http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=7305

The above is a link to information about Prof Charles Desforges who has suggested strong evidence that parental support and involvement is more of a critical factor in childrens' success at school than in many cases the school itself. This seems to make school choice a bit less critical for children and families in that position although no doubt an excellent school is much better than the alternative. Some schools will have a higher proportion than others of middle class parents or parents whose interest in their childrens education is very strong. I know of other schools in very deprived areas which struggle in league tables for that reason. Its easy to get hung up on the minute details of school performance and I know parents lose sleep over school places allocation when actually it probably makes a marginal difference to most children. There are however other factors which might influence any particular child and those with special needs but overall for most people its probably not worth losing a lot of sleep over. Sometimes schools don't work for some children and sometimes things do happen ie bullying but they can be temporary events as children do move on and away. Even the excellent schools have these problems and if relationships do deteriorate then there is always the option of applying to move your child.

I am a big fan of state education and think that parents and the community working together towards continuous improvement is the way forward, not this horrendous obsession of falsely claiming that the state system has been failing our children and creating free schools with scarce public funds on the basis of false claims about demand, as evidenced by unsubstantiated petitions. Anyone can sign a petition but the calculation of demand is a little more sophisticated than that despite this governments inability to grasp that fact.

We have a fair number of really good state schools in Lewisham and in Forest Hill ;we are spoilt for choice. Its a case of which excellent school might be a teensy weensy bit better the other excellent schools. Thats a fantastic position to be in. Lets work together please to ensure it stays that way. There are considerable threats to this currently being posed by this government from curriculum and funding changes as well as of course, the promotion of free schools.