Found a School!! Also Ellie Might Go Too!!

We had decided that it wouldn't do any harm to look around and see what was available round here schoolwise. I think if there had been nothing we were all happy with then Josh said he wouldn't go.

I phoned the LEA on Monday to find out what schools were available to us and found out that there wasn't a lot of choice for his year but one was a small catholic school. It has an excellant reputation here and you always hear lots of positive things about it.

We arranged to go and have a look round and I was surprisingly impressed by it as were the kids. It really is a lovely small catholic school and is miles better than any of the schools within walking distance from us which were full.

It had a good 'feel' to it and has an excellant reputation and is one of the top schools in Blackpool. I wasn't intending to pay much attention to SAT's results and Ofsted reports but it does well with both and all the pupils seem happy. I've read a couple of parent reviews online and they really praise the school.

What I liked most though was that the teachers & headteacher were approachable & I felt that should any issues come up I would be able to talk to them straight after school if necessary. At Josh's previous school you weren't allowed to talk to the teachers without an appointment.

All the pupils in the Junior School (Year 3 - 6/Grade 2 - 5) are given a mini laptop which they have to take to school everyday and bring home each night. Josh particularly liked that but had already decided before he found that out that he loved it.

We have applied for a place there for him and the head is taking it to the governors to see if they can accept him but the head thinks it shouldn't be a problem.

Ellie insisted on coming with us to look around and wants to go herself. If Josh gets in there will be a place for her too.

I phoned the school yesterday to say that if Josh got in then Ellie would also like to attend and explained about her Selective Mutism (but she has improved hugely with it) and the school seemed quite understanding about it and have had experience of it so that is a good start.

So I might have no one to HE soon. Ellie likes the idea of getting a laptop in September when she would go into Year 3 and also as she can have Violin lessons at school. She so wants to be like Josh that I should have expected her to want to go to school because he is. I have warned her that she might not see Josh much during the school day and she accepts that and is ok with it.

Hopefully everything will be ok and we know that if they go and hate it then they can come straight out again.

It is 3 miles away from us and at the moment we have no car (I am hoping to get one in a month or two so if they get in it's going to be a case of getting a bus at the top of our road and fortunately we won't have to change buses as the bus stops just round the corner from the school.

Out of all the schools in Blackpool though this one feels like we have hit the jackpot in a way. We would never normally have been considered for a place there as it is over 3 miles away and there are loads of schools between us and them but as they are the only ones with a place it should work out well.

I am sad that this probably means I won't be HEing much anymore. Although Ellie did say that if she went to school then she would do school Mon-Fri and then on Saturday do Tap Dancing & Home Ed lol!! I think she will change her mind if she goes.

I will update again once I know they have definitely got in. Dh says he could do with me helping him at work if the kids go to school as he was thinking of hiring someone to help but obviously if the kids go to school then I will be available to work with him.