choosing a secondary school - commencing the journey of selection

[shifferBrains]

Hello

I am sure this has been done to death but I wonder if anyone on here can help me as I start my selection process for secondary school please?

My dc is only in year 5 come September so it feels a long way off but I figure it's a long process

what are the pitfalls to s void?

if you are applying for state school be realistic.

Look at the admissions criteria for each school and see what category your child sits in. Then find the published admission information from previous years at the schools you like and see what was the last category admitted from in previous years. Doing this means you don't waste choices on schools you have me chance of attending.

Use all the selections. There is no point putting down only one school in the hope you be given that one. You could end up with a school miles away that you had never considered. So always try and include at least one school that you have a very good chance of getting into. Although I appreciate this is harder in some areas than others, where there are black holes.

Ask parents with older children for their experiences and opinions, keep an eye out for children in uniform out and about. It helps to get an impression of the school and the children's attitude /behaviour.

Look at each schools Value Added scores, this helps identify schools who pushed each group of students and get the best out of them.

Does your child have specific interests or needs? Look at what each school offers in terms of curriculum or additional support and after school clubs.

Above all remember you don't get a "choice", you have the opportunity to express a preference.

Also remember that most people do get one of their selections - despite reading all the horror stories!

I wouldn't just go on VA, schools can have very high VA but not be high achieving. The data dashboard on OFSTED's website is very clear.

Open evenings are generally Sept/Oct and always worth going to but a good school will allow a tour during the day, that will give you a better idea. It is also worth driving past at the end of the day.

Good luck!

Some great advice here thankyou

Think what is (most) important to you

• results
• pastoral care
• wide range of sports
• good for your ability child
• non academic options
• academic options
• level of homework

Things that can be important that you don't realise before you start

• do they stream (overall ability) or set (by subject)
• 1st MFL - what is it; when do they offer a second MFL language
• who gets to do triple science
• what is compulsory for GCSE
• how to communicate with staff (e.g. email?)
• are tutor groups year based or 'vertical'
• how do they work GCSE options (e.g. our school blocks them and you choose one from each block)

I think those questions put by TeenAndTween are really useful to bear in mind, but you might find that no school ticks all of the boxes all of the time. And you can get really bogged down in the research only to find out that you really do have only one realistic option.

It is really important to have confidence in the headteacher and leadership team, however.

All great points and questions by other posters.

I would just add, remember it's a preference not a choice. If going for a state school - use all your preferences.

Hang around at home time a couple of days; if possible go to open days rather than open evenings; chat to your student guide - they are usually still quite young and have not swallowed the party line yet and are therefore incredibly enlightening.

Try not to swayed by playground views in your primary - what may suit one child may not suit yours.

Do not underestimate your child's instincts and impressions of the place. They have to go there every day.

Good luck.

I agree with ikkenu there is no point researching my second list of questions unless you are choosing between realistic choices, and if the points matter to you.

Yes yes to having confidence in leadership.

e.g. from the second list I only massively care about communicating with staff and setting v. streaming. If I lived 10 miles up the road, that would have as good as ruled out one of my 3 possible options.
However, some schools force a tech option at GCSE (dire for my ?dyspraxic? DD) or don't offer triple science at all, or don't offer any second MFL, and I think it's good to know what you are getting into, if only to manage expectations.