Secondary dilemma - unsure about local school, please reassure me I’m worrying about nothing.

[RedShoesGreenWellies]

I apologise in advance. This is a bit of an essay but I wanted to share all the thoughts and research so everyone had all the information available.

Our local school (school A) had a year 7 intake last year of 25 and there are only 137 in the school. This means the whole year group is in the same mixed ability class for all subjects, all the time. At GCSE the curriculum is English language, English literature, maths, triple science and two of Spanish, history, geography, art, hospitality and sport. But this is dependent on what everyone else chooses so there might only be 2 of these options running.
I am really unsure as to whether sending my DS1, and later on DD and DS2, to this school would be alright, I mean, it will be alright, but it’s so small and other further away schools offer so much more in terms of options at GCSE, extra curricular, setting for subjects based on ability etc.

There is another school (school B) we could possibly get to, it has a dedicated school bus (which we would have to pay for because out of catchment - and it’s very expensive) but it means no after school activities can be done because the bus would leave at the end of school. I also don’t like the school, the towns youths had an anti social behaviour order put on them as well as a curfew and more recently a teacher was sent to prison and put on the sex offenders register. I also don’t like how the school is so pretentious and went on and on about it’s outstanding ofsted report (from 2013). So not filling me with confidence.

Further afield we have a school (school C) which is 56mins away on the bus but would arrive at school at 0805 and the bus home would be 1730 so getting home at 1830. There would be 90minute dead time from when schools closed until the bus - probably not an option.

Another school (school D) would be 60 min on 2 busses. Would get to school at 0810. The school has breakfast and library open from 0800. However, to get home would be a train and a bus. The train wouldn’t be until 1730 so home around 1900. School has clubs until 1600 and library open until 1700 plus then it’s a 20 min walk to the train - potentially an option because could go to DH parents after school. DH parents have also offered to be bring DS1 home after school at 1700 so he would be home 1730ish. He would have the option of activities and library, just library, be with friends or go to grandparents. We would then make tea for and have tea with DH parent(s) because it’s a long way for them.

There’s a fourth school (school E) which is 48 min and 2 busses but may as well be at local school because they had intake of 17 and only 147 in school. Plus impossible to get home before 2100!

We have a 5th option of a state boarding school (school F) which grandparents (on both sides) have offered to help pay for. It would just be weekly boarding. I’m not too sure about this, more because of the financial strain on my parents. I don’t think it’s fair to them as they would be paying quarter of the fees. (DH parents another quarter and we pay half). Ok for DS1, but I have a DD and DS2 so fees are going to get into an area of we just can’t afford it. This is probably more something we would have to do if any of the kids wanted 6th form as the alternatives for 6th form are a school B or school D.

The 6th option is my parents, who live about 60 minute car journey away have offered for DS to go and live with them. I also don’t think this is fair on them, although their local school (school G) would be ideal, and would rather not do this, especially as DD and DS2 who are younger would then need the same opportunities as DS1 and it just wouldn’t be fair.

We have both considered whether we can reduce work hours and be a taxi service to school for the kids but this is going to be a 10 year commitment. I won’t be able to do it because I have to get DD and DS2 to school and pick them up. I’m already working less hours because of this. DH could do it but would add hours in the car to his day. We considered the schools in the town he works in as DS could be dropped off slightly early and then would just have to do homework or activities until he can be picked up at 1630. However, we have no chance of any of the schools because they are way too oversubscribed and we are 45 minutes away in the car.

To note, we have only looked at school A, B and D, won’t be looking at E, probably not at C either because of the 90min dead time.
Will look at F and G if either of these options would be something we can do.

I feel as if I am way over thinking this and getting myself stressed over nothing.

That's not a choice I'd want to make!

I going to throw a curve ball at you.
Assuming DC1 is currently applying for secondary, would moving to the town with DH's work be possible before Y9 starts? Then have Y7&8 at the local school, and move for options and GCSE's. DC 2&3 go to school in New Town either immediatly or as secondary starts - dependant on numbers and your work location.

Lakeway, would switching to state boarding at Y9 be more palatable in terms of DC being away during the week and money??

What do others round you tend to do? How big is the primary? Where are DC1's friends looking at going?

Go local or move house

Oh goodness OP.

To be totally honest, the transport for any but school A (is that walkable?) sounds like a complete nightmare - not so much an hour on a bus as the very late arrival home - 5.30-6pm is not great as I am sure you are aware.

But I hear you on the tiny schools - wow they are small. The smallest secondary anywhere near me is about 600 pupils. Are you very rural? I am assuming so.

I wouldn't be so bothered about streaming in the small schools as much as the availability of subjects tbh. Imagine having to do art GCSE - that would have been a disaster for all my three DC. Where would they go for sixth form? are there more options? Bear in mind that a lot of subjects studied at A level can be picked up then - I mean things like sociology, gov/pol, psychology. Maybe drama and possibly tech tho I doubt that. History too and Phil/ethics.

Is it worth starting DS at the local small school and seeing what it is like? I imagine it is very friendly and nurturing as everyone must know everyone - there could be real advantages there in having friends across the years.

What is their current primary like? where do most people go? Sorry not much help really.

I'd go school A, too much time travelling for what looks like little gain. It doesn't sound like you can comfortably afford private so I'd avoid.

Just asked DD and she said school B. After all, the person on the SO register is not at the school any more. Something similar happened at a school local to us and it's still v popular.

Or yy can you move?

Assuming school A has good teachers and no major behaviour problems, I would go with that. It’s a different experience from a normal modern secondary but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully there is a strong community and a sense of being known as an individual.

Primary is small. Usually 5-7 in a year. About 50 in the school.

DC1s friends likely to go to local school (school A) or school B (the one I really don’t like). Every couple of years or so someone will go to the state boarding school so DS will know someone there but a few years older. School A isn’t walkable but we would get free transport and there is a bus the council put on for our village.

Local school is very small and nurturing. I liked it. Teachers were very happy and supportive of the school the kids going there are happy. They know every child individually and there are friendships across the year groups but it’s the lack of options that worries me most. As for 6th form, most would go to school B, some go state boarding.

Moving house is something we have considered but it isn’t going to happen any time soon. Especially not before the end of October. We may give this some more thought. If we did this then I meant have to drop more hours because of the commute to work and dropping kids off, or me and DH could do some shifting of the hours we work, or potentially, with more people around us there may be someone who could help out? Don’t know. But something we should probably put some thought into and see if it would be possible before Y9.

We definitely can’t afford private. It would have to be boarding as we don’t have any private schools in about 50 miles so that’s even more than/ more than double just state boarding.

Try local school & see how it goes.

Your choices aren't great. How old are the other children?
I think I would say go local but be prepared to change schools. Especially if the GCSE choices are not what your DC want.
If boarding is an option for a couple of years - perhaps for the GCSE's? Although having just had a DD do her GCSE's I wouldn't have wanted her not to be at home.

B or C.
With C talk to the school re finding a space to do homework before & after school, utilising the dead time. Or see if there is a public library or cafe nearby.

I don't think you are worrying over nothing OP - none of these sound ideal. I think I'd start him in the local school but with plans to move house in a couple of years.

The state boarding school near us does day boarding (7 to 7 or something like that) - is that an option at school F? Cheaper than weekly boarding and then you could pick up without reducing hours.

Just to throw a possible spanner in the works for school A: the birth rate, nationally, dropped off a cliff from 2013/2014 onwards.

This cohort of children will be going to secondary from Sep 2025 onwards, meaning there will be fewer children entering secondary than in previous years.

In your shoes: unless your area bucks the trend I would be concerned about the viability of school A in the medium to long term, given it’s already very small (and it’s not like it’s the ideal school to start off with). If it were to shut then you may end up with very little choice as to where your kids are offered places.

Personally I’d go for D - my secondary commute was about 1h20 each way on a coach, and while it sounds less than ideal it was fine, with lots of friends.

And I would also look at moving house in the longer term if possible.

That's a difficult choice to make but I think you need to take a step back and decide on your priorities for what you are looking for first, and then objectively assess how well each potential school meets that need. One of the main negative points on school B is that the bus leaves immediately at the end of the school day so no hope of after school activities, yet other schools are criticised for having a 90 minute so-called "dead time" between end of school and bus - why aren't you seeing this time as "opportunity for extracurricular enrichment"? - which do you want? If after school activities are good then a wait between school end and bus is good.

My y10 has a 40 minute commute home on buses which go every 15 minutes so has flexibility bit since y8 has been actively choosing to stay at school till 5:30 every day either for clubs or just to do homework in the library. Your 10yo has no idea what they will want in 3 years time.

The opposite to that - my DD has just left High School and didn't do a single after school activity. Very few were on offer outside of sport. Most clubs were lunchtime only. She did after school stuff at places near home - like Guides.
I think that the offer of after school stuff at school A may be very limited too - have you asked what's available?
A commute to high school isn't unusual. DD has a bus journey of about 30/40 minutes but it's actually quite a sociable part of the day if travelling with friends.

Tough one. My gut instinct is to go with a larger school and consider moving if necessary at some point. very small schools can /may not survive long term if there are a few years of fewer kids and the reality of under resourcing continues.

1hr type commutes are very common at secondary and extracurricular stuff can be done outside school.

What's the situation on in-year transfers? If most of the schools are not full, then starting off local and considering a move later (with or without house move) might be the best option.

Do they only run two of the GCSE options each year, or do they run three, with the kids having some self-study time during the one they're not taking? Even bigger schools sometimes offer one option out of timetable time if there aren't many takers (although I guess that having a bus restricts the time available).

Do your kids have hobbies they can pursue out of school locally? Although the local school may have less extracurricular, being home sooner gives more time to do out-of-school extracurricular.

I'd agree that it might be worth a weather eye on numbers coming through the primaries and also whether the LA is closing any schools. However if school A does close, I would imagine that there would be arrangements for the kids to transfer to one of the others, with bus transport.

Blimey, those are not good choices.

Agree entirely with a PP regarding birth rates - we see that in our local primary schools where many local village schools have lost 2 classes in 2 or 3 years - going from one form entry to mixed year groups as the baby bulge works it way through the system. A secondary of 130 odd kids is just not viable - it's not viable at primary level either, let alone supporting a much bigger curriculum.

I'd also be really concerned about the lack of friendship options.

I think B is the only other realistic option. I wouldn't deal with the transport logistics of the other options.

Is moving an option?

are you somewhere very remote?

could you club together with other parents and see about hiring a minibus service? Yes, expensive, but cheaper than state boarding?

How many preferences do you get to put on the application form in your area?

If there is a school or two near DH's work that offer a wider range of GCSE subjects, extracurricular clubs and opportunities that are a good fit for your DC1's current interests, I'd put them as #1 and #2. Put school A as #3. Expect to be allocated a place at school A but go on the waiting lists for the other two.

If a place doesn't come up at either of the schools near DH's work during Y7, consider appealing on the grounds of reduced curriculum opportunities - this may be more convincing if DC1 is a gifted musician and the other schools offer GCSE music whereas school A doesn't, is looking to have a natural aptitude for languages and would like to study more than just Spanish. Double-check the schools near DH's work offer priority to siblings but if they do, it may mean once your DC1 has changed school, his siblings will be able to join in Y7.

Not sure if it's the same everywhere, but we have just gone through the 6th form application process and you didn't apply centrally, you apply directly so there's no ranking of choice. You apply and get an offer. We held 2 offers until results day and then DD enrolled at her preferred place.

Sixth form applications run differently. Y7 places in state schools are allocated via the local authority the child lives in.

The OP hasn't mentioned any problem with the schools being oversubscribed. It's obviously a very rural area, where there may be rather more capacity or at least flexibility - they should check, but it might be that they'd get a space at any of them. Difficult to imagine from London, I know!

The OP definitely did mention the schools near her DH's work being oversubscribed.
"We considered the schools in the town he works in as DS could be dropped off slightly early and then would just have to do homework or activities until he can be picked up at 1630. However, we have no chance of any of the schools because they are way too oversubscribed and we are 45 minutes away in the car"

I may live in London but am aware that not everyone does and am also very aware that outside of large cities the admissions picture can look very different.

Oh wow! Lots of replies, thank you. Sorry for not replying to anything yesterday, it was a busy day.