Can you recommend a state school in Surbiton/Ditton?

[lilymumofthree]

We are moving back from Dubai in summer and I need to place my 6 year old daughter into a state school for one year. She will start Year 2 in September 2017. The school should be around Surbiton station as my older daughter will use a school bus from the station and my son will go to the Shrewsbury house school. The 6 year old daughter is quite academic. We will live in the area. Any advice on which schools should be on my list will be highly appreciated.

[PansyGiraffe]

You'll need to contact both Kingston and Surrey councils to see where there are spaces for a start as it's right on the border. Depending on exactly which side of the station you are you're looking at Christ Church/Lime Tree/Maple Infants/Thames Ditton/Long Ditton/St Matthews, but your precise address will determine your chances of getting into any of these even if they have spaces.

[nocampinghere]

Where you get offered will depend on where you live / where there are spaces. There are no guarantees.
You can't "choose" for one near Surbiton Station
It's irrelevant how academic your daughter is

Sorry to be negative, just want you to be realistic. If you want to "choose" you'll have to go independent. Surbiton High School for girls is a good independent girls school from age 4, fairly academic, close to the station, goes through to 18. Where will your older daughter go to school?

[nocampinghere]

or Rowan in Claygate might suit?

[lilymumofthree]

thank you Nocampinghere and this is exactly what I wanted - a realistic advice. Older one will attend LEH in Hampton and my boy will go to Shrewsbury house.

Surbiton High is indeed a very nice school and I suppose we can always enroll her - she needs to pass a test though. Since she can join LEH from year three i though it is a good idea to stay in a state school for a year and then switch to her elder sister school. Hence my enquiry...

[nocampinghere]

The 7+ for LEH is pretty competitive, do you have a definite place there already?
Jack & Jill school on Twickenham green is kind of like their pre-prep (not a guarantee or formal association, but it only goes to 7 and many go from there to LEH).

There's Shrewsbury Lodge?

Otherwise Thames Ditton Infants (state) is good. Infact the area is full of educated middle class families, you should be fine for a year in any school afaik.

[nocampinghere]

I guess what you need to clarify is whether you need a school to help your daughter prepare for the 7+ exam.

[4448daybreak]

Jack and Jill (years 1 and 2 are based in Hampton next to LEH) will prepare your dd well for the LEH exam in early Jan 18, your dd will need to have the skills to sit a morning of tests. Jack and Jill also now has a new prep school for girls up to age 11. Year 2 places in the outstanding primary schools in the Surbiton area aren't easy to get. Rowan and Weston Green school are worth considering but they will want your dd to stay until 11.

[lilymumofthree]

thank you everyone for so useful input. My eldest daughter has a definite place in LEH and I understood from the school that although there is no siblings policy there my younger daughter will still be up on the list if she is ok at her tests. She is attending Repton Dubai at the momenet which is pretty academic so I am not worried about her not being able to sit her LEH entrance tests.

I just want a state school in Kingston/Surbiton/Ditton where there are adequate middle class kids and parents where she could stay for a year. My son's school is on Langley Road between Ditton and Surbiton so will need to drive him anyway there. The trick for me is to be able to manage the logistics of three kids in three schools. We are likely to be getting a house in Kigston for rent.

[PansyGiraffe]

Getting a house in Kingston would be making life unnecessarily difficult for yourselves if you've got to drop children in three different places, at least two of them in Surbiton, at essentially the same time. You also will be very lucky to get a place at a Surbiton state school if you're living in Kingston (fine if you want a Kingston school but then you've still got to drop off in two different places). It's not very far between the two but rush hour traffic will delay you.

[4448daybreak]

You need to speak to the council to find out where the shortest waiting lists are. Or ring St Mary's Long Ditton to get an idea of the waiting list they hold.

[nocampinghere]

Did you look at Surbiton High? Both your dds could go there it runs from 4-18.
It's not as academic as LEH but it is still very academic with plenty of high achieving students (lots of straight A/As, just some Cs as well, LEH is A/A only)

Trekking from Surbiton through Kingston, Hampton Court down to Hampton is not a journey i would choose every day/twice a day when you have a fantastic girls school in Surbiton. Seriously, don't just go by league tables, plenty of these schools have plenty of high ability girls and the results are often just a factor of their selection process.

Or live East Molesey area - lovely and easy for LEH and Shrewsbury.

[4448daybreak]

As a back up I would speak to the Registrar of Jack and Jill as they would potentially be able to offer you a place before you move to the UK, the pre-prep is next to LEH and at least half the class will be moving to LEH Juniors so your dd wouldn't have so much change.