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Stubbo 2:16 Tue Dec 17
Picking a primary school - what's most important?

From being on this forum for about 20 years or so suddenly it's time to pick a primary school for my youngest to go to.

Would be interested to get the thoughts of those who've been through this and the factors that were important.

We've got an out of catchment school we'd in all liklihood get into that is well established, has gone from being pretty lowly ranked a decade or so back to pushing for an Ofsted excellent appraisal and up the top locally in terms of English and Maths results. However the catchment is a bit 'suspect'...which I accept is a very snobbish thing to think about, but social attitudes and acquaintances do have a bearing on a child's development, and assumptions attitudes do form around socio-economic status, rightly or wrongly.

The alternative catchment school is in a better catchment from a socio-economic perspective, but is recently out of a 'requires improvement' rating and is still establishing itself with a view to then seeking future success. I know a teacher there involved in their senior team who says they're absolutely moving in the right direction but acknowledges they're not there yet.

Basically in summary...really good school, higher proportion of iffy kids attend. Average school with designs on doing better but not yet realised, less iffy kids attend.

Our daughter is already writing all the alphabet, counting and identifying numbers up to 100, reading a digital clock, sounding out to read names and simple words, writing her own name etc so in that respect is at the upper end of a primary school intake development wise.

Thoughts from other parents that have been through this gratefully received, and I'll await the expected suggestions that I should take this discussion to somewhere more appropriate like Mumsnet!

Block 2:18 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Horses for courses, people have different views on what's important so it's hard to give a definitive answer.

For me, I'd personally rather the school have better ratings from OFSTED and proven results in high levels of results.

Northern Sold 3:12 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Check out the schools yourself and see who has the sauciest teacher… and then ensure your kid is in her class…

Mr Kenzo 3:13 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Northern Sold 3:12 Tue Dec 17

Come On You Irons 3:14 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Mr Kenzo 3:13 Tue Dec 17

Sven Roeder 3:17 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Smart child
Or rich parents

Sarge 3:17 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

(nt)

BRANDED 3:17 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Your kid will only ever be as good as her genes so it doesn’t matter. Do what Sold said.

tonka 3:21 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Gilet ratio

Sarge 3:25 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

You get bad teachers in good schools and good teachers in average schools. These things come in cycles - with teacher turnover a big factor where we are.

Both mine are in senior school now - but the primary my eldest went to started out as one form entry - we had to move her for year 6 to make sure we got in our local secondary - but by the time my son left the original primary it was 3 form entry - the head had gone and the character of the school had changed markedly.

For me I'd choose the one where he / she is most likely to develop the right way. At that age developing the right character and interest in school and learning is key - results (at that age) less so.

SATs results / tests are an appalling waste of time & resource for the schools when the kids are that young.

billywhitehorse 3:30 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

I taught in primary schools around Wembley, Harlesden etc for almost 20 years. For two years I was a supply teacher and went to 40 or 50 different schools. I made up my mind if the school was any good within minutes of arriving.

Sounds ridiculous but do the staff and pupils look happy?
If they do then the school is managed well.

Management that are crap create an atmosphere of oppression and misery that you should pick up on.

Ofsted reports can be ignored. They haven't got a clue. For two years I was part of a small team sent into schools that had failed Ofsted. Their reports are very inaccurate. Schools were put in special measures that shouldn't have been put in it. Schools were taken out of it even though they shouldn't have been.

Don't go by Sats scores. The school that had the highest where I worked were all fraudulent. The test papers were opened in advance by the head teacher who the coached the pupils to memorise the answers.



Oh, one last thing...
How close is the nearest traveller site?

wrighty 3:45 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

What’s the secondary option? Is it grammar? Does the primary feed a secondary.

Mike the Hammer 3:55 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

See which one is easiest to park your 4x4 close enough to...

Stubbo 4:13 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Thanks all.

To answer some of the points raised.

Secondary school wise - there are local grammar schools that they all feed into on a selection basis. Other than that the two schools in question both fall into the same secondary state comprehensive school.

In both schools the kids seemed well behaved and pretty happy.

Especially in the more highly achieving school, the staff seemed pretty proud of the school and how well it was doing and their part in it (it's pretty much punching above it's weight given it's demographics).

Our first choice isn't either of them, but we're only about 25% likely to get into the school that is our first choice.

There are no gypo sites near either school (the schools are about a 10 minute walk from each other in reality so not far apart).

The thing that tends to attract me to the school that is performing best stats wise is their heavy focus on each child reaching their max potential.

lowermarshhammer 4:14 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Interview the head teacher and make sure he isn't a raving communist.

Try to avoid poverty stricken shitheaps.

Attractive teachers with massive knockers are a bonus.

lowermarshhammer 4:22 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

By the way if you're kid is the brightest in the class there's a good chance she'll have to sit next to a thick twat who plays Fortnite until 3 in the morning and has a can of red bull for breakfast.

A lot of schools go for that approach.

easthammer 4:30 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

I have gone through this process with my own kids and now their kids. I also have a MSc in Educational Management and based on all that there is know easy answer.

But I would check out the Heads in both schools.
What are they like and are they likely to remain in post for the time your kid is there. They will be the main determinant of how a primary school developments, staff turnover and styles of teaching. Whatever school you choose it is secondary to your own involvement in your child's education.

Me I'd choose the one with walking distance and visit frequently to keep a check on what goes on.

Golden Oldie 4:41 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Send them off all bright eyed and bushy tailed, full of lust for life, creativity and a capacity for individual thought, then pick them back up a decade and a half later with all of that trained out of them, as they start dying their hair green and shoving bolts through their nose,lips, eyebrows, cock/clit etc, telling you how much they hate you while explaining to you how science has proven that night is day and up is down and they need exactly £XX which for any event they can think up which just so happens to be the current price of superskunk weed.

Hardly really matters which one unless its one of the top 5% private schools.

Alfs 4:48 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

I sent all of mine to the nearest one. However, when it came to secondary we sold up and moved into the catchment area of the school we wanted them to go to.

My eldest just got a 1st so it seems to have worked.

Bishopsfinger 4:54 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Most Catholic schools are better and teach morals as well as education . Fact Although hours of going to church it’s worth it.

WorldCupWilly 4:58 Tue Dec 17
Re: Picking a primary school - what's most important?

Whilst only a minor consideration - is what are the parents like of the children that go to the schools. We have made some very close friends of the parents whose kids went to our kids primary school. 20 years later they are amongst our closest friends - especially for the missus.

My wife is a governor of 2 primary schools within the same academy trust, that both require improvement. Her job is much easier in the one where there is a very active parents association that is very supportive of the head, teaching staff and governing body. The other one the parents have far less involvement and only do so when they want to complain (unjustly) about things.

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