It’s that time of year when parents start applying for places to get their child into a school of their choice, even though they are very possibly out of catchment.
I fully understand parents wanting the best school for their child, but because the standards may not be what you want at your local catchment school, parents start to apply all over for the best and leave their catchment school as their last choice. This is all very good, but of course it has a knock on effect and parents are clambering over each other to get their child into the best school. This obviously could quite easily leave their catchment school unsubscribed which I am sure could easily affect their funding and in turn this would then affect the child’s education already putting them at a disadvantage in just their first year.
My twin girls go to the catchment school in the area we live in. In fact we live almost in the middle of two schools, but only one is our catchment. Is one better than the other? Well according to ofstead yes, and it’s not the one the twins go to. Do I care? No, at all. Both are good schools and the girls will learn no matter what. Why wouldn’t they?
About two months after the twins had started school I was at a party for the girls and talking to a mum and her child who went to higher rated ofstead school and my goodness didn’t I know it! She went out of her way to crictise the school the twins were attending saying it had a poor ranking and the other school was considerably better. I walked away as I felt I was about lose my cool. This was school snobery at its best.
In Wales where I live there is an added element when applying for a school and that is for your child to go to a Welsh speaking school. I find this particularly irritating. I will explain why. What would be the point in sending my children to a Welsh speaking school? I don’t speak or understand Welsh myself, but that does not make me any less a Welshman. I am a very proud Welshman. So if the twins went to a Welsh speaking school when they come home they will have to speak English because neither my wife or I would understand them and we also couldn’t help them. In high school in Welsh medium schools homework is sent home in Welsh. Mum or dad wouldn’t be able to help unless of course they translated it to English and that would make it twice the work.
The other day I was talking to a dad and I mentioned if his children went to the same school as the twins. I might add this is a two minute walk from his house. He replied, oh no! They go to the Welsh school looking quite put out that I’d even suggested it. I nearly burst out laughing. This is what I call Welsh school snobbery. Interestingly they are not even a Welsh speaking family.
It seems a shame today that parents are simply unwilling to send their children to their local school as was the case when I was a child. Parents are not happy if the school doesn’t rate highly in ofstead rankings.
I personally think if you want your child to attend a particular school move to the area of catchment for that school or put up with the fact that the school they will attend is your local school. After all invariably that will be where all their friends will be going and those friends that live close to them will be the ones that will be their friends throughout childhood and that ultimately will make them happy, which of course is what we want all children to be.
Would love to know your thoughts. Does your child go to your local school, or did you send them halfway across town because apparently it’s a better school?
2 Comments
John Adams
May 4, 2017 at 6:09 am
Gonna break your heart Nigel…..my kids do not go to wither of the schools on our doorstep! Interestingly, one of them was an Outstanding school but I found the attitude of staff so arrogant and teaching support well-below what was on offer elsewhere. We didn’t want our kids to go there. As for the other school, well it’s lovely, but there’s a but.
We live right on the border where S London meets another county. We had the choice of opting in to the London borough which is stretched to breaking point, with a very aggressive council academising every school it possibly can or going the other side of the county line where things were more relaxed and the secondary schools more appealing (gotta play the long game). It wasn’t much of a decision to be honest.
And no, the kids don’t go to a Welsh speaking school! Though I am encouraging them to speak French.
babyfoote
May 6, 2017 at 11:25 pm
We just went through school applications. We got the school we applied for, which is not the one in our catchment area. The one we’re closest to is outstanding according to Ofsted and everyone I speak to about it has this glow when they say “oh it’s so lovely there”. It’s about 5 minutes walk away, too. So why didn’t I apply to send our son there, when it’s a good school according to Ofsted he will be going to? Because the high school the primary feeds is Requires Improvement, and has done for so many years. They’re not getting better. And I worry about the long game!
So we’re sending our son across town to the good school with the good high school attached. He’s been going to the preschool there for 2 years so it’s wonderful he’ll be with his friends.
It’s a tricky old thing though, this parenting thing. Such a shame an element of snobbery has to come into it. It’s making things harder for yourself!