Moving to Windsor area

[brushandmop]

Hi everyone,

I have previously posted about being overseas in NZ and considering moving back. Well the shit is hitting the fan here and we are out!

Due to family reasons and being slightly familiar with the area, we are going to move to the Windsor side of Berkshire.

Our daughter is almost 10 but with the NZ school system we are struggling to figure out what year she would be in when coming over in March 2022. She was born Jan 2012.

In terms of schools, is Windsor Girls School a good option? Our daughter is really sporty and plays tennis at a high junior level. We would consider St Georges but the fees are just a little bit out of what we had planned. Our preference is an all girls school and a school with less emphasis on 'modern' teaching methods which have been a disaster for her in NZ.

Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated in terms of good areas/schools/schools to avoid. Of course we will go and look at all the options ourselves in person, but we are feeling a bit daunted atm and need someone on the ground to talk to.

This decision has been truly heart wrenching to make and I am hoping I hear some nice stories about life in Berkshire. Some people might think us fools for leaving NZ but we have made our decision.

Many thanks in advance!

She would be year 5.

For state schools Windsor has the first school, middle school, then senior school system which is fairly unusual for uk. So Windsor girls does not start until age 13. Your daughter would go to middle school. There are several middle schools all good and all mixed boys and girls. Year 5 to 8 ie age 9 to 13. The one you would get in to would largely depend where abouts in windsor you live. Hope that helps. Windsor is a super place to live but not super cheap but you probably know that already

Thank you. We are in the fortunate position of having made some money on our house in Auckland so we are comfortable with Windsor prices and we could potentially save enough for St George's while she is a middle school.

Could someone explain zones etc for school. Middle school is similar to intermediate school here but they aren't normally zoned.

I live near Windsor.
All schools except for private (I think) have catchment (zones) areas which you must live within to have a chance of getting in. Admissions are usually ranked according to criteria starting with looked after children (adopted), SEN, siblings, followed by ranking of distance (miles) from the school etc.

The RBWM Council website has Admissions information for the schools in the Borough, as well as the deadlines for applying.

Have a look at each school’s website and OFSTED reports to get a feel for the schools. Ofsted is a contentious issue on MN so take from it what you will, but it’s the government’s assessment of each school. Grammar schools can be popular here, particularly for those who can’t afford private school fees or have children who pass the 11+ exam.

You will need to be in the catchment area for the school/s you would like so that will affect the housing areas that you move to.