Moving to Surrey

[Swissmama]

Hello Mums! I'm brand new to mums net and not sure if this is the right place to ask. So if not please direct me to the right place.
We will be moving from Switzerland to Surrey at the beginning of July next year. We are a family of 5 with kids age 7,5,2. I'm not sure where we should be looking to live. Nanny lives in Esher so would be nice to not be too far away ( about 20min drive would be ideal) I'd like both nature and village to be close, somewhere safe and family friendly very walkable, good schools ofcours, what's your favourite towns/ villages? What should I think about when choosing where to live? I'd really appreciate your opinions.

[Godalminggranny]

I love Godalming although it's become busier
Esher 30 mins away on A3 could've too far as can hit traffic

[Godalminggranny]

Could be!

[mumhum]

Dorking and Reigate are both nice, also villages like Betchworth and Coldharbour.

[NickTheNanny]

SurreyHeath has many villages in easy access to M3 motorway and M25. Great primary schools, secondary (age 11+) schools are a bit more variable.

Are you looking for state schools or private? Do you have a few million to spend on a house, or is there a budget? House prices in some areas are rather high.

[user1473788086]

Hello all , I'm new in this website, we are moving to surrey after 5 months, any advice for private Prep schools with good ranking , our son is almost 5 years old . Appreciate your help . Thank you .

[homebythesea]

Surrey is a big County! You need to consider if you need to be near a station for commuting to London (and which London terminus as there are several different lines) or near motorways for a driving commute, or near an airport for frequent travel etc etc. Then budget is relevant- houses that might be £2m in one place might be 500K in another. Once you have centred on these factors thdn things like town or rural, schools etc will fall into place

[user1473788086]

Thank you so much for your kind reply . I though first find a good school for my son the according to school I'll search for house . I may be wrong , please correct me . I never been in surrey and don't have any idea .thank you so much .

[homebythesea]

So why Surrey? Are there no places or people you need to be near? There are hundreds of good prep schools. You need to focus a bit more. Do you want single sex or co-ed. Do you want a through school, or will he move at age 7, 11 or 13? What is your budget for housing- this is a huge thing for Surrey as it is one of the most expensive places in the country to live. You also need to think about your own requirements - do you want to be in a tis. Or more rural- if the latter are you prepared to do a lot of driving around with your son for school, activities and play dates (public transport is not great in some parts of the County.

If you are coming from abroad using a search firm such as Gabbitas might help you. Otherwise it's really worth subscribing to the Good Schools guide. But you really need to focus on your requirements for living first in my view rather than the other way around.

[user1473788086]

Actually my husband likes surrey and he believes that area is so nice , I'm driving but never drive in UK, that's why I need first used public transport, a bought budget we like to rent a place to be good area and not to be expensive, our son is almost 5 . He is single child obviously play date and activities after school is important, we would like co-Ed school with very good ranking .
You really helping me with giving me lots of ideas and I really appreciate your help , thank you so much .

[homebythesea]

If you need public transport you need to look at the bigger towns then, but these are very different in feel and cost eg Guildford is a very different place to Croydon. How has your husband come to the conclusion that Surrey is nice? Has he visited anywhere- as I said before it's quite a big place and you can't really generalise across the whole county. For rental have a look at Rightmove.com and enter the amount you can afford to pay in rent to give you an idea of where you might be able to live. Not many parts of Surrey are inexpensive. You say you want a private school- do you really have a handle on how much that will be (and will rise year on year)? I'm not trying to put you off but I think you still have very many things to consider

[user1473788086]

Thank you for your reply, my husband studed in Uk but in university, he is aware of cost and expenses but unfortunately he doesn't have any idea about schools he been in UK for 16 years . Thank you so much for your time and appreciate your help .

[user1473788086]

Hello ladies , just I have a question pleas , if any body knows
, is there any website to shows the rank of privet co-Ed schools ,
In surrey ? Appreciated already from your help .

[homebythesea]

You can look at league tables for senior schools based on GCSE and A level results (although these are not always reliable as some schools' results don't appear because they offer different qualifications such as IGCSE or IB). However for junior schools it's more difficult as there are no externally marked exams for that age group to use to compare schools. Most private schools do not do SAT tests which are used to rank state schools.

You should look at inspection reports for schools for a somewhat objective view of the teaching. As mentioned before the Good Schools Guide is the best starting point

[user1473788086]

Thank you so much , really appreciate 🌹

[Hannaschaub]

We are for the moment very interested in Dorking, seems like a good safe small town? Anyone live there? Or know the area?

[Hannaschaub]

I'm also getting even more confused about the school applications.... Do I need to have a house in my name at the end of applications Jan 15? Or if we do an in year application (4 weeks in advance) buy that time we will defenetly be living there in catchment area. Can we still get in to the nearest schools or can my kids be put in any school far away where there is space? My kids will be starting y1 and y 4, I don't think my youngest will start until the following year..? He's born 2013.10.31?

[LIZS]

Hanna , yours would be in year applications as the January deadline only applies to reception, and in some cases year 3. They would be allocated places wherever in the area had an appropriate vacancy, so not necessarily the nearest or the same school. Your youngest would apply for Sept 2018 reception intake.

[Hannaschaub]

Thank you Lizs for clearing that up for me! Do you have any idea how far away they can place the kids? Will I need to drive? Should I not expect they get in to any good/ outstanding schools? Or any school that was oversubscribed?

[LIZS]

It would be down to luck if a place came up in the right year group at a sought after school when you need it, but it might happen. If nearest available place is over 3 miles away LA is obliged to arrange transport, possibly a taxi(for dc but not parent/carer). Driving would be a benefit as logistical difficulties will not influence the school you are allocated, although Dorking is pretty well served by schools and public transport.