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I know it probably comes down to personal preference but I am keen to hear what peoples views are on choosing a close by local primary school over a school that is maybe some distance away but considered a 'good' school?
Does that make sense?
...choosing a school that is in your local community and walking distance compared with choosing a school that is a prefered choice (for whatever reason ie; private, steiner, reputation etc) but requires your child to be driven to school etc.
When I was a kid, we didn't have a choice, we went to our local primary school which had a max of 30 kids (yep, in the whole school!). It was fantastic and I loved it. I know our kids won't have the same luxury though... I know I wouldn't be sending them to the local school in our suburb, it has a bad reputation, and doesn't help that it is full of mainly kids from the Department of Housing houses... The private schools are Catholic schools though, and seeing as neither me or my DF are particularly religious I don't really want to send them there either.. Still have a loooong way off though seeing as we've only just started TTC!
Depends on how happy your kids are going to be at their school too!
In my local area, I have no less than 7 "local" governement primary schools. The closest is a 15 minute walk, which I have no issue with at all, but I fear Charlie and Lexie would get jack of it after a while. Particularly on days when I would have to drag them back up the hill to be on time for kindy which is in a different area of my suburb.........
So, whilst all 7 are "local" I think I will mostly be driving ANYWAY, as a result of kindy/work/other arrangements.
SO, with all that in mind, it made sense for us to visist all the local primary schools, and pick which one "felt" right for us. Coincidentally it is the "furthest" drive away.......about 10 mins in comparison to 3. But it has the culture, size, the facilities and the support services and the "vibe" that we were looking for..........
Not sure if that helps any?
Maybe write a list of the things you consider a priority in a school. Things like bullying policies, how do they assist children who need additional support, general feel of the school, class sizes etc. Check out both schools and talk to the staff. If you can. talk to parents at both schools as well. That may help you decide which one is more suitable for your child.
check out the Department of Education website for your state. They should have a list of every single school and you cacn search by area. Most schools have a website that you can look at as well.
Choosing the public local school over another school further away is a personal preference and others have said will depend on the schools in your area. We went to the local public school for primary but then went to a private school that was a 30 min drive away for high school. It wasnt so much about the transport. It was about the quality of the education we would get.
Just try and be as informed as possible about the different schools you are thinking of. Talk to other parents whose children attend the schools as well and the teachers.
Good luck with your decision :)