When should I look around for secondary schools for ds (he is in year 4)?

[frascati]

Going into year 5 in september.

Thanks

Our LEA organises it for us. Here, we wait until year 6 and then we are sent necessary forms and details of the secondary schools we need to look at in our area. Do you do 11+?

Wait till year 6, no point worrying about it before then.

It depends how many options you have, and what stamina you have for visiting schools when open evening season comes round, and also how much you know about the schools already. Also we wanted to make the decison (and have made this clear to ds1), and so wanted to do our homework/research in advance, before presenting him with a fait accompli.

In yr4 we visited 2 schools' open evenings and an open day; In yr5 2 schools' open evenings and an open day and also arranged to visit two of the schools during their working day.

Next year (yr6) we will take ds1 along to the two open evenings of the schools we have chosen as first choices.

It's worth keeping an ear out for news reports, results, rumours, and so on for a couple of years in advance; rather than just basing your decision on a snapshot in September/October of your application year.

Secondary schools here don't really encourage visits before Year 5, and to be honest there's little point.

Here, the drill is that all Yr5 pupils in the town get to spend a whole day with their class and their teacher at each of the two secondary schools in the town itself. So, my Yr5 son has already spent a day at one school, and in the next few weeks will visit the other. These are taster days where the children get to take part in various lessons, sports, get to have a school lunch etc.

In the summer term of Yr5 each school has an open day for Yr5 parents, and in September of Yr6 there are open evenings for parents and their children. These days/evenings include informal tours, the chance for parents to watch lessons in action, and talks/question and answer sessions by the heads. The application forms must then be in by mid-late October of Yr6.

DS is year 6 and went through this in September. It was hardwork and very tiring for the children as we ended up with a few late nights for them.
Schools can change quite a bit from year 4 to year 6. Our 2nd choice I had heard nothing but bad things before but by year 6 it had a new headmaster and was turning around and most of the previous year 6 parents whose children ended up there were singing its praises. The school that everyone wanted to go to was going downhill and had a bullying problem.

We wouldn't have even thought about our first choice as it was 6 miles away, but found out from another parent that it had 10% intake on aptitude for technology. It was another school that was rapidly improving. Son loves science and technology did the test and got in.

I think you have to wait until yr 5, at leats you do round here. There will open evenings some time next year (bloody hell next year, how dod that happen).

Secondary schools round here do open days for year 5 and 6. They don't encourage visits before then.

Open evenings are usually listed in the local papers too,if that helps.