Quandaries about secondaries and moving house - N London vs Kent vs Surrey

Just be aware that, counter-intuituvely, the Kent village primaries can be easier to get into, because the population density is lower. Some who live in TW commute out to village primaries because they couldn't get places at their preferred TW schools. Not saying you should live in a village, but just keep it in mind when you're school-hunting. Also, it's a long way off, but if you're considering Sevenoaks, give a thought to transport. They don't do buses except for a shuttle bus up from the station - so you might be looking at either a train from TW or quite a drive every day. Finally, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, but you're cutting it fine to move before the primary application deadline!! Though there is a short extension for changes of address.

Absolutely not!

If you like period houses (and I do) then see attached map. I really like this area of TW and there are some extremely nice properties here. It’s near the Pantiles too which is the best area for eating/drinking/shopping imo.

Reigate and Whitgift are both top 100 so highly selective but not as difficult to get into as Highgate. If your children aren’t academic enough, you’d always have options such as Dunnotar or the Cedars etc

Dulwich comps aren’t for the faint hearted - their intake includes some of the stabbiest/gang infested places in London. So if you moved out of London for your kids, it’d be very counterintuitive to send them to a comp in Dulwich. If you wanted to move there, you could possibly also consider Emmanuel (Clapham Junction area) and you’d still be well located for the Croydon schools (ie Whitgift, Trinity and Royal Russell).

PS,DD is Year 7 so all the examples given above are this year, after the catchment changes.

Do double check Judd and Skinners catchment areas - they seem to be pretty broad still within Kent and the catchment changes for Skinners have mostly hit the villages in East Sussex not Kent. I live in a village on the outskirts of Sevenoaks (but technically we’re Sevenoaks). The boys here who didn’t go to the grammars in Maidstone (which are less selective) got their choices with no appeals for both Judd and Skinners. I used to live in an East Sussex village not that far south of TW and two friends from there got Tunbridge Wells for Boys not their first choice, Skinners, this year.

I think you’d be absolutely fine in a surrounding TW Kent village re schools but agree it would be more about what lifestyle suits you. Tunbridge Wells is a well heeled really nice town with good shops and restaurants. If that’s what you’re used to then definitely your best bet. When we made the move from East Sheen in SW London to East Sussex 14 years ago it was a bit of a shock to the system! It was lovely on many levels and there were plenty of DFLs (people who have moved from London - down from London) but being used to having lots of things on tap, it’s a bit of an adjust. Where we are now in outer Sevenoaks has a lot more amenities. Do your research on the nice (and not so nice, although nothing is horrible) parts of TW. If you’ve got a Muswell Hill budget though I wouldn’t have thought you’d find getting something great in a nice area of TW a problem.

Bennett’s you’d probably have to live on top of to get a non faith place.

A lot of questions are asked if you've moved within 36 months @PatienceVirtue. Full details on the website.

I'm talking about the 22 distance places, not eligibility to sit the exam.

To be honest of you move to potters bar you might as well move to Tunbridge Wells. At least there you have a wider choice of schools, not just DAO. Potters Bar is so on t in the bits itll be the same as living in Tunbridge Wells, you're not exactly going to be able to make the most of London. Unless you move to Islington and try for one of those places but they're like gold dust.

My child has a friend at Reigate Grammar and it's a great school - the child is very happy. Academic but not a hot house. Dulwich has a lot of banker/city type families. We know several boys who didn't pass the 11+ that go there. Alleyns very competitive as co-Ed - seems more creative than DC, similar families, no rugby!

PS I wouldn't want to live in Potters Bar.

It's not true that you have to live in the catchment of DAO for more than y5/6, you just have to prove as of 31 October y6 that it's your permanent residence. If you're renting and you own a property elsewhere, you'd definitely be seen as contravening the guidelines but if you sold and bought a place right next door in Potters Bar there is no way of proving that you're any less permanent than someone who's lived there for years.

Highgate is great and we were sorry to turn down a place there. From what I gather it is definitely easier for girls as they have so many options than boys - for the latter City, Highgate and UCS are the obvious three in centralish London, then Merchant Taylors and Habs further out. Also Forest is increasingly popular.

The grammars in North London are insanely hard to get into - much harder than the privates in terms of sheer numbers. Having said that I do know kids who've got places at them and haven't got places at, e.g. Highgate as it's a different exam format.

We're in a village out of preference. Not a problem for the grammars, but we would have struggled to get into any of the oversubscribed high schools unless we'd played the god game, which we wouldn't. So town might be a safer option. Though bear in mind that places at the best TW primaries are like gold dust! (incidentally, if you're looking for a liberal education, then Bennett might not be for you. We found it very strait-laced, but that might have been a wrong impression.)

If you do plump for Kent, bear in mind that it's not just as simple as 11+ or not. Judd and Skinners are 'super-selective', ie they don't just need a pass, they need a certain score - Skinners fixed in advance, Judd just highest scoring first; plus they've both recently introduced geographical priority areas, which complicates things (though helps you get in if you live in the inner area). Boys' Grammar is just a pass, you should be fine living anywhere in TW. Bennett and Greg's will have some non-faith places, but the 'catchment' distance (for Bennett in particular) will be very small. Not v familiar with SKA. So you might want to think quite carefully about location. Obviously if you go independent you escape this issue.

If you're moving into the DAO region just to get a place, do read the admissions very closely. Renting is now impossible if you have an existing home, you need to live there for years (not just year 5/6) and the distance is measured in metres.

Highgate is a great school and one that I have been looking at for my daughter. I have heard (from other parents in years above as well as her headteacher and tutor) that the 11+ exam is one of the toughest, but I have no personal experience of it. Someone told me that it's slightly easier for girls than boys to get in (due to less girls applying) but that's completely anecdotal evidence. If you work in the City (as do I) have you considered City boys? Another great school and one that many try to get into.

However, if you're considering North London and are flexible in terms of address I would definitely move next door to a good state school, as there are so many. You can't go wrong with DAO - one of the most sought after schools in London and people would give and do A LOT to try to get one of those (I think) 20 catchment places (the others are sibling and music places and 65 are on aptitude).

Wren Academy has superb results and everything is very new. We're sadly out of catchment, but it would be my daughter's dream school. Like DAO it's also co-ed.

The other school many kids in my daughter's school (a prep school in North London) are looking it is Ashmole Academy. Again, superb results and a tight catchment.