'Better' town or 'better' school?

[stickygotstuck]

We need to move. We like our current town but not our street.

We live semi-rually in small town A. The town is pleasant enough and has some services, a very limited bus service, but a decent train service, with a nearby village with a second station on a different line (important when you live rurally). Reasonable housing stock and you get a bit more house for your money.

The local secondary is OK. Ofsted rating is 'good'. It has 'required improvement in the past'. It's smallish - ar. 750 students. Reputation amongst locals is not unanimously good. But I know several kids who go there and both them and their parents are very happy with the school. I suspect that there is an element of snobbery as it's a more working class town - whatever that means.

Then there is another nearby small town, small town B, with another secondary.
I am not that keen on the town - fewer services, OK bus service, no train station. Not as pleasant (but bizarrely, better regarded locally). Very little choice of housing stock, more expensive than town A.

Their school's Ofsted is also 'good'. It has been 'outstanding' in the past. It's biggger - ar- 1500 students, and slightly more diverse, simply because it has a wider catchment and the majority children come from out of town. This one is very well regarded locally. It is a former grammar school, but currently it's just a comp that retains the name. I know kids who go there, both kids and parents happy.

I prefer school B, mostly on the grounds that it's larger and slightly more diverse (DC goes to small primary and we now consider that a mistake, so trying to get away from small schools if possible).
I prefer small town A to live in, DD has some friends here, goes to after school activities here, we know exactly what it's like to live in, and we could get a better house for our money.

The chances of DD getting to school B by staying in town A are very, very slim. That would be my ideal solution, unfortunatetly.

What would you do? Move or stay put? We need to make a decision and we are going round and round in circles!

Whats the class sizes like? The big school could have large classes sizes and less time per child. I'd go for the one with the class sizes are the smallest, towns change and schools can change

Thanks shed.

Class sizes are very similar. There are just more forms in the larger school.

They even have the same structure, divided into several houses. In fact, the current head of the larger school is the former head of the small school.

In that case I would probably go for school A, the town seems a lot nicer and you can always encourage more homework/ tutoring or other help. Your child won't always be at school and you will appreciate the better area and you can get a bigger house for less money. That extra money could be used to go on education top up etc

Meant to say, DH thinks that there is more of a chance of the schools changing than there is of the towns changing in the short term.

We are obsessively worried about this. This move is a major financial committment for us (as in can barely afford it), and we are desperate to get it right for us as a family but also to choose the right school for DC.

DC would love to stay in this town too. DH leans slightly towards town B but realises that transport is worse and that will be an issue for DC when a bit older and more independent.

When did the headteacher move? If the HT was head of school A when it was RI, then moved on, then stick with town A, as current school head has made the jump from RI to good. If headteacher transformed school A from RI to good, then moved on to school B, then probably go for B, or at least look very closely at track record of new school A head.

It sounds like school A is on the up

Thanks Jaffa.

Sorry, I got mixed up. Current head of school B is the former head of school A. So your second scenario. And I think the current head of school A is the former assisstant head of school B.

It may be worth mentioning that both schools work closely, and some pupils attend specific courses at the other school (A level mostly). They both will also become academies within the same trust soon.

As far as I understand the RI thing with school A was a blip on a specific aspect. The new (current) head had recently taken over when this all happened. They had a second inspection within 12 months and went back to Good (ofsted very complimentary of how soon and effectively they sorted themselves out. Although I know that a report is just a report).

Does that change your recommendation at all?

Thanks Allthebest, it certainly seems so, doesn't it?

To us, it's mostly the difference in size/diversity. Living rurally, we think it's important DD has a less 'insular' outlook. Not sure 'insular' is the best word but I hope YSWIM! As I said, the choice of a smaller primary didn't turn out as well as expected, so that may be colouring our view.

School A doesn’t sound too much of a worry from that description and there are many benefits to smaller secondaries, not least that transition from primary is often easier.

Thanks Battleax. I agree, we think both schools are fine.

I feel like a right idiot because I know that on paper it's a non-dilemma: good school v. good school . But the pressure of the alleged 'choice' we parents have when sending kids to school is weighing down on us! You know that feeling of wanting to do what's best for your DC but can't decide what 'best' is? Just that!

Well all other things being (almost) equal, surely the “best” thing is continuity and familiarity? So a smallish school in a pleasant town where presumably a lot of her friends will also go sounds really very good.

(I’m speaking here as someone whose eldest two did secondary transfer in the London schools mayhem. I’m looking forward to doing it out here in peaceville next time with much less “choice”, mich less hassle and much more continuity for DC#3. Don’t panic too much about theoretical “choice” you’re lucky enough not to need.)

That's just it Battleax, at the small primary we have become disillusioned with familiarity, I am now leaning toward the 'change is always good' school of thought. But as it happens, DD's classmates will all go to either school A or B, so she will know some people in either place. DD herself thinks smaller is better, but she would, her current school is tiny!

I went to the large, local secondary where most of my primary classmates went, but I was soon very glad only one of them was in my form.

Sorry, missed your other post Battleax.

I wish you good luck in peaceville. I think we could do with a bit of mayhem. The grass is always greener comes to mind!

Go and view both schools on a school day. Ask for a tour. Also ask to see the yard at break / lunchtime. The head can prewarn staff about a walk around but they csnt change the students normals break behaviour.

That ight give you a clearer idea.

The grass is always greener comes to mind!

Probably some truth in that.

Thanks C0ount, we are planning to do that. We were waiting for the next open day but we really need to get a move on with the move.

Are secondaries generally receptive to visitors outside open days?

Outstanding used to be easier to get. So School b might be the same now as it was then. School a sounds like it's on the up though and I think smaller ones give all the staff chance to know the kids although options and facilities may be more limited

Given that, I would probably stay put in town A. I don’t think the hassle and expense of moving to town B really gets you good value for money.

Thanks great, that's a good point about better/more facilities in a larger school. We'll have to study the curriculum in (even) greater detail.

Yes phone then to ask for a tour at their earliest convenience.

Dont be put off by small size. The school where i work, while not being small at all, does have arrangements with other schools if there is a course a student wants to do but we dont provide.

What would be your child's choice?

IMO given there is honestly, from the sounds of things, very little between the schools, I would go with my child's decision. I think at that age and in the circs, your child should have the casting vote.

Then the decision is made and you can,with a sigh of relief, stop the endless deliberating!

It's easy to get stuck on the idea that School X is RI / good / outstanding therefore my DC will be correspondingly RI / good / outstanding. It doesn't work like that. Your DC is your DC, not an average of all the pupils at the school.
As long as your DC stands a chance of getting good-enough GCSEs then that is all you need. If no-one ever gets A grades then run a mile, but if some children do achieve then that is sufficient.
You can always move for sixth form, when it is more important!

Thanks Jaffa. I think you are right, when you put in black and white it doesn't sound like much value for money. Although we need to move anyway.

Thanks C0ount, that's good to hear.

I must say the size does not bother us because of options, as schools A & B do have arrangements with each other for specific courses. It's more to do with student's mindset possibly being less open in school A. Most pupils in school A live in town A so it's more self-contained, whereas in school B most pupils come from elsewhere as town B is not big enough to fill it.

We've lived here for quite a while and we like it, but there is a certain insularity amongst many of the locals, for want of a better description. Difficult to explain, I wonder if anybody else feels similar about where they live?

Thanks oven and senua.

senua, of course DD is correspondingly outstanding . But seriously, I know what you mean. They both achieve a good deal of A/A* grades. On paper there really isn't much between them.

oven, DD has changed her mind. She used to prefer school B, but now says she'll be happier in A. I suspect this was because her best friend will probably go to school B, but now she's realised that would mean moving to town B she's not that keen. Also, she knows school A better as her primary does some activities there, so she is more familiar (whereas I think familiarity can be stiffling!).
But you are right, we must put an end to the deliberating or we'll end up divorced at this rate!