You're looking for a school for your children...

[escapetheinsanity]

You're not currently working or looking for work. Do you tell the schools you are a teacher? I can't work it out! We've just landed home from overseas and I have an appointment tomorrow to look round a school

It won't come up.

A teacher once said to me that the 'giveaway' of a teacher was the visitor that asked about how the school would support high achieving children and also those that were struggling. The assumption was that most parents have an idea of whereabouts on a scale their child might be and would ask about one or the other rather than a broader question.

That said, it shouldn't matter either way.

They will be able to guess without you mentioning it.

Yep, when I looked around DD's school, it was only right at the end of the visit, the Headteacher asked me if I was a teacher. You can't hide it!

A girl in my son's class asked him why i dressed like a teacher! There is nowhere to hide!

I would. I generally say it with a faintly apologetic smile. It feels like they can then be bluntly honest with me and not have to feed me 'let's pretend' crap. Or if they do feed me bs at least they know I'm sceptically reading between the lines.

Agree with cottonsocks.

I always drop it in fairly early. It's a bit disingenuous not too, I feel.

I dropped it in early!

So, while you're here - can I ask your opinion? I'm feeling really stuck!

We've just moved back from overseas to a completely new area.

Have 2 schools on my radar and have visited both.

School A - officially has places (I suspect because it's not in the flashiest area with a really mixed intake). Ofsted outstanding in 2012. Got a really good feel from it. Intake of 2 classes of 20-21 which are further split into 3 classes for English and maths (taught by teachers).When I asked about sats (pertinent this year to my kids) the reply was that "revision" starts in about Feb. Not an easy walk home (want the eldest to start developing independence before secondary).

School B - Academy with leeway for offering places. Would be in class of 30-31. The school everybody wants their kids to go to (still has mixed intake). Ofsted outstanding 2015. Good feel from it but not as warm as other school. SATS - we are not a SATS factory, we don't do lots of practise papers, Y2 not even aware they do them. Easy walk home with no main roads.

My kids have so far proven to be flexible and working within age related expectations. Middle child has the potential to be a panicker and would probably benefit from smaller classes...

Any thoughts?

A teacher once said to me that the 'giveaway' of a teacher was the visitor that asked about how the school would support high achieving children and also those that were struggling.

Oh this made me laugh - yes that was me!

SATS are for the school not the child.
So I wouldn't be too worried about Sats. I would be worried abotu how well they are covering the new NC, with its higher standard of work.

How has school A got away with such small classes?
I am willing to bet that in the next year it has to switch its classes round to mixed age classes of 30, and loose teachers

bah - lose obviously

Itsamackerel funnily enough when I went round schools last year the person on the tour who was a teacher (which they mentioned straight away) kept asking all about what the school did for gifted children and talking about her son's advanced status to the point where it was really uncomfortable and I could see other parents were put off asking their own questions - I think this person was of a type though, nothing to do with them being a teacher!

Working as a teacher can have its own limitations in terms of your capacity to attend school events etc. Staff, especially those with or who have had school age children of their own, will understand that!

How they structure events/appointments with that in mind is a good question imo. How flexible are they with timing these? What is the wraparound care like and what is its capacity?