Two schools dilemma

[Turefu]

Hello.
I’ve always been saying I won’t send my son to the local secondary school, as it was bad. I mean bad, inadequate for years, put on special measures. Finally school was closed and reopened as academy. Last year report is outstanding. I was looking for other school for him , but choice is limited, as we live in rural area. He’s got an offer from very good, catholic school from the city 12 miles away. Transport is a bit an issue, but doable. Now I’m having doubts is it the right choice for him. Local school has improved, is very close, so no transport needed. DH says he’ll be fine in any school. Any advice, please?

I would send him to the local school. But first visit it, ask questions to make sure you feel they are doing a good job. Much easier if the school is closer. And if you are not happy, you can always pull him out.

@SamPoodle123 I’m worried , should I put him to the local school , he’ll loose place in this very good one and if something happen, he won’t be able to come back there. I read both schools parents reviews and both have pretty similar and old ones .Complaints about bullying in both schools. City one is more academic.

Where do you think he will be happier?

It is very unusual these days to get Outstanding from Ofsted. There were several schools in my area that were outstanding but have recently been downgraded. I would have no hesitation sending my child to the local school but as the other person said, go and visit and ask them about their pastoral care.

Don't judge any school on ofsted rating. Ofsted isn't measuring the same things you consider important. A school that is doing the best that can be expected of them given an awful catchment area can be rated outstanding despite being a horrible environment. A nice, nurturing pleasant school in a leafy suburb can be rated inadequate if it doesn't tick all the right boxes.

Go to the schools on an actual school day. If open days are only at weekends and tour guides are staff not pupils then that's a big red flag that it's too awful to let you see the reality.

Has your DS expressed a preference? Are any of his friends going to the catholic school?

@PuttingDownRoots He wants to go to the local one, as his friends go there. I think he’ll be happy in both school. We live in nice area, very safe one and other school is in the middle of the city , very middle class.

I wouldn't out too much in the ofsted rating. I would have a look around both schools and also hang around at finishing times and see what the behaviour of the students is like then.

What would be the journey to the school 12 miles away?

@3WildOnes About 40 minutes by bus. I drive to my work now and takes me 1h 20min and I find it very tiring. But I’m at new job and my training will finish soon, while 11 years old faces 40min journey for years to come. I know some kids travel longer, but it doesn’t cheer me up.
@Skiphopbump None of his friends is going to the Catholic school. I’m Catholic, so it played a part in choosing.

It isn't a big red flag if staff aren't running school tours at the beck and call of every unorganised parent who didn't manage to make it to any of the arranged open events. It is a sign that the staff are trying their best to teach and run their underfunded school. By all means ask for a tour but don't be entitled about it, or expect students to be taken out of lesson to do so.
In my school, we try our best to accommodate term time tours and will always offer them for in year admissions but for Year 7 admissions, sometimes the only option is to do it in the holidays when there is less time pressure.

Is it 40mins door to door? Or is that how long the bus is? I would do the journey with him a couple of times to get a feel for it.

@3WildOnes 40minutes is a bus route. Door to door about 50minutes, bus stop is few minutes walk from out house and the literally outside the school.

Is this about starting year 7 in September? If so, are you sure there would be a place for your child at the local school? Most schools rated outstanding are oversubscribed, with waiting lists.

Yes agree with the very wise @PanelChair - are we talking about this September? Is there actually a place in the local school? It's not very likely if it is rated so highly tbh. I would ask that first before you even worry about it.

A 40-min journey to school is not bad, expecially if it is all on one bus. Lots of secondary school kids do similar and are fine.

Local school.
It's not just the "getting to school" you need to think about if the other school is further away, it's all the lifts to friends houses ( who may well live the same distance away in the opposite direction), the after school clubs, concerts, parents' evenings, sports events etc.
So much easier when they can get themselves to their mates' houses.

Have you actually visited your local school? Ofsted really isn't the be all and end all.

I'd go with local school. 50 minutes door to door will mean over an hour in practical terms, and you are at the mercy of the bus service not changing over the next few years. Plus he presumably will struggle to get to see friends unaided - a huge part of secondary school life.

Put another way -what could he be doing with those 2 hours if he wasn't spending them going to and from school?

@Turefu schools are turned around by good leadership. If you like the headteacher of the local school (who is probably relatively new), and find him/her inspiring, then it's a reasonable bet that they will attract good teachers to the school - often teachers from other schools where they have worked in the past and that has a snowball effect on the quality of teaching and learning. If the kids are being taught well, and respect their teachers, they are more likely to behave well, and that also has a snowball effect on their learning. So my advice would always be to check out the Head - if they inspire you they will inspire others too.

Can you ask for transport? Somebody from Wales told me that if a faith school is distant there is an option of arranging transport via council.
Also, I am assuming that you are practicing Catholic because the catholic schools are oversubscribed and they prioritise practicing people

@ReneeX Yes, I’m practising Catholic. I’m not sure am I eligible for free transport, I’ll find out in the council. I live in the semi-rural area, there’s no much choice here. Travel is involved , just not for local school.

If the new school had reopened as an academy, what is the behaviour policy? I only ask as there tends to be a trend in a academies towards very strict zero tolerance behaviour management. Silent corridors, immediate sanctions for forgetting a pen etc. Fine for some kids but definitely not for others!