I am becoming a total primary school bore. Is anyone else's head spinning with having to make the choice?

[mazzystar]

I am lucky in that all the possible options are reasonably good ones. But they are all so different. And two are distinctly more successful than the third.

I can't stop bloody talking about it.

Ugh.

[harpomarx]

but there are months to go, mazzystar, aren't there? Have all your friends started avoiding you yet

[Trafficcone]

In the grand scheme of things, unless one school is a total sink school or your child has special needs which need alot of care and attention then any school is fine for a normal eager to learn child.
What are the things that make them different and how do you think each of those would benefit, or be bad for your LO? Have you drawn a chart so you can tick off good and bad points?
Call me boring, but to me the most important is, is it easy to walk to and will all his/her friends live in the same area as you. Those things can make a big difference and you'll be trudging the school run for 7 years so make sure it's not 5 miles up a hill if you don't drive!

[mazzystar]

got to apply by 13 october

cannot wait to fill the form in and leave it in the hands of the lea

They all have good things and bad things about them. The one I really loved is furthest away.

[harpomarx]

wow, that's early. agree with trafficcone mostly - would always go with nearest school unless strong reasons not to. Why do you love the furthest away one?

and don't forget, the further away, the less chance of getting in - then you are more likely to end up at a less popular/good school.

[Trafficcone]

Harpo is right. Further away, less chance of a place especially if it is 'high performing'.
If you do go for a far away one, make sure it has a car park or good parking if you're planning to drive. If you have to take a car adding 15mns a day searching for a parking spot will only make the day start on a bad note!! Nothing if not practical me!

Further away will mean his/her mates live a long way away which can be sad if they can't call on a friend by themselves when they are older and you have to travel to pick up and take to playdates.

[mazzystar]

may i bore you further?

the furthest school [less than 2 miles] has got lovely grounds and building; outstanding ofsted [know it is blunt instrument but the inspectore ran out of superlatives]; very creative; non denominational; very relaxed; great academic results; staff with real vision; would prob get in

middle school [@1 mile, easy walk down the prom] great grounds, fab infants dept, way more formal/academic; sporty; very churchy [less keen on this], outstanding ofsted, best results in borough; would be v unlucky not to get in.

nearest school [half a mile] lots smaller, small class sizes - but undersubscribed so fewer resources, can't offer a lot of the extra stuff; nurturing and friendly; has struggled in past but trying to improve; so-so ofsted, results improving. no real vision in my opinion. its a work in progress, the others are the finished article. also more churchy than my preference, but not a strong objection.

if i didn't love our house so much i'd be prepared to move.

there is the possibility of lift-sharing to first 2 schools, and they both have afterschool clubs,which the third doesn't. and the first is near the nursery where dd will be for 2 more years.

ugh again

[harpomarx]

ok, I will let you bore me ;)

why are you so sure you will get into furthest school? if it is so good it seems likely to be popular and 2 miles (round here at least) is a long way. Everyone closer or with siblings will get preference over you. I have seen people disappointed by putting furthest school first and then ending up at the least best opition, iyswim.

1. wouldn't worry about the churchy - ours is too, I'm not. Unless it's Catholic, which may be more of an issue. It was to me.

1. Sounds okish.

I would probably go for 2 - although the nursery thing might swing it for you.

[snickersnack]

I am you have this choice. My list runs something like:

School 1: Amazing. Next door. But Catholic. Very catholic. You are required to buff the priest's shoes daily to have a cat in hell's chance of getting in. We are in no way catholic.

School 2: Amazing. A short walk. But tiny, and has continually resisted pressure to expand. Next door to high density family housing. Many many parents rent flats nearby then decamp and send siblings there for ever after. We won't get in.

School 3: Further away. Failing. Badly. We will get a place there.

All other schools in borough either average and oversubscribed or failing and miles away. Bugger.

Sorry to hijack - I am also a school bore but for different reason. In your position, I'd go for 2. If you want my opinion...I went to a churchy school, and it was pretty low key churchiness, and easily ignored. A mile isn't far to walk.

[mazzystar]

its such a minefield isn't it? i know we are lucky really.

there are no guarantees we'd get into either school 1 or 2, though the people who lived here before us sent their kids to 1 and the little girl next door goes to 2 [though her mum feigned religion for a bit to make it dead cert]

we will definitely get into 3, no matter where we put it on our list, and part of me thinks i should just embrace it as our community school and make the positive decision to get involved and help it get better. but the other part of me just knows the children's experience at the other two schools, especially the first, would be so much better.

[PortAndLemon]

I would try for 1 as first choice (how many choices do you get to specify?), if you think you'd stand a good chance of getting in. If 3 is genuinely undersubscribed then you can rank it lower down and still get a place if you don't get into school 1.

[harpomarx]

the only thing is, mazzystar, the people who lived there before you may have sent their first child when the school was less popular and then siblings would have gone there as a matter of course.

if you don't mind ending up at 3 then try for 1. If you would prefer not to end up at 3 then put 2 as your first choice, imo. I know a lot of people who were disappointed as they put their least likely (but most wanted) school first and then ended up being allocated the local undersubscribed school.

[mazzystar]

I thought the order you put schools in only mattered when there were places available at more than one school. Didn't quite realise how much strategy went into it! I am beginning to think 1 is a bit of a long shot. Unless we move. And heartbreakingly just too inconvenient. Number 2 has a lot going for it - the only downsides are the church stuff; and the fact that he probably won't know anyone else in reception. I am worried that 3 is just too small, but we will make the best of it if that's where he ends up.

[Snigs]

Check the criteria - I was amazed when we went through it, to be told that putting a school second or third didn't prejudice your chances of getting a place. Simply they tried to offer you your first choice, but if not then the second, then the third. The only criteria you were judged against were the published ones of distance, sibling preference, etc, etc.
I can't believe this is the only place that's like that and it does take a lot of stress out of the form filling.

[dilemma456]

Message withdrawn

[dilemma456]

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[MrPinkerton]

I would call the secretary of your 1st choice for a chat about the admissions criteria and your chances. I don't think less than 2 miles is too far away (ie is walkable) but obviously getting a place depends on how heavily over-subscribed the school is.

I sent myself round the bend strategising over the admissions form in January. In the end I put down the schools simply in order of preference just because I would always be wondering what if? otherwise. Surprisingly ds got a place at our first (over-subscribed) choice almost 2 miles away.

[Flibbertyjibbet]

We have two weeks to get the form in. We live 0.05 miles nearer to our 2nd choice than the more popular 1st choice. I am trying not to stress about it. 0.05 mile!
I have spent hours poring over the a-z map with a piece of string.... sometimes I can get it down to .04 miles...
We want our 1st choice because the 2nd choice would mean having to cross a main A road with the children each day and walk a long way round, so its further than the 'as the crow flies' way the council measures it. Whereas 1st choice we can cut through the old cemetary, hop over a wall and we are there!
So I like MrPinkerton have just put down the schools in order of choice and will go with what we get.