How to choose between these grammar schools and nearby family areas?

For KEGS Chelmsford my understanding is that for an in catchment area place your child needs to be living within the prescribed area from 10 October of year 6. So you are not going to get an in catchment place there unless you have lived in that priority catchment area since 10 October.

And @SheilaFentiman - for comprehensives, whilst of course you can add your child’s name to loads of waiting lists in theory, most people won’t because they know there are address criteria.
In addition, the OP has known the results of her DS since September/October anyway and could have visited and done the leg work ages ago. It is pretty clear for eg Sutton, they email you which schools you have qualified for in theory. If the child is as smart as he or she claims, they would have qualified for Wilsons.
For Kent, if you get more than 400 you know you have a chance at Dartford/Judd etc. They have been sitting on the info for months and should have visited and made a decision ages ago.

@SheilaFentiman - there is no limit to how many grammar school tests a child is allowed to sit. The only thing that prevents too many is common sense or date clashes.
Essentially, people with very bright kids who can get into the top grammar schools, can of course get into most grammar schools all over the country. For initial allocation you are given the choice of 6 schools in London. Although if you have a high achiever who already sat let’s say 4 different tests, you could have put far more schools down. Most people apply common sense and decide which one is their favourite before October of year 6 and have one or two back ups, including 1 comprehensive.
If every single person who has a high achiever added their child’s name to all the waiting lists all over, and sat their kids for loads of tests, what exactly would happen. It is unethical. The system is already very tolerant allowing all these applications. Kent spends so much money every year allowing thousands of external applicants to sit tests.
I think the OP is being unreasonable and enjoying the fact their DC did well and the ego and power trip it gives them. Their indecision is not just indecision. Also the comments about last minute holidays. I mean for God sake, go visit the areas which you should have done ages ago. It is sort of feigned faux incompetence masquerading unethical behaviour.

@Araminta1003 in what way is OP being greedy and unfair? She is currently holding one secondary school place, just as every other primary school parent in the country is doing. She is (if she has requested it!) on the waiting list for other schools that she may prefer. If a waitlist place comes up, she will have to decide between the places. This is no different to thousands of parents across England, other than in OP's case, it's probably less likely that a waitlist place will come up than in an 'average' application.

(Given she and her DH were here for a Masters, the birth and primary education of her DS, I would guess she has been in the UK 10-15 years, paying university fees and then working, so "you have come to this country, please be happy" is rather... unreasonable)

Judd has an an amazing reputation and Tonbridge has a good train service to London. If your offer is for that school and your son likes it, I’d take it.

OP I am sorry, but you are being greedy and unfair on the local children in all of these schools, some waiting desperately for a place. I do not buy the last minute.com stuff. You have come to this country please be happy with what you have been allocated and not so greedy to find the “best” location or school etc. Your DS sounds very academic and will do well in whichever one of these schools you end up in. You still have not said which one you were actually allocated. I know a lot about most of these schools but I am not going to share the information with you because you are being unfair on other local children, and potentially wasting the time of the local authority on top of that. If you are no happy now, then if you are offered another waiting list place, what will you do then? Waste some more time. They usually give you just 24 hours to take it.

The Government need to change the rules around grammar schools. I think applications to grammar schools more than 1 hour by reasonable commuting distance from application point should me made illegal.
When we did grammar tests last year there were overseas people from India sending their kids for tests. This is not OK. UK state schools and the NHS should not be subject to health and education tourism to this level. There were people from Manchester sitting London grammar schools tests. Some parents are simply nuts and it is not fair on the children or anyone.

Indeed. If Judd is the offer, I can advise on Tonbridge/Sevenoaks/Bidborough etc. But no clue about the other areas.

Now, we have received an offer of one of these, but still have a chance to change our preferences (as he’s likely to be offered via any of the waiting list if there is any space becomes available),

No, you do not have a chance now to change your preferences.

Your posts are a little hard to follow but I think you mean that you did go to an open day at the school you were allocated and it was fantastic and blew you away. That’s excellent! Go there!

I assume you are renting in London and hopefully on 1-2 months notice. Start looking for a rental that suits your commute and the school in question, snap it up asap if you find one, even if one of you moves out there to get settled whilst the other stays with your son in town to finish his term and give your landlord notice.

It would be easier to advise if you said which school he has an offer from.

I'm not sure I'd describe a daily commute from Central London to Colchester for school (and CRGS is a long trek from the main railway station) as 'not worth moving' for. KEGS an easier prospect, true, depending on how easy the journey to Liverpool Street or Stratford. But bear in mind that the Chelmsford grammar schools introduced their priority admissions area because they were fed up with parents sending their DC on ridiculous journeys to school, said DC dozing off regularly in class and contributing nothing to the life of the school outside of the classroom.

Im really confused. The essex grammers you mention are highly selective/competitive - inparticular KEGS and CRGS. Do you have an out of catchment offer?? If not then it is not worth moving. Westcliff is slightly easier to get into, but the Out of catchment score is high so do not move if you dont have an offer

And as far as how the system works, most families decide where they want to live long term, based on jobs, schools, lifestyle, friends, family links etc, move if necessary then apply to schools in the local area at least some of which are a realistic chances of getting a place. Most of UK does not have state grammar schools but instead uses a comprehensive(mixed ability) system. Relatively fewer apply to several selectives in multiple areas and then move. If you do not have a school place but move and are relying on wl or a late application the Local Authority may offer a place at any local school with a space, not necessarily of your choosing or near your address. You may move up a wl by living nearer the school but there is still no guarantee you will get a place.

If you’ve got the budget, I’d look at Beaulieu, Chelmsford. It’s a huge new build estate but has a really nice feel to it.

Its just under 40 minutes to Liverpool Street, and your son could commute by train or bus to KEGS.

Chelmsford itself is lovely and has plenty going for it for a date night/night out if you don’t want to stay in the city.

Have you accepted the place that has been offered?

You must accept that place or you will lose it.

In a couple of weeks , once places have been accepted or not, they should be able to tell you where you are on the waiting list if they have not done that already.

This is the system:

You listed 6 schools as preferences on your application
Your Local Authority allocated you the school that was highest up your list that was able to make you an offer.
If that school was your first preference they will not have put you on any waiting lists.
If you were not offered your top preference you should automatically be on the waiting list for each school that was higher up your list
You can now make applications and go on the waiting list for schools not on your original list of 6

As others have said there may be little or no movement on waiting lists.

You have 5 months to move house. This is very tight if you need to sell and buy so you may need to rent anyway. Realistically surely you need to set a deadline when you will stop waiting for a waiting list place and start looking for somewhere to live!

No. You might get no places from waiting lists. People can sit on them for years (and still never get a place). Particularly if it requires multiple children to turn down places at highly sought after schools.

I would get to know the area that's commutable (to school and to your jobs) and decide where you want to live. And yes, it might be preferable to rent first to find out more about the area.

You need to check with LA you applied through but potentially not. Different areas apply different limits. Did he even sit for all those schools and “pass”? Was the one he was offered your first choice?

Which school have you actually got an offer from?

But you won’t get that choice, the system is not set up to give you options, you will be lucky to get even one more from wl. Some areas limit how many wl you can request. Do you even want to live in these places? Why not just focus on the one in hand and look for property within a reasonable commute of there? If you state which and an idea of budget you will get advice on areas accessible to the school and for commuting into the city (Dartford for example is not that quick by rail nor is Tonbridge).

You will struggle to get a waiting list place at KEGS Chelmsford. My experience is that the wait list has little movement.

I’m somewhat confused. Have you had an offer from a grammar school for your now Year 6 child for this coming September?

If you have, do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can go on to a school’s waiting list and get in that way. Judd, for example, might have a small amount of movement between now and July. Perhaps if some boys decide to take up a place at Sevenoaks instead. But I wouldn’t bank on it.

If you want to live in Essex vs you want to live in Tonbridge in Kent, this is really something you should have addressed before.
Then Sutton is another whole suburban feel.
The Central London kids do travel on trains to St Olave’s in Orpington and Wilson’s and QE. So did he sit these and might you get anyway one of them. Why move out of Central London just for a school. I would not and I have had kids attend grammars. Essex/West Kent is a very different lifestyle.

Which one have you actually been allocated? Why are you trying to shop for a supposedly even better one by asking strangers? You should have done the research and visited the areas before October.

And presumably you did not list all those on your CAF.