How much extra would you to be in the catchment area?

blue_monkey_2

I agree with the above, a school can change at any time. The school I sent my kids to had a shocking OFSTED report but had a new head who had changed the school around since the report and had gone from only 10 kids in a class because no-one wanted their kids to go to it, to being over subscribed in a few years (although only 20 in a class still).

A lot of parents do have their kids home tutored or send them to Kumon so all of the teaching might not come to the school.

My son has a disability, son school send their kids with disabilities home on that day incase they 'kick off' while OFSTED are there.

And it might be 'the best' school but your daughter might not be able to find friends there or fit in, or even be bullied. Why not visit ALL the schools and see what you feel more comfortable in. 'The Best School' is not always the best for your child as all children are different and thrive in different environments.

blue_monkey_2

mummyplus3 wrote: »

Yes its the best school in the town, there is 3 we would be happy for her to go to, but this one is the best and the house is inside the catchment area, they have a Nursery school there too which I hope to put her in straight away when we move wherever we are living.

As I say, visit all 3, what you think is the best on paper, might not actually be best for her needs.

As an aside to my above post. I was told about an 'excellent' school when we moved, my friend said it was the best in the area, that they were excellent for children with disabilities (my son was newly diagnsoed with Autism). I looked on the OFSTED report and it had outstanding all over.

So I went to visit. I was taken around the school and was told I was going into Year 1, this was the Year 1 teacher and the SENCO so she would be teaching DD and would be SENCO for DS. The conversation went like this:

Receptionist>SENCO: This is Mrs x, she is looking around schools having just moved into the area and she would like them to come to this school. She has 2 children, 1 in Y1 and the other in N/R but has Special Needs so would be overseen by you.

SENCO>R: Why do they always send them to us? Have we not got of them enough already?

SENCO>Me: You do understand that would be no money for him and he would get no help and she then had a massive rant about funding and that he would get no additional help.

I just stood there open mouthed. And this was THE best school in the area. I also found out that they could not 'cope' with another child with the condistions my son has and so told him he could not go there anymore. The LEA had to find him somewhere else. I had a VERY lucky escape.

So I now say NEVER take what you see on websites, hearsay and on paper about any school, go and visit because you might not feel the teachers/head/teaching/environment is right for YOUR children.

jackyann

I'm not sure how carefully you have checked out the other schools. In my (varied, but not vast) experience, most lower / primary schools are pretty good.
It seems that this discussion has become "is good education worth x amount" or "what exactly are the rules?"
I would ask "how good are the alternatives?". Don't rely on inspection reports (haven't we recently seen how out-of-touch they can be?) and don't rely on local gossip either.
If you know someone in the area that you can trust, ask them; but above all, visit the other schools, look around, talk to the staff, observe the pupils. You may find that you are pondering spending that money for nothing.

I do realise that I may be teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, and if you have already done this, then apologies. I can only say that I have heard people dismiss (sometimes vituperatively & hurtfully) the schools that my kids went to; fast-forward 15-20 years and it's my kids who are doing well.

Life is not so simple as to think that by spending money to get into a "good" school that you are doing the right thing. Having enough money to be relaxed with your kids & enjoy a few small treats (especially those with an educational or socially positive side to them) is important.

PS: some of us with similar thoughts were obviously all posting at the same time!!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Charlie23

I'm currently appealing for my daughter to go to the school i want. We weren't in the catchment area for the school so just missed out. It's a really bad year near me. So far this year 30 people are appealing for the school that we got! Most of them live accross the road from us and have been given a really bad school on the other side of town.
We did look at moving as we were applying for school but just couldn't afford all the messing around. But i am now gutted. £90 is nothing if you can afford it and it's coming out of savings not living costs. I would do it but it just depends how you feel about the schools. I really didn't expect to feel quite so gutted as i do about it all.

edited to add: both the school i want and i one i got have a good recommendation at ofstead but were VERY different when we went to view them. I would always reccommend viewing the schools.

pigpen

For a primary school.. no I don't think it is worth it.. unless it is a particularly poor primary school it is pretty much of a muchness what they are taught. I sent my oldest to the 'best school in the area' and he was absolutely miserable because he was taught nothing and made to help the less able children and he was bored. the head was a cow and hated boys, by her own admission.. and I took him out before the end of his reception year (around 60 children left in the last month of that year.. 45 in 2 weeks!!!! due to the beahviour of the head)

So long as they are taught to read, write and add up and it is a safe happy environment I don't think anything else matters while hey are this young.. secondary school when they are doing GCSE's and A-Levels which will affect their entire future is completely different.

I am currently half looking at secondary schools over 100 miles away as an option for my youngest 2.. 1 of which hasn't even been born yet.. I would move that far for them.. and in 10 years time it will be ok as Tiddles will be 16/17 and can decide what she wants to do for herself..

shy-but-need-help

I agree with Marie about catchment not automatically meaning a place- our youngest son has just gotten his place at our local school but several of his nursery-classmates have missed out, DS got his place because we're within catchment and he has 2 siblings at the school already, two of his friends both live in catchment with no siblings at the school, the one who lived nearer to the school got in, the one who lived within catchment but further from the school didn't as once the places were given to statemented kids, then children in catchment with siblings at school already, the remaining places went to the kids in catchment without siblings at the school in order of distance from the front gate of the school "as the crow flies", so you may be paying and still not get in.

I also second the going and looking at schools- my oldest went to the best middle school in our town according to its results but then we rapidly realised it got those results by coaching the kids in tested subjects and largely ignoring all the other ones that weren't on the SATs. We also realised that because she was well above the level they needed to make themselves look good absolutely nothing was provided for her academically as she was already at the level they wanted for their league table appearance- we took her out and homeschooled her. Her first school was one that people sucked their teeth at the thought of because of the area it was in but the minute you stepped inside it there was such an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm for learning. I'd definitely go and get a feel for the schools

mummyplus3

Were moving to Cleethorpes the best three school in the area are Signhills, Thrunscoe and Bursar. We've found a house that is in the catchment for Signhills, another in that catchement fro thrunscoe and quite a few for Bursar. I'd be happy with any of those schools, but funnily after looking around the second school last week we are swaying now towards that which is bigger and houses around it are cheaper.

We've not been into the schools other than wandering around at the weekends and speaking to the and getting information packs from them. I don't know I'm so torn my DD is so clever and bright I really don't want her to lose out but in a way we are all losing out financially to get her into the better schools if it is better!?!

happy35

i bought a house in a town where to be honest all the schools are good and I would have been happy with any of the first schools, it has probably cost me about £60000 more than the same house in another local town.

However it has meant that i have been able to send DS to very good schools from nursery to senior school

I think it is money well spent for me as we did look at private schools and this would have cost a lot more in the long term than the increased house price.

It depends really on how different the OFSTED results are for the schools in question

blue_monkey_2

A school that has nothing to hide will be happy for you to have a look around at your convenience - not just when it is closed, but when children are being taught.

As I say, do not read anything into the OFSTED reports, schools work really, really hard to get their schools clean, tidy and well presented for the visit. Ours says there is no bullying - my friends daughter was bullied out of the school by several girls and the head and teachers were useless (one teacher even giving them ammunition for bullying) - so the OR should be taken as a guide only.

Besides, they only do them once every 3-4 years and anything can happen in that time. OP, how do you know it is a 'good' school, out of interest?

blue_monkey_2

mummyplus3 wrote: »

Were moving to Cleethorpes the best three school in the area are Signhills, Thrunscoe and Bursar. We've found a house that is in the catchment for Signhills, another in that catchement fro thrunscoe and quite a few for Bursar. I'd be happy with any of those schools, but funnily after looking around the second school last week we are swaying now towards that which is bigger and houses around it are cheaper.

We've not been into the schools other than wandering around at the weekends and speaking to the and getting information packs from them. I don't know I'm so torn my DD is so clever and bright I really don't want her to lose out but in a way we are all losing out financially to get her into the better schools if it is better!?!

I had a nosey at the OFSTED! I personally would be more inclined to send to a Primary rather than one that has Infants and Juniors (Signhill IIRC), the older children look after the younger ones and the schools tend to be smaller and more nurturing. Just my opion of course but I love that my kids go to a small school.