has lots of opportunities and as she goes to the local comp it's great for friendships as there's always someone to walk to/from school with - I know this is more from a social point of view but she enjoys her friends and other girls who are generally around. For me, it's having a member of staff I can contac, knowing that they do encourage them and the fact she is in a happy environment.

All schools will have an open evening you can attend, so do go and have a look at any possible options allowing the full time they give. Take your daughter along with you, see if they show her attention, are they proud of the childrens work, is it on display everywhere, is the Headmaster there to speak to, do they have lots of staff available that evening, ask lots of questions - about subjects, after school clubs which may interest your daughter, how they set them and how they help a child of a high or lower ability if this affects your daughter. Some schools will also allow you to look around when lessons are taking place, so ask about that an the open evening if it would help make a decision. We looked at two local schools and there was a big difference on the above points I've raised, one school got full marks, the other I had no confidence in.

We had a choice of two good schools.

We chose DD's school based on

• pastoral care
• ambitions / appropriate courses for all the children, not just the top
• sets (individual subjects) not streams (top, middle, lower bands for all)
• caring about whole child, not just results

What we like in addition to that

• easy access to teachers via email which they respond to
• clear information on progress
• flexible GCSE options

What I'm not so keen on

• books staying at school combined with lack of homework in some key subjects, making it difficult to support at home

Things you may like to consider if you are bothered about them as they can be important and vary alot between schools

• who gets to do triple science
• what first foreign language do they do, when is a second language introduced if at all

Great pastoral care, an ethos of caring and consideration of others cultivated throughout the school, very strict about bullying, positive attitude towards work, general can-do attitude. Dd has had a lot of problems, both physical and emotional, during her time at secondary, the school has constantly been faced with new issues and always, always, always come up with suggestions, never complaining about the extra work, always cheerful and positive.

I like its non-selective ethos combined with a lot of ambition and drive for every student

DD1 is doing three languages (French, German and Latin) in Y7

Triple science - it's a maths and science specialist school

V wide range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (my children have a complicated ethnic background themselves in any case)

She's in a group of friends who are working hard, doing well and enjoy academic work

A lot of other activities and support for those.

Thank you for your replies. There are a few things I hadnt considered and its useful to see how other parents look at a school.

I like it being close by. That's hugely important for us, just a pleasant bike ride or walk away.
I like it being non-selective (especially as I have a mixed bag of children so it's very reassuring to know they haven't been divided into successes and failures at 11.
I like it being non-religious.
I like it being not too presssured, there is homework and there are expectations and lots of "tracking" of children's progress but it leaves a lot of time for my dds (yr 8 and yr7 just finished) to explore their interests outside school hours. I think this is partly why they're both very happy there, they do lots of clubs and activities at school and elsewhere and they get a lot of pleasure from this.
I like the fact that most subjects are streamed from yr7, it's a mixed comp with very wide intake and it does mean that the brighter kids are challenged, which is important to me.
I like the teachers and the head. they have a lot of enthusiasm and seem to like the kids. My 11yo thinks that the teachers are very friendly and approachable.

My kids school was 5 mins walk away and their 6th form college is about 10 mins walk away. It is fantastic.

The kids always look so happy and has as llovely atmosphere. It doesn't matter it's 7 miles away, it does have a fantastic head.
It's also set from day 1, they do Cats in July b e'er ire they start and use those as well as Sat's to set.