Help me move to St Albans!

[Giraffable]

Hello! Thinking of moving to St Albans soon, have two children (girl, starting reception Sept 2017 and boy currently in Reception). Can anyone help me work through how to get them into schools. We'd kind of like to move before September, but am guessing we are way too late to get them into schools (state or private) this year?? Can anyone answer my questions?

1. Has anyone made a late in year move and got a school place - we could go either state or private, but am guessing both popular states and privates already full.
   

1. If we move next year, what are the chances of getting DS a year 2 place and DD a reception place at a good private school - are we already too late to register her for reception?
   

1. How the hell do people move out of London when they have kids already at school when all the good schools out of London are so oversubscribed?? Any recent success stories very welcome. We have DS in a great school in London but want to move out for quality of life but scared of messing up his education in the process!!
   

Many thanks in advance for any answers! xx

[mellicauli]

If you google Herts school admissions vacancies you will find a list of current schools with vacancies. The reception ones appear to be mainly the Ofsted good rated ones rather than the excellent rated ones. You'll need to have exchanged contracts/have copy of rental agreement and normal distance rules are applied to the vacancies.

I think it is a bit of a leap of faith moving. I would say position yourself very near of the big primaries (Fleetville, Bernard's Heath, wheat fields) for best chances. They all have 90 children in a year. My experience is approx 1 child per class per year leaves.

I seem to remember there was a date in the summer term sometime when everyone gave up their school places for the next September if they were going to move over the summer. Ask the schools admissions people when it is and try and be in situ by then, I guess.

[Giraffable]

Thanks you mellicauli!

[MumTryingHerBest]

This might help:

www.hertsdirect.org/docs/pdf/admissions/vacinfoprim.pdf

I think it is updated once a month.

[Giraffable]

Thanks MumTryingHerBest (good username :-) ).

Re. private schools - seems to be a shortage actually in st albans town itself and I guess if you go for a private out of town (eg. beechwood to north or manor lodge to south - even if they had a place which they don't! - then you have the problem of lack of local friends/community...

Be really interested to hear from anyone who's done the move with children already in school. Also, anyone lived in st a and had children at Beechwood - how does it work for local friends? x

[ImNotChangingMyUsernameAgain]

Lots form St Albans at Manor Lodge and worth giving it a try forThere are

[ImNotChangingMyUsernameAgain]

Sorry.....

Was saying, there are lots from St Albans at Manor Lodge and worth giving them a try for your DS as they lose a few each year to Habs 5+ entry. Then you will be able to sit your DD in October for September 2017 entry. It's a lovely school so well worth giving it a try.