Relocation: help needed to find a good secondary school

Maybe not what you're looking for, but have you looked at the Swedish school in London?

An option could be moving to Windsor as a three tier system and this school for year 9:

https://www.twbs.co.uk

Very close to London too, quite like Richmond in some ways.

Looking at places with a three tier system is very wise and might help you narrow your choice for the next step. Otherwise you are really at the mercy of the LA and they will allocate wherever they have space. In areas which are undersubscribed this is fine and you might get a preferred school... but in a high birthrate year it is highly unlikely and a risky strategy (if you really can't afford private).

No harm in phoning now. They can tell you how many places they have now and whether the places normally get taken or not.

Way too early if op is moving in the summer.

As someone above has said - Orpington may be a good bet. Or if you can get a place in Bromley there are lots of good schools and often places become free each year. Take a look at Bullers Wood for Boys - the nearer you are to the school the higher up the waiting list for the next available space you would be.

Phone the schools to ask if they have places.

Orpington BR6 post code area (not BR5). There is a fast train to London - less than 20 minutes to London Bridge and very good state schools. You can easily find a rental house within your budget.

For example this one is in a nice village area called Farnborough:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142138349#/?channel=RES_LET

Quick bus journey or walk to Orpington Station. A walk to Darrick Wood School or a bus journey to Charles Darwin School. Both are really good schools.

@Slubulino , very briefly 6th form admissions run along the lines of:

As long as your dc achieves basic grades he automatically stays on - ie Orleans Park

The school doesn't have a sixth form and you move to another school or a 6th form college - it depends on the grades you are predicted and the subjects you want to study re where you apply, this is the case for Hampton High.

Some counties ie Hampshire - no state schools have 6th forms and everyone moves to sixth form colleges such as Farnborough College or Peter Symonds.

Additionally some areas of the U.K. like Bedfordshire have a different system I am not familiar with!

A three tier system has middle schools which may include year 8 and transfer to secondary for year 9, so you would be applying with all others for year 9 entry.

Gcses are taken in year 11 and sixth form is year 12/13. You can move for sixth form but many stay put,

Catchments don't exist in many LA and won't be relevant to an In Year application but would for a waiting list. You typically list 3 preferences and if there is a space at one of those you are offered it, if not they will offer another school with a vacancy. At secondary this can be some distance away or in a neighbouring LA area. LA rules on those moving will vary but for most you cannot apply until you have a UK address and are close to moving as you need to take up the place quickly,

They are goodish schools but they are the secondary schools in the borough with spaces. You need to familiarise yourself with school data using "compare the performance" on the gov.uk website.

Also bear in mind, dc change school again for 6th form to study A levels for 2 years to go to uni but you need to be resident in the UK for 3 continuous years to be eligible for a home status place at a U.K. university. In other words you need to move your ds to the U.K. in 2024/25 so he has time to get to grips with the gcse curriculum and then move onto a levels and live here for more than 3 years to go to uni here without paying international fees.

Personally I would look for cheaper housing and investigate a private school as a back up for 4 years of his education.

Given the age of your son I would consider an area with a 3 tier system (e.g. Buntingford). That will mean he will have to spend Year 8 in whichever school has space, but you will be in a good position to get a good school for Year 9 if you choose your location carefully.

Bear in mind this year group is an exceptionally large cohort - I am in Hertfordshire and many schools had to create an extra 15 places to accommodate the current year 7. So it's a very bad year to hope for an in-year place in a good school.

If there care no spaces they won't give you a place (you can appeal).
In year 7 they will allocate you somewhere with spaces which can be a long way away. I'm not sure what happens with in year applications, but hopefully someone else will reply. You can apply to any school (for example you could be just over the border from one county to the next).
It's best to pick an area, then look at the schools, otherwise there's just too much choice. Just don't choose an area where there are no good schools! You'll get more useful advice on here is you are targeting a particular area.
All schools have their admission criteria on their websites. This will tell you how they allocate places for in year applications (there should also be information on the local authority websites under school admissions).

Catchment is really only relevant for applying at the start of year 7, not for an in-year application. Other than determining your position on the waiting list, if there is one.

@Slubulino , I live local to Richmond, if you move to Richmond/ twickenham / teddington your ds will probably be offered Richmond Academy or Hampton High as these are the schools more likely to have space. You could move right next door to Orleans Park school and wait years to get a place. In year 8 you are dependent on someone leaving and being top of the waiting list on the day the space is offered.

Schools tend to have catchment areas. Look at their admission information for details. Sometimes they do accept out if area pupils, but there has to be a reason. Some offer scholarships in music, sport etc which may have a wider catchment.

There will likely be at least one school in the whole local authority that has space, but it will likely be the least popular school in the area.

You can also apply for a place at any state school that has space, even if it in a different local authority.

It depends on how much you want to spend on buying or renting a house.

The schools in Harpenden (St George’s, Roundwood, St John laws) are very good, but the house prices are very expensive.

Easy commute to London.

Kent is a grammar school area so that’s another consideration.

Surrey is another county that may be worth considering.

Towns with a commuter train service to London will usually be more expensive to rent in. If you don't need to go into London often/ever then considering somewhere that does not have a commuter service could be better value for money. Of course if your circumstances change then it might not be ideal.

Do you have idea about parts of the Uk around London that you like? Anywhere you've been that appealed to you?