Choosing a state school

[bambara]

I feel i may get ripped to shreds here but please bare with me. Im British but have lived abroad (Africa) for the last 13 years, my husband left out the blue 9 months ago and i very much want to return home. My children are lucky enough to be privately educated (thanks to an expat package) they are also very immature At 12 and 13 they are all still climbing trees/ playing lego for hours... I can't afford private school as a single parent and want to find the best school for my kids. I am worried they will be bullied for being different/ posh accents etc. I can choose where to send them, as I have no ties to any one place in the UK. Is it possible to choose a school at random and apply? Do i stand any chance given they places to older students, siblings, local catchment first. We could move to the local catchment but I guess it doesnt guarantee a place. Im looking for a creative, holistic, outdoorsy type option... in Africa the Waldorf type schooling is super cheap but in the UK its too far out of my reach. Im just looking for advice please. Im so out of the system but just want to come home and start my life afresh. Thanks very much

Hi OP in order to apply for school places most LA require some kind of evidence that you're either in the area or shortly to be in the area (eg rental agreement signed that sort of thing). So that makes it all a bit tricky when you're looking to plan well ahead. If you're applying for a school place outside of the traditional reception/y7 timings then you're looking at the " in year" process. These differ by council but basically you'd be looking at speaking to individual schools and understanding if they have spaces available and then applying. It's less about catchment areas at this point and more about does your chosen school happen to have spaces for your kids. Some areas have virtually no turnover of kids and others have a high turnover. Also depends on the years so getting an in year reception place in a sought after school often much harder than a y5 place for example. You can sometimes luck out. . I know a mum who had 3 DC and happened to get them all at short notice into a v good state school because a family moved away who had exactly the same age DCs so just took their 3 places.

You say you have no ties but presumably you'll want to work (if not now then at some point) and also you'll have a budget for house rental /purchase. You may also have views on city vs rural living e.g driving vs public transport. So casting the net to the whole of the UK is kind of too wide and you'll be driven crazy looking. So pick some kind of anchor, did you grow up or holiday in the UK. What's the type of house you want to live in etc and then work from there. The school boards can often then give more specific locations advice

Oh and re accents and being different, again depends on where you live. No one bats an eye on that in London because it's just a mix of all sorts. Don't know about other more rural places whether that would be a factor but somehow I can't see why it would

State school will be fine and so will your children. I have 2 teenage boys who still play with Lego and climb trees and call us mummy and daddy ( not in front of friends though).
Eldest has just got 10 7-9 grade GCSES in our local state comp.
The kids are all lovely and well spoken etc.
We are in Hampshire where schools are generally good.

Forget worries about prejudice. At 12/13 you are looking for In Year places so it will be whichever school has a place in the year group, not necessarily the same one for both. You need an address first. Some LA publish vacancies online so you could see where might be worth targeting although the situation may change by the time you apply and it is a gamble.

Sorry, a bit off topic, but I think it's lovely that your kids still play as kids should. My eldest daughter is 11 and still very much a child, where as some of her friends are into boys and makeup! Keep them little for as long as possible!

Thank you ... I love it too.. I want them to be sweetly innocent forever but I think UK kids will think they are just really uncool

Thank you so much ... this is so helpful. I have family in the UK but can't afford to rent anywhere near them. But you are right , I need to narrow it down . I'm so scared to be a single mum with no friends as I have so many where I live .. life has changed so much and it's so intimidating.

OP how are you financing this rent? I ask because if you have family ties somewhere I'd strongly encourage you to look there and you may be able to get UC support for renting etc depending on circumstances etc.
This is a big step and moving somewhere you've never been and have zero connection to is a bit bonkers. You may want help and support with the kids as an example and being able to ask a cousin or auntie to help or even just to give you some introductions to people will be useful. Moving country is no joke (I've done it and so have members of my family)

I went to a State school and had a few international friends whose families had fallen on hard times. It doesn’t really mean they will be bullied.

My ex is giving me money atm but obv this could change at any point . Part of the reason. (A big part) for coming home is to be able to work and be independent. But I haven't worked for 13 years and o have three kids so it's all a bit scary and unsure

I also went to state school. Not being snobby... I just know my kids are a bit different . When we come home they seems like babies compared to their cousins

With no credit history you may need to pay rent upfront or have a UK guarantor. Might be helpful if they were nearby.

Then you need to be looking at where you can most likely get a job rather than just schools. There's good and bad schools in every place in the country. I'd focus on finding an affordable place to live that's near to any friends or family you may have and start from there.