As you know I have bought a new house exactly 9.15 miles from where I live now, which means a change of catchment area for both primary and secondary schools. I’ve done some research on the education in the area;
Firstly, I checked which primary school Erin would attend.
Then I checked the inspectors report for the primary school, I found this fairly easily on the internet.
I then went and actually saw the school (just from the outside), I think you can get a good feel for a school by doing this. Is there graffiti? Does the school look well maintained? Are the kids wearing a uniform? etc… I happened to pass the school at home time which gave me the perfect opportunity to have a quick look. The school looks lovely! The teachers were out seeing the children off, who were all wearing smart red sweaters and there wasn’t any graffiti in sight. It has definitely put me at ease that this is the right school for Erin.
Finally, and this is a long way in the future, I quickly checked which high school catchment area we will be in. It turns out that we are in the ideal spot for Erin to attend one of the better secondary schools in Edinburgh – it looks like we could settle in this area for some time!
Is there anythingelse I should be checking out at this stage?
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Above is me with my beloved Ernie in Port Aventura and left with our love child in Florida.
Themocracy
It’s probably not a problem for you (we’re about to move early next year approx 1,200km (745 miles)) but we checked out ALL the options. What private schools were there? Could we afford them if necessary? What about extra educational facilities? Swimming? Music? Drama? Were these easily accessable nearby.
Do the schools have open days? It’s a good chance to check inside the school (although in Oz they’re usually later in the school year).
The only way to really find out how good the school is, is to ask parents with children there. They can tell you the good and bad points. The only problem is finding the right parents to ask! (This was why I set up Little Legends – to help parents who have just moved plug into the local parent grapevine)
Hope the move goes well
I think I’ll have a look into whether there is a mother and toddler group…thanks
Without question, you should meet the Headteacher and other staff. Ask about his or her educational philosophy, why they decided to become a leader in education, how they cope with managing a modern day school, what their provision for Personal, Social and Health Education and Citizenship is like, how many of their teaching staff are newly qualified, the rate of staff turnover, whether there is a vibrant parent/teacher association, future plans, areas of weaknesses and how they will be improved etc.
OFSTED reports and league tables can be useful. The former is a report based on the entire school community knowing, well in advance, that they were to be inspected and would have planned in earnest to put on a show stopper. The latter refers to cohorts of pupils from a particular year group….no two are ever the same!
Hi, I know I’m 3 years late but thought i’d comment anyway as your daughter still wouldn’t have started secondary school yet! In terms of secondary, you should visit the school on the open days BUT also another time when teachers and students are not prepared (obviously you will have to make an appointment with the school). Also don’t always go by the Ofsted report, it’s not the full story by a long shot!