What can we do? Only possible school is in Special Measures

[Barbersumbrella]

We'll be applying for a secondary school in Sept 2019 for our son and e have no school to send him to.

Historically our area had a middle school system so children went to school A from 11 to 13 then on to school B from 14 to 18 (presuming they did A levels). More recently the two schools split so school A offers to age 16 and school B from age 11 - 18. Students happily crossed catchment areas to go to their preferred school. We're in the catchment for school A but all the secondary age children in our road go to school B and we presumed DS would be going there.

Then school A fell off a cliff. It's in special measures and has now been for 2 years. It fails to teach boys, has a progress 8 level well under that of the national average and has a specialism for failing to teach GCSE maths. Cross-catchment movement of students stopped as no-one wants their child to go to this God awful school so my son won't now get into school B as they no longer need to take students out of catchment.

Of the 3 nearest out of catchment schools, two of them only need to take in-catchment pupils to make up PAN so last year offered no out of catchment places, and the 3rd offered out of catchment places this year but has no public or school transport from our village so we can't get DS there.

What can we do with this? it is patently unfair for my son to watch the kids who live around him go off to school when he can't go with them. School B is a good match for him in terms of their offer but it seems that he can only get in if he's a younger sibling.

I can't see why school A has been allowed to remain open, and be the only available school for hundreds of children in its catchment, when it is failing so badly. It should have been closed or reverted back to the middle school status that it was capable of being. The school's offer isn't providing even a basic acceptable education - the students leaving now have such poor results that arrangements are having to be made with local colleges to allow them to try and catch up it is so poor. How can we appeal to get this situation resolved? Thanks.

If everybody who lives around you will be going to school B, are you not within the same distance to the school or are they all siblings?

in reality, if they are the only 2 schools, you will have to put your preferred one first. then if you do get the failing school, keep on the CI list. remember, this year is a huge baby boom year, in my county they have never had a year like it, and nearly 200 kids had no offer despite naming the 4 nearest schools. but that might mean next year is not a crazy year, only silly people like me have a year gap, so next year might actually be a better year in your circumstances. it is rubbish, but really all you can do is write the order you want, and accept what you get, keeping on the list if not what you want. also remember, the school was a good school before, and now is being watched with targets. it actually might improve in the year before your child joins. good luck!

So if you're applying in September 2019, your DS won't start until September 2020. He will presumably take his GCSEs in 2025. An awful lot can change in that time. Suppose the school appoints an amazing and transformative Head who starts between now and the time your DS starts. Your DS could have the most brilliant education.

Unless you have a crystal ball, I think you are seriously overthinking it. Go and ask them and find out for yourself how they plan to get out of Special Measures. From what I have heard (thankfully not been there myself), staff work bloody hard and the attainment of the kids is at the forefront of everything.

The other replies are potentially true, but also you could move within catchment for another school.

I know this isn't solving the problem, but it would solve it for you/your son.

It does sound like part of the problem is that you've chosen to live in a village with limited transport links.

I think you might need to rethink whether you could get DC to your preferred school and not rely on a non existent school bus or public transport. You might need to be self sufficient.

LAs should not be running two types of secondary school side by side and this isn’t really the problem with your catchment school. It is needed because it’s taking hundreds of children. It’s expanded to offer an education up to the age of 16 so there must be DC who need this school. The fault lies with the management of the school and the quality of teaching. I would share your concerns. Exams, years and years ahead, are a worry if the teaching is crap for the previous 5 years.

It is possible for a school to improve, but it appears to suffering from MC flight. Those who can go elsewhere, do. School systems change and you have found the need to be in a catchment area has become important. That’s been the case for many families for years. When schools are oversubscribed it’s what happens. So either you move, provide transport yourself or accept the catchment school.

Thank you everyone. My younger DC came down with a lurgie on Friday night so I haven't been able to get back to this.

Applepieco it used to be that School B had enough capacity for out of catchment children, as kids in B's catchment went to school A and vise versa. Once School A nose-dived they stopped moving and School B filled up with its own catchment kids. Now only siblings can get in as they have higher priority than catchment kids. DS will be the first child who didn't get in as out of catchment and who does not have a sibling.

School A has been criticised by OFSTED in the follow up checks they've done for poor lesson planning in KS3 and KS4, low progress overall from the end of KS2 to the end of KS4 and for certain curriculum areas so this isn't just an issue about them having 4 years to sort out decent maths teachers. Their teaching of 11 year olds is also crap. It may magically change and dvelop into a good school but it hasn't so far, and the most recent headteacher isn't going to produce a school that has the facilities of School B with metal work, wood work, art up to A level. We need a school which is comparable to School B or we have some villages with one level of school and some villages with a poorer school when they all had the same provison 9-10 years ago. It's just patently unfair.

I think we'll be putting School B plus the other "no places out of catchment" school, as they're both better than the catchment school and have good transport links, then school A as a distant 3rd. If my son gets stuck with it, I can always join their board of governors and spend 5 years reminding them how they need to up their game to compare with the school our children should have got access to.

If my son gets stuck with it, I can always join their board of governors and spend 5 years reminding them how they need to up their game to compare with the school our children should have got access to.

Governors are appointed based on skills and experience?