Choosing a secondary school - Please advise

[mesha123]

Hi,

I have 2 schools in my catchment area. I am not very keen on either of them. One the park
High which doesn't have a very good reputation and another is Avanti house. Although Avanti is a good one but being a faith school I would rather prefer my Dd to join a non faith one. The others like Pinner high and Nower Hill high are beyond the catchment area and their admissions close within half a mile.

Even the other good schools in other boroughs would be far and I believe if they are outstanding they would also be filling up with a short distance.

How much success do i have if I choose one which is slightly farer but outstanding like Pinner High. Or is the only option to move closer to the school....

I am not sure if I want to go through the 11+ route by putting so much pressure amd whether it's worth it?

Any suggestions?

Thanks

I'd suggest putting the area in your post name or posting in MN local. You're more likely to attract someone who actually knows the schools/area.

But ... in general ... last year's admissions data will be on your LEA website (or similar) so you can see what your chance of getting in to any of the schools would have been. Obviously this may change from year to year particularly if there is new housing developments or catchment area changes, but it will give you an idea.

Advice would be to put the schools down in the order of your general preference, but make sure you include at least one school you have a realistic chance of getting into, even if it's last place.

Also, don't pick a school based on either Ofsted or reputation. Go and see them for yourself and ask pertinent questions.

Thanks