1. Tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow is Primary School Offer Day for North Yorkshire at least. I have friends in West Yorkshire and beyond who already know but there are many more like me, who are waiting for our Primary School place on tenterhooks.

I keep thinking that only a few more hours and then we’ll find out, but I know in reality, we’re unlikely to find out until mid afternoon if not later! That’s the way it always goes. I think we’ll get an email but I’ve heard talk of people logging into the account that they made in order to apply for a Primary School place initially, and finding out that way, before the arrival of the email. I’m not even going to pretend that I’ll not be refreshing the computer screen every 5 minutes. 

I don’t know why we parents do this to ourselves! The build up of anticipation and anxiety about school places.

We all know our children best and we all have our opinions on the schools around us, whether we have moved to a certain area for the schools or not. What we don’t know, is how our children will change and adapt as the years go by and how they will be shaped by environment and the situations that they will experience.

Making the decision to type those 3 school choices onto an internet form, was a big one.
My ex husband and I did not agree as to which school to put as the first choice.
Thankfully, my ex whether willingly or not, agreed with my first choice – an extremely small, village school.
It’s not that I wanted him to go to a tiny school (30 odd pupils in the ENTIRE school) but that we have a lot of schools in our area, 3 in town and then about 5 in close villages. The school that is closest to our house may take up to 56 pupils this term as standard reception entry. I know that elsewhere, that’s not a very high number and often standard but for where we are, its massive. 

I can’t help but agree with many, that smaller class sizes can be beneficial. 

I had convinced myself that there was no point applying to the Village schools and that I should accept that Bear would be going to the large school nearest to our home. After all, it’s a big world out there and I’d like him to go out and explore it and not be limited to our small market town forever. He would be fine and it would be good for him. I even decided not to view any of the Village schools as I didn’t want to desire a school that we’d not get a place at.

That was until it came to time to visit the schools.

I visited the big school with my Mum and an open mind. I chatted to the Head and she showed us around. I’m not going to bash the school as I know many are happy there but I came out and thought “Oh my god. What am I going to do?” I really didn’t like so many aspects of it. Added to the fact that the huge housing development that is being built just up the road from this school, has now shelved plans for the Primary School that was to be built on site, which means that the already big school will be taking most of the new families that move into the area. It is just going to grow and grow and the massive expanse of green space and playing fields is going to shrink. 

However, have I made the right choice? Will my son fair better socially, emotionally and academically at the smaller, more family feel school? I can only hope. Of course, we have the option to move him at a later date but you just don’t know. You can only go on your gut instinct for yourself and your children. I do believe that Bear will blossom at the smaller school and my biggest fear – that his energy and inability to sit still (believe me, I know boy’s and Bear is pretty off the scale with energy and others have commented on this too) will be understood and channeled with more attention and not missed and he be labelled as naughty in a larger environment with a bigger adult to child ratio.

All I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best. I did read one blog about a mother whose child didn’t get into their first choice school and in the end, they believe that the school they didn’t choose, is actually the right school for their child. This could be the case for many of us.

Good luck to everyone who is waiting for the news. Do let me know how you get on.

UPDATE: I am so happy to report that Bear got into our first choice school and is very excited that he gets to wear a jumper in his favourite colour – red, everyday. 

Love