What do you think of this school?

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

Trying to decide whether to apply for the local Free School.

• 50 children per year in two classes. Form groups stay together.
• Topic based not subject based learning (with topics covering everything from Science to languages to art)
• all study the same set GCSEs (Maths, English, language, Sciences, History, Art) with some scope for extra subjects.
• no uniform
• lots of practical experience.

Some things appeal, others don't.
20 minute bus journey, then 25 minute walk. Have yet to check the cycling route

This is opposed to the local school, 5 minute walk, 7 form entry, traditional uniform, massive range of academic and vocational subjects, range of extra curricular...

Unfortunately we can't visit as Open Evenings this week and she has a positive Covid test.

I think it sounds fantastic. I would have loved a school like this and my daughter would love a school like this.
You could switch to a different school at 14 for GCSEs if your child wanted more. Some colleges do a 14-16 scheme and UTCs mostly only take from 14+ anyway.

There's a school near us that was "requires improvement" because of, among other things, the appalling results thanks to topic based learning. They are now in the 3rd year of a new trust with a new head and its much improved and they do a lot less topic based learning. It's great at primary school but topics don't seem to give the scope for the depth of knowledge at GCSE and more importantly onto A level.

No way. Even if I loved the school I wouldn’t put a tween / teenager through that commute

Sounds great for kids with SN, or those who are highly anxious. Sounds absolutely awful for your run of the mill NT kid. Avoid!"

And at topic rather than subject based learning. It's a novelty gimmick with no sound evidence pedagogically - at least not at secondary level.

@MrsKDB

No way. Even if I loved the school I wouldn’t put a tween / teenager through that commute

You obviously don't live in London.

The schools are run by the XP Trust. (There are two of them locally)

I was going to ask if these were XP schools. I have a friend whose children go there, they seem to love it but to be honest the whole thing seems to "experimental" for my liking and knowing my kids personalitites they wouldn't learn enough this way to be able to do well in GCSEs.

It sounds like it would be a very sink or swim environment - for the right kid in the right circumstances I imagine it could be an absolutely gorgeous experience, but for anyone else, stifling and limited.

Everyone has to do GCSE art?
My kids would hate that.
I think at gcse it is important to be motivated and feel you have some agency.
It's quite specific, is there no gcse photography, pe, IT or computer science?

@trumpisagit it looks like its not a GCSE but a VRQ Lv2 in Art techniques, whatever that is.

The free school sounds good to me (ex primary teacher now lecture at an RG university)
Things I'd be concerned about:
The commute, it's long and could be quite exhausting
The stability of the school. Lots of free schools run out of steam and end up being taken over by academies. How long has this one been going? How does it deal with the budget shortfall caused by having 5 fewer pupils per class than capacity? Who runs it? They obviously have a clear vision for the type of education they want, but do they have any experience of running schools?
If you feel those things are acceptable, it's then down to how well you think the school will suit your child

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Reasons we are considering it... DD is clever... but not in a academic way. Very good at practical tasks, learning by doing etc. She most likely has dyslexia. She has managed to overcome her selective mutism, but is still introverted and likes quiet. She hates crowds and gets anxious in them (sadly the last 18 months has been a set back in this area)

This really changes things OP. She subs a bit similar to my DS. He is doing GCSEs this year. To be honest, he didn't need all the choices he was offered. I personally think mental health and enjoyment of life/ education is way more important than the difference between getting a grade 5 or a grade 7 at GCSE. I really doubtb the school would make much more difference than that. My DS is now Y11 and constantly going on about how 'useless' school and why can't they have schools where you know what your want to be (he wants to design cars) and then learn the things you need to know for that. You don't need Romeo and Juliet! Etcetcetc. He is averagely academic, middle sets but I think he would have thrived in a setting like this. Don't dismiss it! Now choice is great for kids who want to choose music or doing 2 languages but my DS hasn't done any of this. He took Design Tech which is a practical subject he's very good at. Other than that it's exactly the same subjects your DD would be doing (minus art).

[quote Aroundtheworldin80moves]@trumpisagit it looks like its not a GCSE but a VRQ Lv2 in Art techniques, whatever that is.[/quote]
So if Art isn't a GCSE that means they only do 7 GCSEs.

Sounds perfect for my highly anxious ASD DS who realistically isn't going to get many / any GCSE's. Not so great otherwise.

Don't even get me started on the education system in this country and how it's geared to one type of child. My DS2 is this type of child. He is really no cleverer than ds1 but on paper he is far cleverer, which in turn has affected his confidence, happiness etc. Ds1 lacks confidence, has low self esteem and I personally blame the education system since Reception for this. He 'failed' his Y1 phonics test and he really felt it even though those was of no importance to me and we never went on about it. Things like that all the time for 13 years of your life. I would have jumped at the opportunity of a school like this for him OP. Well done for finding it!

What facilities does the larger school have to support your DD? I was very much going to suggest that the small one sounds terrible, but your update changes that substantially for me.

However, a few years is a long time and children change a lot in that time. I would be worried that a child with additional needs would be better with a wide range of options which suit them at 14. DS has SpLD and so a school which offering a number of BTECs, Cambridge Nationals etc was good for him as it reduced the number of exams he needed to take in Yr11 (although he took none in the end as he is now in yr12).

V small year group is a no. As is limited GCSE options (clearly the two are linked). What if you aren't good at art? And where is drama, tech, PE, comp science, geog, RE? Like @Stringbeing my DC were delighted to give up disliked subjects for ye 10. Not all the same subjectd either tho they were united in disliking art 😂
Topic based is bobbins I promise. how does it even work?

Long long commute. I see the appeal of no uniform but otherwise it's a no from me. What appeals to you op?

If these are the two XP schools in Doncaster which is the alternative larger school?

@Hellocatshome

If these are the two XP schools in Doncaster which is the alternative larger school?

Hayfield.

Hayfield

Ah unfortunately I cant give you any up to date information on Hayfield but it was great when I went there in the 90s (I realise that is of no significance at all)

@Hellocatshome

Hayfield

Ah unfortunately I cant give you any up to date information on Hayfield but it was great when I went there in the 90s (I realise that is of no significance at all)

It looks good on paper, the other parents seem happy enough with it... but you never really know until they attend. Weve only lived in Doncaster for 4 months.

Sorry op I didn't see your update. I still think it's not great. Small year group may seem to suit but such limited choice would not be good for a student with SEN IMO. No good would have come from forcing my ds1 who has learning issues to take history GCSE and an art qualification of any kind.

Where will she feel valued OP? How is her self esteem? The trouble with tons of choice is that if you FEEL like you're bad at everything it doesn't really matter whether you are offered RE, French or even music (unless you're already gifted at music before your start Secondary. No one starting music lessons in Y7 will be GCSE music standard).

Personally, I don't agree with so-called "free schools but, aside from that, some of these schools have had quite a rocky ride and some have closed down.

As you are not able to visit, I would stick with the other school - though I agree with no school uniform and what sounds like much more flexible and interactive teaching. The travel time and distance would put me off - OK in the summer but not great on a freezing winter morning.

Reading up about the school - their answer about appeals here would have me running: xptrust.org/faq/

Not sure how they can claim ‘Above all, compassion’ whilst also implying they will take any successful appeal (because the panel deemed it more detrimental to the child than the school) through the high courts.

That website!!! Crew leaders, learning 'expeditions', and that's a pretty damning statement on appeals ( we see any parent trying to use the appeals process to bias this fair and correct process as being totally unfair to the school, ...Therefore we will protect our school and admissions policy as rigorously as possible and as a Trust, and we are willing to use all legal avenues possible to do this, including the High Court. )