Good Local Comp or Grammar?

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nessie
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:06 pm

Good Local Comp or Grammar?

Post by nessie »

Do I put my bright DS in a (fairly good) local comp to guarantee a place for his younger siblings or do I push for a grammar with the risk that his siblings will miss out on a place at the local comp. There is a housing development planned near the school due to be completed in a couple of years time so putting more pressure and reducing the already small catchment area of this school. I'm worried that if we don't get in before the completion of this development we will stand no chance. The grammar school is not local and will mean DS has to leave the house at 7a.m. in the morning!!! Do I make a decision for the good of one child or for the greater good of all 3 of my children?? Please help!
Snowdrops
Posts: 4667
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

Post by Snowdrops »

Personally, if it were me, I'd be going for the good local comp, especially as you need to consider your following children.

Why travel miles, having to get up early to go to a good school, when there's one on your doorstep that you can get into?

A good school is a good school, it's only the name that changes.
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mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Post by mad? »

Snowdrops wrote:Personally, if it were me, I'd be going for the good local comp, especially as you need to consider your following children.

Why travel miles, having to get up early to go to a good school, when there's one on your doorstep that you can get into?

A good school is a good school, it's only the name that changes.
ditto, if you have a (fairly) good local school go for it, not just for all th ekids but also to avoid the 7am start and all that that can mean for a child.
mad?
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

I agree.

Friends will be local too.
sallyj
Posts: 212
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:45 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by sallyj »

If our local comp(& it really is five minutes from our front door !)had been any good,I would definately have waved DS off happily each morning with his friends. The fact that it is so dire,means he & many others are now spread over at least 5 other schools.
I & other parents now also have to wade through this problem all over again with siblings. I'm with Snowdrops,a good school is a good school regardless of name. Only wish ours had been :(
T.i.p.s.y

Post by T.i.p.s.y »

I'm of the opinion if you think the schools are equally good then stick with the comp and in that way it may mean a place at the GS for a child who only has a dire school as their other option. Re other siblings: I actually took DS1 out of an OK school that on hindsight would have been perfect for DS2.Unfortunately we have burnt our bridges there but if I had thought about all my children and the "bigger picture" then I would have made some very different decisions. So you must factor in your other kids and it will save you a lot of stress and uncertainty in the long run.

Local friends and minimal travel are also very important.
SSM
Posts: 646
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:09 pm

Post by SSM »

I would agree with all the above.

If we had a good school nearby, where there was like minded people, then I would much rather my boys go there and have local friends. Rather than having to traipse 14 miles a day to school and have friends that live the same distance the other side of the school.
solimum
Posts: 1420
Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:09 pm
Location: Solihull, West Midlands

Post by solimum »

IN effect this is what we've done, with three children going to the good local comp within walking distance (although to be fair we didn't really think seriously about any other options for DS1 - I don't think I even realised that some of our neighbours children were getting up at 7am to catch an hour-long bus across the city..). Remember too that if appropriate your eldest could always transfer to the grammar school for sixth form if he has been top of the class from 11-16 and needs more challenge, by which time the early start will not seem so bad for only two years (and he will be learning to drive too - scary!)
inkypinkyponky
Posts: 1863
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:41 pm
Location: Gravesend, Kent

Post by inkypinkyponky »

Double and triple check the sibling rule!

Will it still be there in years to come?

I only say this because a friend sent her DD1 to a CofE secondary, then 3 years later DD2 did not get in as the distance rule was made high up on the over-subscription criteria, and the sibling rule dropped! I think as the school is a church school it decides its own criteria.

Two new housing estates had been built nearer the school so distance dropped considerably.

This family now have three at three different schools.
nessie
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:06 pm

Post by nessie »

Thank you all for your opinions. A few things I wanted to add: the 'fairly good' comprehensive is not down to being in a 'posh' area. There are some deprived bits so the intake is very very mixed. However the school has an ethos of aiming high for all children, regardless of their start. They are also strict in terms of uniform and banning mobile phones and setting/streaming takes place from Year 7. If I am honest I can see all my children being ok there but for my DS we have started the 11+ route and now it is hard to get off it! Also we are not guaranteed a place at all because although it is our nearest school we are not that close (about 20 min walk) so it could be hit or miss whether he gets a place anyway!! I'm trying not to stress out but the decision we have to make on our CAF form in a couple of weeks time could have far reaching consequences not just for DS but my other two. :cry:
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