Not sure if made right choice about secondary school

[Bluebell99]

We are in the situation that our catchment school is a failing school. Less than 30% 5+ GCSE results 2 yrs ago, and only 18% last summer. |It is supposed to be changing, now has a new head. The next two closest schools are excellent, but no one from our town got into them last year, so we were left with another school which is good, but is hard to get to. I put the good school as a first choice, but not sure how I will get my ds there. Also wondering if I should have gone for one of the excellent schools, although that seemed like a wasted choice iykwim as no one has got in there for a few years. Ahhh. Sorry probably very boring to everyone else! But also some of my friends have chosen our catchment school, and although I would love him to be able to walk to school, is it worth the risk of such poor results??

Hi Bluebell99 - So did you put the failing school down as one of your choices? Also, what's the max. no. of schools you could have registered for on your Common Application Form?

Reason I ask is that if you had the "space" to put in the 2 excellent schools as alternative options, then IMO there's no harm in doing so because you might still get offered a place (and even if you don't, then there's no harm in trying...)

As for the failing school, the new head might turn things around and you'll be suprised that a previously "unwanted" school could become an oversubscribed school!

But even if that doesn't happen, you could always hire a private tutor to help your ds in areas / core subjects the school might not be doing too well in...plus, he'll have the added advantage of having some of his friends to walk with to/from school - if that helps...

Hi I put the failing school third, and the good school first, and one of the excellent schools as second. But that school is oversubscribed and no one got in from our town last year. I was worried that if I put the good school second then I might not get in there and then end up with the failing school as my third choice. Argh :-( Maybe I should go on the waiting list for the excellent school. And maybe I should have taken the risk and put the excellent school first.
Most of his classmates will be going to the failing school. I do take your point about getting a tutor, but with over 80 % of the children not getting 5 GCSE's i think he might need more help.
Thanks for your reply