How important is local in secondary state choice?

[roses2]

We have been lucky enough to have been given our first choice state school, a really great local school but limited GCSE options (they offer 9 subject and that's it); not great facilities, non existent extra curricular and run down equipment. But it's local where the friendship network will be and we're right in the middle of the catchment area.

DH is having a wobble and wondering if we should call our second choice. This is a similar academic standard but further away and we would be right on the outer border of the catchment. Great extra curricular, modern equipment, wide range of GCSE options.

His primary class are going to all different places - no one place in particular - and he is happy to make friends at whichever new school he starts at.

DS is very sociable. Right now DS loves going to his friends house or they come here after school and week ends.

Are further away schools an issue? Is it better to stay local? Both schools have very similar academic outcomes.

Excluding academics I think from a social side it can be harder in the younger years.

My DD's are about 3 miles from their school - a bus journey but most people walk as it has very small catchment usually.

It does mean they tend to socialise there, fewer people come here especially when they are in y7 as they may not be used to getting the bus alone.

How long is the journey and by what means? We struggle with buses here as they can be full even though here are plenty of them. Luckily they have a couple of different options.

First choice - 40 minutes door to door
Second choice - 50 minutes door to door

We live in London and he'll be getting the tube by himself. So not much in it from a commute perspective. Second choice is typically under subscribed whereas first choice is heavily oversubscribed. If we dropped that place we won't get back in. It's based on random allocation within a radius of the school.

I liked my sons school being local. He could walk to and fro, friends were easy to get to and he could do out of school clubs.

In terms of gcse option, by 9 do you mean 9 choices on top of maths, science and english? Which in most schools is 5 of your 8 or 9 gcses. Its does seem quite limited. There are 3 humanities alone, plus a language should be offered.

I wouldnt worry about extra curricular. Lots of kids dont do whats on offer and you can find stuff outside school to fill it.

What are the 9 subject choices? I think that would help decide it for me.

9 GCSEs is extremely limited.

Combined with the other stuff you say I would seriously consider the second one.

I think for 10mins different travel I'd go for the one with more options for GCSE and extra curricular stuff. That's very important to me and has been highlighted by the stark difference between my son's school and my daughter's.

I think 9 gcses are too limited. Many do more than 9. What if he really hates a couple? That would make doing them a slog and make for an unhappy time, they would say his mental energy for the others. Or he would end up with fewer grades.

I am surprised any mainstream school offers so few to be honest.

How are you in the middle of a catchment area, in London, but still 40 minutes away?

People do travel long distances in London but this can’t be your local school.

It sounds really limiting in many ways, and it’s not actually local. So doesn’t sound a great choice to me.

I think in terms of GCSE options you need to consider what your dc is like. My dc is going to a school with limited, very traditional options. But this will be fine. He’s very academic so even if there was a wide range of options, including lots of arts/technology, he wouldn’t pick them so it’s not a consideration for us. He’s definitely the type to want to do things like history/geography/separate science/computer studies/languages etc. So it doesn’t matter that there isn’t loads of choice.

Are you sure they only offer 9 gcses or do you mean the students only do 9 as I choose 9 to do.

Only 9 available is very different to choosing 9 from say 30 subjects.

Would not dream of going to a school that literally does 9 gcses. It seriously limits the student for their A level choices and what if their strengths lie elsewhere.

I thought the OP meant 9 option subjects to choose from? Plus the core ones that everyone does. Most schools here do core then 4 options, so 9 in total. My dc will only get 3 options though because RE is also core (faith school). I think if it’s 9 option choices and you pick 4, it should be ok for most people.

Having seen your update of 40 mins and 50 mins - i wouldn't say either were local and am extra 10 makes little difference, plus both those times might rule out some after school clubs anyway so extra curricular might be more important.

The first choice offers 9 GCSE subjects only, there is no choice. They are:
maths; science; french; art; re; history; geography, music, can't remember the last one

No form of technology, business studies or economics.

Presumably the last one is English? Or is it on top of English?

English, maths and science take up 6 choices (assuming separate sciences) so he will have a choice of 3 from 6?

For me distance was the least of the issues. We went for facilities, pastoral, subjects. So DDs school is a 30 min bus ride Vs 10 min bus ride to local one.

Yeh I agree with others - a 40 min commute (vs a 50 min one) is hardly local! I thought you were going to say a five-minute walk vs a 45-min bus ride.

Local was important for us as we both had long commutes to grammar schools and it was not good socially. But if it's between those two commutes then I would go for the more suitable school in other ways.

The GCSE thing is bizarre - you wouldn't have to do all those obviously once you add in two English, so there would be a bit of a choice, but basically students choose 3 or four from French, RE, history, geography, music, art? Very limiting. For lots of DC that would mean French, RE and hist/geog, end.

No PE, DT, food, textiles, drama, business? Hard no from me.

I think I'd ring school 2. Their answer might tell you that you need to make the best of school 1.

The GCSE selection is weird. I'd have failed art! The last subject will be English (literature and language). So that makes 11 subjects. One or 2 might be anleto be dropped - round here 9 GCSEs is standard.

I'd go for the second choice. Sounds like a much better option academically and if DC is ok making friends they'll soon make friends there. Having options and choices will open their horizons so much more.

I've possibly misunderstood the GCSE options. On the piece of paper they gave me at the open day they clearly write "we only offer 9 subjects" which are the ones I listed above. I am not entirely clear which are optional and how many have sub-subjects eg the english and science ones.

I've used the term "local" because my very local one has a security guard on site due to fighting. I do not want him going there! The two I have noted are the two most local to me that I am willing to consider that I am within the catchment area of.

School one is based on random allocation within a 5 mile radius so higher liklehood of local friends

School two majority (90%) of the kids live within 2 miles. We are 4 miles away. I worry about his social network as I don't want him traipsing across London at night when he wants to go out

I read your description of school 1 and wondered what would make you say it is a great school? It sounds like it is struggling to offer the bare minimum to pupils in terms of academic support and facilities.

If school 2 was so good, why didn't you put it first? With school 1 second?

I read your description of school 1 and wondered what would make you say it is a great school?

Because School 1 is a super disciplined school. When I visited every single child was focussed on the teacher and paying attention.

School 2 when I visited the kids were looking here, there and everywhere and didn't look as engaged.

I visited several classrooms and several lessons at both schools.

Because School 1 is harder to get into so I thought if I put that as No 1 then I would have a choice since School 2 is under subscribed. Whereas if I put School 2 no 1 the chance of getting School 1 would be unlikely as it is hugely oversubscribed.

I would start by ringing school 2 and finding out if they are full this year. I think it’s a high birth rate year, so they might be.