Secondary State School London

Places do still come up at Grammar. It might be worth going on the waiting list and then if a space comes up they call all the children on the waiting list in for tests and the best performing child gets the place. The super selective grammars take children from a wide area so you could live close to your preferred non-selective and just keep the grammar option as a possibility.

Graveney, like any other popular / Good / Outstanding school (in fact any state school) will keep it’s waiting list in strict order of the admissions criteria. Essentially, distance. It will have a long waiting list, best chance: rent right on the doorstep. (There is a lot of temporary rental going in for Graveney places. I know 3 families that have done it in recent years) I'm really not sure how likely you would be to get places at Graveney even from the WL. I have friends whose DC remained on the WL for the duration of their secondary school career (up to end of KS4), and they never rose higher than about 600! Go figure!

graveny has absolutely first class SEN provision…

but with all due respect, you really need to get moving

in 6 weeks since you started this thread, you haven’t done much/any research on schools, let alone gone through the admissions process, or even worked out which area you want to be in

If you really want to have a school place in a few weeks, let alone have somewhere to live, you need to prioritise this

Im not sure you’re fully prepared for how competitive the market is for rentals and schools…

Graveney, like any other popular / Good / Outstanding school (in fact any state school) will keep it’s waiting list in strict order of the admissions criteria. Essentially, distance. It will have a long waiting list, best chance: rent right on the doorstep. (There is a lot of temporary rental going in for Graveney places. I know 3 families that have done it in recent years)

Indian friends of mine sent their children to Graveney and they both did very well. I also know someone who has taught there recently. Whether you could get a place is another matter but worth asking.

As another poster said, you really should consider Redbridge, particularly the Gants Hill or Barkingside area, it is very diverse (largest minority probably Pakistani heritage) 20 mins away from Liverpool Street on the central line. Valentine's High is excellent, Beal is also very good.

Also, many areas of London have, even ones that aren't particularly wealthy like mine, have schools with good Ofsted ratings. Everyone might not be very middle class, but there are no sink schools. And my partner and I are white and born here, but I can't imagine living in a less diverse area than my bit of north London (often described as the most diverse postcode in the country but I'm sure I've seen other boroughs make the same claim....) I like the idea that most students at our school will be able to see teachers who maybe look a little bit like them or at least some of their family members - we are in an area with a lot of quite mixed families too.

Hi OP, given that you are applying at this time of year, you can ask the school admissions team at the local authority who run the state school that you apply to, about the likelihood of your kids getting in to the school that you want.

They can tell you, for example how many kids are already on the waiting list for oversubscribed secondary schools. How many places were given to waiting list kids this time last year, etc. If you want to, you can also stay on the waiting list for an oversubscribed school once your kids have started at a school elsewhere, if a place doesn’t turn up for them in your first choice school by the start of school in September.

It’s really worth posting for advice on here as there are a lot of very knowledgeable posters about school admissions (I’m not one of them unfortunately!)

I do agree with other posters that being in London might suit you better- another advantage is that there is quite a lot of ‘churn’ of London school places, compared to the commuter towns which may have a relatively less mobile residential population than London. So your preferred school choice in London might be more likely to come up with a place from the waiting list for your child. And London is also an awesome city to live in! Good luck with your move.

@Unexpecteddrivinginstructor Yes, that's always possible though I wouldn't call it likely. It would be a safer plan to find a school you find acceptable that isn't oversubscribed as your base case and then try for a popular school by going on the waiting list and seeing what happens. Just assuming someone won't turn up with no other acceptable alternatives would be a huge risk.

Most outstanding schools will be full for year 7. You'll probably have more luck further up the school as pupils do leave but year 7 is an admission year so its unlikely to get a place except at an undersubscribed school.

Although children don't always turn up and if there is a sibling priority/ on doorstep OP would leapfrog over others on the waiting list.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/124973771#/?channel=RES_LET

this house is a 5 min walk to Shenfield station. 10 min walk into Brentwood. All of the major schools within walking distance. You’ll find two cricket clubs nearby and cello lessons won’t be difficult either.

Try Brentwood or Shenfield. On the Elizabeth line. Fast trains into l’pool st London (under 25th a from Shenfield), everything in walking distance, great schools, catchment area for grammars, lots of cricket clubs in walking distance. Safe for your kids to walk about after school. You might strike lucky with a casual place for a grammar in Chelmsford or Southend (buses and trains go to all of them from Brentwood/Shenfield) but also very likely to get places for both children at one of the good secondaries.

There are no after school care options for secondary school age children who also typically make their own way to and from school as well using public transport in London. As others have mentioned kids can do extracurricular activities but that's not child care.

Most outstanding schools will be full for year 7. You'll probably have more luck further up the school as pupils do leave but year 7 is an admission year so its unlikely to get a place except at an undersubscribed school.

I'd focus your search first on your commute and housing budget and then ring the local authority about spaces in the borough for a few different locations that work.

Good luck

If you're a single mum with a full time job in the City, and with kids at that age - between available after school care and actually old enough to be independent, I'd actually try to stay in London and on public transport networks - find out about tube, train and buses - for your kids as well as you. It will make it easier for them to get around and take part in after school activities, musical or sport, than living in a very car dependent Home Counties town or outer London suburb.

You're unlikely to get them places at the most oversubscribed state schools at this point - but for example in my borough all secondaries and most primaries are now rated at least Good - but there are huge differences between the east and west of the borough in who lives there, which schools have sixth forms etc (A level/post 16 provision), and so there is a gap between schools' intake.

Try phoning Graveny and Bolingbrook academy, both in Wandsworth borough

both are really good schools and you should be able to rent within your budget nearby (easier for Graveny)

Last year, they had a few in-year places from people moving out to the countryside so it’s worth a call to see what the situation is this year

both a v strong for sport and music and there is also a very very well regarded cricket club (Spencer) nearby

FromIndia, most secondary school students don't have childcare, but I can understand why you might want it when your children are so new to the country. When you know where you're going to be living, and which schools the children have places at, you can arrange childcare by asking a local sixth form or college to put up an advert for after-school supervision. Or use an agency if you don't mind paying the fee and want the minder to be pre-vetted. Expect to pay at least £10 an hour (there is a labour shortage at the moment, so young people have a choice of part-time jobs).

Hi, don't limit yourself to London. Look at the train line from where you need to commute to and look at the stops. There are several lovely places with good schools. 2500 is good budget - you can get a good house depending on the area. While good areas in London won't get you much - like we were in muswell hill (recommended above), paying 2k for a tiny place.
It's really hard to narrow down the area since London is huge and good connectivity makes living at a lot of places very feasible.
As for child care, there will be plenty of after school clubs your kids could join. Children in secondary schools usually start commuting on their own including taking trains etc.
Perhaps make a different post with title something like - areas to live in within x minutes of commute from y. That will be helpful in finding new places.
We moved from India couple of years back and it can all be so daunting. All the best with your move!

Look at London borough of Redbridge. Good state schools and easy tube access to Liverpool Street on the Central line.

I’d look at the train line into Moorgate which goes through Barnet. You’d get a house for £2,500 pcm in Potters Bar which has Dame Alice Owen but whether you’d get in is a different matter….
also QE Girls and Boys in Barnet. Moorgate is a very short walk to Liverpool Street.