Which school for DD?

[Mimy728]

We need to apply for secondary school by the 6th of October as DD has an EHCP. I have narrowed it to the following two schools. I have seen both schools in the past but DD will only see them this year in the open days.

School A
Girls School
Progress 8: 0.61
Grade 5 in English and math: 58%
Distance: 7 miles away. Will need to get one train
Feedback from parents: Everyone I have spoken to is happy with the school.

School B
Coed
Progress 8: 0.68
Grade 5 in English and Math: 68%
Distance: 1.5 miles. 30 to 40 min walk
Feedback from parents: Majority of parents are happy but some complaints of disruption in class.

I prefer school A as it has a more relaxed atmosphere, they have lots of options for Sixth Form including the opportunity to resit English and Math and I like the Ethos of the school.; but I am concerned about the commuting and not having local friends.

I think that DD will find school B too crowded and a bit strict they have to be as there can be more issues with behaviour. It is quite selective for sixth form and I have heard of a few kids that where not offered a place after being there from year 7.

For what I heard and read I think she will get support in both schools

We would take DD opinion into account when she sees the schools but I would like to hear opinions from other parents.

Thank you

You don't really mention how both the schools will meet her specific needs, which surely is the most important point?

Your main points seem to be about sixth form, but I really wouldn't even consider that at this point. Your child can always move schools at the end of Year 11.

Results (which will be 2 years old now) only make sense in terms of the cohort's ability - so you need to consider that as well.

I agree with you that I would normally favour the local school. but I think you need to try to get to the bottom of why you describe School A as "relaxed" and B as "strict" as that's probably the decider!

How long is the journey to the first school, including getting to and from station?

Thank you. I guess I need to speak to SENCO in both schools and ask them how they will meet my daughter needs. All the information I have is from their website and from speaking to other parents. School A seems better from what I read.

I emailed both schools, School B said they don't show the school in a normal school day anymore and didn't reply with respect to speaking to SENCO. I am waiting for the reply for school A.

All I know from both schools is that they are supportive of children who needs support as well as children who are at the top.

I saw the schools a few years ago for my oldest daughter, on a normal open day and school B was extremely quiet/everyone was in complete silence when moving classrooms. While School A felt a bit more relaxed, girls were talking nicely without excessive noise. I guess that's why I said school A felt more relaxed/happy.

Train journey to school A is 1 hour door to door and probably 40 to 45 minutes if we drop her and pick her up at the station. The train Journey is only 20 min

If school A is single sex you may well find it the students come from a wider area, because they/their parents have chosen it specifically for that reason.

I went to a single sex school and none of my friends lived in the same part of the city as me, we were from all over and would meet up in town.

Sorry, I meant whole journey door to door is one hour and 40 to 45 min if we drop her off and pick her up at the train station.

I think your DDs opinion matters a lot more than anyone on here.
Would her disabity/ies affect her either doing the long walk or taking the train?

What do the schools offer in terms of your DD and her interests and strengths?

Do they both offer a similar range of GSCEs? Foreign languages, the option to do double or triple science, more specialist subjects that might interest her - music, drama, food tech, DT, latin.....

What sports do they offer - anything that DD would definitely want, or actively not want?

What facilities do they offer - modern science labs, language labs, computer suites, recording studio, sports hall/pitches/swimming pool etc?

What extra curriculars are on offer - music, drama, sports teams, arts hobbies/interests?

How does the school further away work if your DD wants to attend activities before/after school? Are the trains still available or will the journey take twice as long? What happens if the train is cancelled/there is a strike/snow etc?

If your DD her EHCP I'm surprised it has not been sent to the schools by now for consultation. My understanding is it is W different application for children with EHCP's. In my LA, it is encouraged that applications are made in the summer term of year 5.

Gosh loads of errors. I would have thought this would have been discussed at the annual review in year five and submitted to your SEN team.

Thank you. I should have said that the EHCP has just been approved by the LA and is in the process of being written. DD has a DLD due to issues with receptive language.

We have been informed that the deadline for SEND is 6th of October.

Trains run frequently but if they get cancelled we will have to drive her there and the journey is 30 to 40 min depending on traffic.

An hour's commute sounds too far to be practical. Is this based on the train coming in as you get to the station i.e. the actual journey time will be longer? I think the school needs to be very much better (or the other one dreadful) for this to be an realistic option.
I wouldn't base anything on seeing the schools a few years ago - schools can change dramatically in that time scale! I guess any Open Evenings may be too late for you? I'd definitely push to speak to the SENCO.

Both schools are outstanding and sought after in the respective areas.

According to what I read and heard I think she will be better supported in school A. It also has a better/happier learning atmosphere.That is my gut feeling. I am yet to find a negative parent opinion about the school.

School B is where many parents around here want to send the children to, but I have heard some comments of disruption in class and high achievers children not being pushed enough, not that it matters for DD; also, not much homework.

We will see what DD and DH thinks when she sees them as we booked for the open days.

I’ve been seeing rather notable discrepancies in those progress 8 scores and percentage of grade 5s achieved between genders in many mixed schools. I think it’s worth looking if there is an imbalance in school B - there might be a significant difference in what girls are achieving against how boys there are doing.

You can select it in the compare school performance service gov website. Once you select the school, on the first page, in the “secondary” tab, choose “results by pupil characteristics”, then choose “girls and boys”. It’s likely that both scores will either be rather higher than the figures in your initial post or worryingly lower.
Personally speaking, if the discrepancy was very wide, I’d be looking to understand why.

Good idea. Will do that.

Progress 8 score for girls:

School A: 0.61
School B: 0.81

I am not sure they are comparable though as school A is only girls.

Low prior attainers:

Progress 8:
School A: - 0.09
School B: 0.07

Grade 5 or above in English and Maths:

School A: 0
School B: 11%

I am not an expert. but does this mean that school B does better with low attainers. ?

Maybe I am crazy to consider school A when I have a good school closer. DD is not keen on long school days either and would rather come home after school to relax than doing extra curricular activities.

Going with only the minimal information shared here, my initial feeling is that School B is suitable for a girl (or boy) who can focus and resist the temptation to muck around.

If DD is liable to succumb to negative peer pressure they might find less of it at School A.

Not much in it to call between the schools when it comes to low prior attainers, but the large P8 discrepancy between girls and boys at School B does suggest that girls with low prior attainment get more of an advantage there. If kids there and their immediate social circle aren’t “feeling it”, School B might not be able to supply that drive.

Progress 8 values will all be 2 years out of date though, so should be viewed through that lens (especially if you have reason to believe the school may have changed either positively or negatively over the last 2 years).

From the info you have provided, I would go for school B with easiest commute as there is not enough difference in the schools to warrant a longer commute.

But, with DLD, most important is the additional support she will receive... how the school works with SLT service... what individual and group provision is given... what classroom and activity accommodations can be made...what specific access to support she will get to meet the requirements of her EHCP... what flexibility do they have in her timetable so she can get language support instead of XYZ subjects. It is not enough for you to just have a look at open day, or for the schools not to respond to your request to meet the SENCO. What does your caseworker say? You need to get in there, get involved, ask questions. With the EHCP you should have access to this and not be flailing around making decisions based on parental heresay on disruptions in class.

Thank you very much for your opinions. It is appreciated.

Does anyone know what happen if the school does not work out for the child who has an EHCP? Can they move to another one?

You would review the ehcp and the current school would need to say they cannot meet need. Your LA SEN would consult with other schools/education provisions.

I think you are leaning heavily towards School A. I also would put aside thoughts on sixth form, and I don't think the scores are different enough to drive decision making.

I think you need to talk to the SENCos. And don't let one email, not replied to by one person the office, drive your decision making. Check the SLT and SEN pages of their websites in case the SENCo's email address is there somewhere.

I do have a feeling that school A will be better for DD, despite the distance. I read all the information on the website including SEN and it seems school A has better support/provision. The subjects for GCSEs are also better and there is a bit more things that DD may like shen she gets to that stage.

Thank you. I will call and ask to speak to the SENCO. I do feel a bit bad about chasing as I feel state schools have enough things to deal with and not enough resources.

We don't know who are caseworker is, perhaps the person we have been dealing with from the LA who informed us the LA has agreed to issue and EHCP. We are new to this process and it is quite close to the deadline of 6th of October.