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Original poster

moving to UK for job in London - where to live, 3 kids...

112 replies

milenalee · 14/03/2015 10:49

Hello,

We are US citizens who have three children who have been attending the local German speaking Swiss schools for the last two and half years. My husband found a job he loves in London and so we must move...

Our kids are 9 years old in 3rd grade which I think is 4th class, 10 almost 11 in 5th grade (6th class?), and 12 in 6th grade.

We don't have a place yet. I would like to use state schools but we could sell our house in Seattle and use private schools. Perhaps we should for the girls and perhaps a girls' school would be better. But it's not a must of course.

What I don't want to do is move them around a lot. It's already tough for them to move and start a new school. I don't want to have to move them again once they do start a new school, unless it's the natural progression and all the kids are new.

My son has something called auditory processing disorder and is somewhat dyslexic. His education needs are very different from his sisters but he is also clearly in elementary school whereas they are already in secondary. At least his needs narrow down the pool of schools to consider.

Where would you choose to live if you had three children these ages? Generally I like to walk places but do not need to live in a city, rather hate crowded cityness. My husband would rather not commute more than 45 minutes to an hour each way.

It will be at least two months before my husband can start working. He has to get the visa first. So even if we rent a place early we cannot apply to local schools? If he is resident and we are still waiting for the kids to finish their year can we then apply?

Thanks so much for any advice.

OP posts:
tomandizzymum · 14/03/2015 12:10

GoldenBeagleI said it's my personal opinion, others like it, I just find it depressing.
I would think you can apply if your husband is a resident. Usually to apply for a school place via the local council though you need to provide proof of the childen's residency (such as their NHS registration number) but you will be applying directly to the schools so their criterea may be different. Be aware though that if the children are not actually residents yet then they will go to the bottom of the waiting lists. I would think that at year 4 and 6 (which you will be applying for) there will be very few children waiting for a place but don't rely on it. We left the UK when two of our children were in Year 3 and 5 and the places were filled immediatly (oversubscribed primary) so it will very much depend on the school. For good schools in Year 7 there will be waiting lists.

LIZS · 14/03/2015 12:04

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but commuting from Brighton may well not be as straightforward and easy to work at peak hours, especially getting a seat for the journey home. He'd need to arrive at London Bridge which is undergoing significant building work for next few years then take bus/tube. Aside from that it is expensive to commute that far and live there. Look at a rail map and locations along lines into LB, Liverpool St and maybe Kings Cross. School places will be a gamble and unless you are going private you would have to wait to apply until you arrive. Your middle child would be moving from primary to secondary this summer but if you move soon you may yet get secondary place via waiting list in time for September start.

Original poster
milenalee · 14/03/2015 11:53

One question: you have to be resident to apply but they don't hold places... but applying usually happens the previous october... so they must be holding places for early applicants, no?

How can they tell if the children are resident? If the parent is working and paying taxes but the children are finishing school elsewhere are you quite sure they can't apply to the local schools? Would it be better for them to start a new school at the very end of this years' school year? Because realistically we can't move until earliest June....

OP posts:
Original poster
milenalee · 14/03/2015 11:50

Thanks so much Whatsogoingon, tomanddizzymum, Finola1step and Golden Beagle.

My husband will be working near Liverpool station.

The big challenge with the London city area I suspect is applying so late to schools, I fear the good state ones will be full and only not great ones left...??

I was thinking of Brighton, just because it narrows down the search and it is always nice to be near the ocean. The commute looks just doable. It might even help my husband to have a train ride where he can get some work done. My oldest and youngest are ok with cities, but my middle child is very frightened by traffic, crowds, etc. So I'm not sure she will be ok with living in the city. We have always lived in places with lots of parks and very walkable. But it's hard to know if one child's preferences should dictate. Still, the others will be fine without cityness, only my husband would really benefit from being close to work and he likes the buzz of cities (but can be ok without it too).

OP posts:
traviata · 14/03/2015 11:44

The really important question is where your husband's job is based. It can take 2 hours to cross from one side of London to the other, so you really do need to start with his travel needs, as pps have said.

tiggytape · 14/03/2015 11:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GoldenBeagle · 14/03/2015 11:20

Not sure why you would avoid Streatham as it has excellent transport links, top state schools and a growing clutch of excellent cafes and neighbourhood restaurants.

But I agree, it is the route into work that is important.

The other issue is the difficulty in getting school places 'in year' - which means outside the usual admissions timetable.

Thames Ditton would be a lovely place to live - is the school over-subscribed, WhatsGoingOn?

Finola1step · 14/03/2015 11:13

The starting point could be looking at where exactly your husband will be working, what his transport links will be (underground and main train line) and work from there.

So for example, if he will be based a short walk from London Bridge station, then look at south London and Kent. But if he will be Paddington or Kings Cross based, your search area will be very different.

tomandizzymum · 14/03/2015 11:05

add Blackheath, Dulwich and Greenwich to that list.

tomandizzymum · 14/03/2015 11:02

You're going to get thousands of recommendations from all over London. To be honest each place is much like any other. All with ups and downs. You can go with a state girls school. Plenty of them and most of them are very good.
Areas outside London like Kent and Surrey have Grammar Schools as well, which attracts many but depending on where you are it may be more than 45 minutes commute.

As a Londoner I would recommend Clapham, Putney, Wandsworth, Chiswick, Kingston, Balham, Teddington or Ealing. There are other nice areas I just don't know them well. Avoid places like Streatham or Croydon. But that's just my personal opinion. Many live in those places and like them.

WhatsGoingOnEh · 14/03/2015 10:59

Not was, HAS a brilliant special needs unit!

WhatsGoingOnEh · 14/03/2015 10:57

Move to Thames Ditton. I lived there and it's amazing. It's in Surrey, a suburb, and a very pretty village 25 minutes from Waterloo on the rain. Rent a house. Send your son to Thames Ditton Junior school which was a brilliant special-needs unit. Your girls can go to Hinchley Wood secondary school, an "outstanding" school just 10 minutes' walk away. None of these schools is private, they're just really good state schools.

As soon as you have a rental agreement you can apply for places, but they won't allocate your kids places until you're actually living there. Apply for places with Elmbridge Borough Council.

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