Secondary school choice help please

[Tryingtodoourbest]

Dear all, I know this has been done to death but I hoped the wisdom of Mumsnet could give us some perspective. We have just come out of the 11+ experience and have to think about which school to choose.
To put in context, our ds is in year 6 at a large outstanding state primary. He is in top stream and top set Maths. We have been told he is clever but he is a dreamer and when the teacher’s back is turned will stare out of the window and take a while to settle into a task. Therefore he is better when he has someone pushing him. He is happy and comes across as a confident boy (although some of this is show as he can be insecure). He is very articulate so I think he charms people with his rhetoric. He is a lovely, compliant boy in many ways but doesn’t fit the studious self disciplined work ethic (yet) the grammar would expect.
It was no big surprise therefore that he missed the grammar pass mark. He did well but not enough (it seems that a lot of his cohort missed it this year but that is another story).

Anyway we now have a choice of three schools and not sure which would be best to go for. We have a good chance of getting a place at any. He likes all three.

School A: catchment comprehensive. This is our least favoured. Plus points: short walk to school. There will be many people he knows there (maybe even more this year given the 11+ results). Shiny new buildings.
Negatives: top 25% creamed off so not truly comprehensive and they don’t have a good reputation for stretching the top end. We didn’t ‘rate’ the senior teachers at open evening. Not a great start. Teacher retention is a problem.

School B out of borough comprehensive.
Plus points: truly comprehensive with good results. Strong leadership team. Short bus ride. Teacher retention is good. High expectations. Cater well for top end. Some of his friends will go here probably.
Negatives: it is unbelievably huge for a school so the buildings are cavernous (quite old) and he will be just a number. Not sure about this but if he is not as bright as we have been led to believe, he wouldn’t be in top sets, he is easily distracted and our fear is he would sink academically without the pushing he has had to focus.

School C small non-selective private (only private choice in area).
Plus: small class sizes. Lovely Family feel. He would be nurtured and known. Nowhere to hide so would be pushed to stay on task. Loads of other opportunities within school. Head is very impressive. I was educated in a school like this and have happy memories.
Negatives: only goes 11-16. Non- selective so they do well but but don’t have the top end and may not push for A*. Only one or two at most of his friends might go here. Worried it might be too small for him and not give him enough skills to cope with outside world (make him independent etc).

We like B and C very much but want the best outcome. We can afford the fees so that is not a factor but want to make sure we are doing the best rather than making do.
DH was educated in the comprehensive sector and did very well but is open to any of the options.

Sorry for the length of this and thanks in advance.

Its tricky - we went for our local which was somewhere between your A&B 9 form per year and moved ds after a year as it was too big for him...he didn't get lost though they just didn't have the resources to support him and a lot of change in teachers...(london so relatively high turnover expected)
I would probably go for B in your option if you think it is well managed a friends daughter goes to a v large school and it is so organised and she is v impressed..

.however C is too small - we went private but a 3 form entry although we had looked at a single form and ds had liked I wasn't so keen as lack of friendship options..

is there not another private you could look at? DS is further away than I would like and uses the school bus..

B. C sounds risky (financially - in that if numbers drop it may not remain viable - and academically, as it looks as though it still needs to make the shift to 9-1 grading).

A well-taught middle set is a magical thing. A good staff retention rate probably means the departments are being run well, staff are supported and that middle sets would be fine. Remember you'd also have spare cash for a tutor or two if you're not paying fees. That might help with any problems focusing.

This is all such a help thank you. Please keep it coming.

For those that have given your opinion so far can I ask as well. Supposing it is a bumper year for applications to B and we don’t actually get a place (would be unprecedented but you never know), A or C????

thank you lovely people.

From those scores, B. Given you can't put C on your CAF, put B then A on the CAF, and decide whether you can afford C as a back-up. You can always appeal or ask for reconsideration if you don't get B, and you can go on the waiting list too.

Boarding school?

Thanks, have nothing against boarding school per se ( I boarded happily for a couple of years) but it is not something we would choose for our children.

C

So no chance of appealing for grammar?

No definitely not in our case, he was too far under (surprisingly) and we’re not sure grammar is right for him now. Quite a few transfer for 6th form so that might be an option if he develops in that way and wants to.

Are these schools secondary modern schools or truly comprehensive?

I would class A as a secondary modern and B truly comprehensive although both are officially comps. B will lose some to the grammars but not as many as A by far.

2nd choice - A and use the money available to supplement if necessary.

Dear all,

Thanks for the replies on this thread. I thought we’d update. We gave up our place at the private school C as our son said it would definitely be too small for him - and we agreed. there was a big waiting list so we wanted someone else to have the place.

It was an unprecedented year as it happens and none of his friends got into school B. Their distance places moved back about a mile from the last few years (again given the poor in- catchment 11+ results leading to a rush on other school places).

So he is going to school A and he is delighted! We are fine about it and smiling to ourselves that having gone through all the angst, he is going to the catchment school after all. It should be a great cohort as all his non-grammar friends will be there too. The senior teacher I didn’t rate has left as well.

Funny how things work out! Thanks again