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Personally I’d go for the first one. 5 mins away is perfect for a primary school and means you are in the heart of the school community and probably living locally to so many people. The SENCO sounds brilliant - yes she is just one person but in a role where she should have a lot of influence on the school ethos and training. Shame free discipline policy also sounds really positive and important for children where shame is a likely factor. No idea what consequence mapping is but I presume it’s the opposite from knee jerk menu of punishments? I know below national average doesn’t sound good but maybe it’s a reflection of welcoming a more diverse intake? That would be my thinking anyway and we did go for a school 5 mins away which was great for the kids and whenever we went to the local park there were always people we knew from school and we always had people to walk home with too

Why does option 1 underperform? What does the Ofsted report say? Is it poor leadership, poor teaching or do they have a different intake than option 2 (eg. less tutoring, etc)? I don't think I would be too concerned about the SENCO leaving, because the school will not unlearn what she has brought in the minute she leaves. Their approach to discipline sounds good and she won't be the only one who knows about attachment in that school.

If your child struggles with praise and shame, then option 2 does not really sound like an option. It is great that they ringfence the funding for the particular child, how do they actually use it?

In our experience. The most important thing is how well trained and knowledgeable the class teacher is. They will have the day to day interaction with your child. You can have a great SENCO but it’s how that learning gets passed down. Attachment knowledge is key.In addition, ring fenced funding is essential as many schools pool funding across a number of children. If you can get a school to commit to a dedicated attachment figure that also is a big plus. Avoid any public shaming behaviour policies .I.e use of rainbows, stars on walls or names on boards. They need to understand how to create boundaries with a child who has attachment difficulties.

Firstly I wouldnt attach too much weight to an ofsted reports from 2017, the schools may well have changed considerably, particularly thr underperforming one.

secondly, the SENCO, and class teachers are working in an ethos which is set by the head teacher. You can have the most amazing SEnco and class teacher, but if they dont have the support of the head they are severely hampered. So in that sense the Senco is not just one person.

I’d go with the first school, and did similar with my son.

It depends why the school has a poor OFSTED report and is 'underperforming '. Personally I looked at how the school was doing in relation to my daughter's needs - would they understand and support her. That meant understanding trauma and good support for low achieving children academically. If OFSTED marked them down for failing to extend the most able, that was irrelevant for us, as were a host of other factors that may have ended up with a school getting a lower overall grade.

So my feeling is school 1.