Moving to London from Australia

[GroovyOne]

Hubby's company would like us to move to London in 2014.
If we did, we would likely arrive so the kiddies can start the new school year in Sep 2014.

In Sep 2014 or kids will be:
Daughter- 11 years old - going into year 7 (which from what Im reading will make it tough for her to get in somewhere, but we'll do it).
Son1 - 9 - year 6
Son2 - 6 - year 2
Son3 - 4 - prep (or whatever it's called).

The company will pay for schooling and housing.
I understand that the most expensive doesn't always mean the best....
Our kids are quite sporty.

If anyone has an tips on schools and areas to love, that would be fab!! ??
I am researching and researching, but there are so many options!!

Sorry in advance, just read first page...

If someone else is paying for house/school...DS was at Alleyns which is a private co-ed in Dulwich. It's absolutely bloomin' brilliant. Incredible results but a very mellow, caring atmosphere (brilliant sports facilities but also very strong at the Arts, outdoorsy with a Cadet Force, DofE etc). It's got a junior school so there would be no problem with progression. I think there are discounts for multiple children. And one easy drop off in the morning!

You could then live in Dulwich Village/West Dulwich/East Dulwich/Herne Hill which are all lovely, bustling, family friendly areas with some beautiful houses. From North Dulwich station DH could go into London Bridge and then get the Jubilee to Green Park. Easy peasy.

Sounds great.

I'd say private would be easier than finding state places.

Getting a relocation person to help you is not a bad idea.

Yes, Alleyns may be a brilliant option, but read 1000+ posts on the Trinity, Whitgift, South London 11+ thread first, and then join the long queue of South London parents anxious about getting their children in. My guess is that unless you have a near genius, these very sought after schools will pick children who are likely to stay for the duration rather than one likely to leave after two years. Turnover of pupils is has an impact on others in friendship groups.

The point about selective schools is that you need to focus on schools who are likely to select you. Private is not a single category. Some private schools will be easier, others wont.

Alleyns will have a very long list of people keen to get in I imagine, I know some friends waited for a year then got a spot.

Hill House International has one of the biggest turnovers of pupils and it is one of the easier places to get a place. But prep years only (up to 13 I think). Friends there are very happy with it afaik.,

Needs more - what about Surbiton?
Is that kind if in between...?

Alleyns have no space ??

We may be in London for longer than 2 years, or hubby may commute down south so we don't have up move.
So we are approaching things with an indefinite time frame.

Have had some joy with a couple of other preps.
When I visit in Late Feb I can work it all out I hope!

Surbiton is a nice long established and straightforward school run by the GDST a trust set up to provide education for girls when this was a novelty. They have a number os schools across the country all well respected.

For whatever reason Putney is seen as most academic, Wimbledon second and Surbiton third. (And Sutton fourth.) Hence Surbiton is often used as a fall back for those applying to the first two and other Privates in the area. Dont be put off by this. Good students will do well and there will be scope for supporting the slightly less able. Fellow pupils will be mainly fairly local and settled. There is advantage in avoiding schools with a bit international population and high churn.

Good sports grounds and a strong reputation especially in hockey and gymnastics.

Thank u.
What about Surbiton as an area to live in...?

Streatham and Clapham High + JAGS are also GDST schools. DD will go on the waiting list if she does well on the entrance test.

Any feedback in these 2 schools...?

Wimbledon & Putney - no chance they told me!

Groovey Surbiton have taken lots of distressed expats faced with last minute moves at odd times of the year. I think I mentioned it earlier. It's a good school, not as selective as some in the area and as needmore says generally perceived as not as selective as Putney and Wimbledon but it will enable any bright girls to fulfil her potential. It was the fall back for both my DDs and I would have been very happy for them to go there. Surbiton is very suburban but a nice suburb with good train services into town, lots of reasonably priced nice detached houses, you will get way more for your money than in Fulham etc.

The only problem you will face is that girls are better served than boys for secondary schools in the area but plenty of good preps in the short term. Sorry as I have girls I can't advise but probably
avoid Rokeby, very very demandingly academic, unless that is what you want?

JAGS is not GDST, but part of the same trust that runs Alleyns and Dulwich College. Really quite selective so will depend on how she does with the test.

Clapham and Streatham High is more urban. My understanding is that academically it is seen as being on a similar level to Surbiton, but in terms of intake it has a bit more of a South London/Brixton vibe. People say good things about the school, but girls will be a little more streetwise than those at Surbiton High. Right round the corner from the Tooting Lido, the second largest outdoor pool in Europe - unheated - which has to be a plus!

I suspect the reason why Surbiton is considered less academic is that it is close to a few really very selective state schools (Tiffin, Nonsuch etc) who will have creamed off the brightest. So raw results wont tell you much, and every chance they do just as well with the girls they get as schools higher up the league tables.

Our experience of looking at schools further from Central London was that as a general rule they seemed to have more stable and experienced staff. In short Central London is really expensive to live and so staff recruitment and retention is easier the further out you get.

In terms of where to live it depends on what you want. I will reveal here that I would choose to live in Brixton over Surbiton in a heartbeat. But this is absolutely personal and I suspect given a choice most MNs would choose the opposite. Look at train lines both for your husband and your daughter. You might then ask Surbiton where their pupils commute from. My experience of Kingston suburbs is mainly from driving along the A3, so I have a warped outlook. However further South West, eg Hinchley Wood where their sports grounds are and beyond looks very leafy, whilst close to the River Thames would be nice. Or somewhere further in like Wimbledon, which might give you the best of all worlds? What do you want?

Thanks ladies.
Difficult to know what we want as I'm not there and can't see/feel it all.
I know I'm going round in circles a bit with questions etc.
I am sure that things will become clearer when I visit in late Feb! Hopefully.

Google street view is a bit of a help to see if you could bear to live in a place. Just an idea.

Thanks mummytime.
Yep, been walking up and down lots of streets using google view!!
:)

Other thing about Surbiton is that it does tend to be a fallback, their waiting list will move quickly. They have a bus network as well so serve several suburbs inwards and outwards. If you were to live inwards you could try Newlands for your boys. They are also known for accommodating distressed expats.

The urban / suburban thing is an issue but for us the South West London suburbs with the benefit of lots of open space Royal Parks, good schools etc are where we wanted to raise our DDs. You can cycle out of our house and turn left up the Thames for Central London via Kew Gardens, mostly through wide green spaces or left down the river all the way to Oxford if you wished or straight on to Richmond Park, and we are 20 mins by fast train into London. The downside is it is very homogenous ethnically and socially. Some people do develop a very narrow materialistic perspective on life which your DCs won't share. My DDs have found it a bit frustrating but they have found other like minded friends with similar multi cultural backgrounds.

Hi GroovyOne,

I didn't know we had any FIFO workers in the UK, or Europe for that matter - I'm surprised anywhere is remote enough to make it worthwhile (apart from offshore rigs of course, but we don't use the term FIFO for them although obviously that is the only way to get there!).

Just to pick up on a couple of things about the high schools, Wimbledon and Putney do indeed have a higher entry cut-off than Surbiton, but that's not really relevant - the problem that you will have with any school is that you have missed the boat for September 2014 11+ entry - there are thousands of SW london girls queueing up for places in these schools that sat exams for them at the beginning of the year who are waiting for letters awarding places or waiting list places in February/March.

It is sometimes possible to jump the queue, particularly for expats where schools are often sympathetic with the difficulties, but you would have to approach the schools directly to see if they were willing to be flexible.

Surbiton is a nice long established and straightforward school, but it is NOT part of the Girls Day School Trust unlike Wimbledon, Putney, Sutton and Guildford Highs which are all GDST schools. The academic bar is lower at Surbiton, and there are more places available for "outsiders" (all these schools are fed by linked junior schools which generally account for about half the places), partly because it is a bigger school.

Its sporting facilities and the timetabled use of them are not likely to impress someone coming from Australia (except for rowing), but the first teams are reasonably successful.

Surbiton is unusual in having and associated boys prep/pre-prep (4-11) which is relevant to you.

Surbiton is a great place to live with a fast and frequent train service: it can be quicker to reach parts of London from there than from Fulham: Surbiton to Green Park (station to station) is about half an hour. However this means that it is very popular with limited rental property available. As you go further out along the same train lines (Esher, Chobham, Weybridge) house prices/rents stay similar but with better availablity (currently) and you get more space for your money.

Back to schools - there are independents in SW London that are more likely to have place for your daughter in September but you are unlikely to find them by starting at the "aspirational" schools and working down - this is where Gabbitas are invaluable. The Hall is one of them, Marymount is popular with expats so often has spaces but probably not at 11+, Canbury and Hampton Court House are quirky schools often used for a couple of years by expats...

"I will reveal here that I would choose to live in Brixton over Surbiton in a heartbeat."

I bet you wouldn't if you had three boys under 10.

Ha, but I don't live that far away, and we know plenty of people who have raised their kids in Brixton/Stockwell. I grew up in the suburbs not that far from Kingston and was determined to escape to a more urban place. I also should have said Brixton/Streatham/Tooting/Balham, but simply went for the part of the catchment that OP was most likely to have heard of. The point was that there are lots of good things about South London and it is a lot more vibrant that Surbiton, but if you are coming from overseas you might find it all a bit unrelentingly urban.

Both DC, now in their teens, are pleased to be proper Londoners and take the amazing access to just about everything for granted. In OP's case I would look hard at Wimbledon if she has the money, or further out as you suggest.

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Needmore DD who is still at home was up in town last night and tonight, attending lectures at unis \museums and then on for drinks and the best of ethnic food (yup you know where yesterday )

OP Hampton Court House I think you might describe it as a marmite school. Check out the threads. Put it this way it keeps my friend who tutors GCSE very busy, and he is shocked by what he hears. Happy pupils though ......

And Marymount is very American, IB but also American Sports etc., basketball not netball , and a bit like an International School in that there is a lot of expat turnover so constantly saying goodbye to friends.

BTW if you are really wanting outstanding sports and especially if your DD has something to offer it might be worth trying LEH, lots of national squad members, one of the best rowing schools in the country and regularly get to regional and national finals, fantastic facilities but academically very selective, but I have known Girls there from the Aussie system. They do like expats, though whether they will be able to be flexible at this stage in the offers process I am not sure .

"I also should have said Brixton/Streatham/Tooting/Balham,"

OK that makes more sense. Funnily enough we spent some time in that area but found it not urban enough compared to the "Zone 1" areas we lived when we were single, but not suburban enough to raise a family - so moved to Kingston! The grass is always greener I guess - sometimes literally.

"Both DC, now in their teens, are pleased to be proper Londoners and take the amazing access to just about everything for granted."

The N87 looks like a school bus sometimes :smile:

"In OP's case I would look hard at Wimbledon if she has the money, or further out as you suggest."

Agreed - the 11YO can travel more or less anywhere and there should be spaces in a prep for the boys (Willington?)

Guildford High isn't GDST either and is super selective. Also Guildford is a LONG way from London.
Suburbiton...I mean, Surbiton, is not everyone's cup of tea. Lots of families but also flats for commuters taking advantage of the quick links to London. Very close to the Thames and Kingston Upon Thames for shopping/cinema/restaurants and bars and...shock, horror a shopping centre as so opposed to just a high street (groovy you would be amused at the excitement opening a Westfield causes in the UK!) a lot greener than inner London, but having said that London has some fantastic parks and commons all over the place.
Some lovely homes, but as someone else mentioned quite expensive rent...but probably better rent than Wimbledon!
If money is no object, I would live in Wimbledon and the trip to Surbiton is not too bad. If you had all 4 in Surbiton schools, it would probably make more sense to live there. DH would have a very easy commute to London. Surbiton is zone 6 so benefits from all those fast trains to Wimbledon, Clapham and Waterloo.

OP I'm in Fulham and I think you'd like it here very much. My husband also works in Green Park.

You need a school search consultant. Normally if you were doing the private school route you'd have your child's school advising you on where to apply & when etc. You must feel terribly overwhelmed - I'm overwhelmed with my 1 kid dealing with this now. Good luck.

Ps should have said before, a friend of mine lived here in Dulwich for a couple of years, decided on it after extensive research - she and her husband were from Perth and he was here on a fifo basis with a mining co for a year and a bit. Am sure she would be happy to have a chat via email if you think it would be helpful.

DD is at Surbiton, it has no on site sports facilities at all, the sports fields are a 15 min coach ride away plus loading times. The main school is in three buildings which the girls move between for different lessons and have to cross a busy road for one building. Despite being so far out the setting is rather grim think more "traffic island" and forget any notion of spacious grounds - you won't see a blade of grass. They have been trying to build better facilities at their sports ground but can't get permission because it's green belt.

It's harmless enough, the most annoying thing is the ridiculous amount of scholarships they give (in excess of 40) which are subsidised by the other parents. The top schools wouldn't dream of giving away anything like this just to fill a marketing brochure with nice pictures - but then they don't have to.

You will get a much nicer setting,buildings and better sports facilities further into London.

Both Guildford and Surbiton are part of United Church Schools Trust, it is very similar to GDST and people often get them confused.

Showme That sounds a bit All the schools are actively seeking to increase bursary provisions eg LEH, KGS because it is integral to their founding ethos, and the fees at Surbiton are relatively very reasonable. You know when you enter any of these schools that they have these values, especially a church school. From my families point of view we were pleased that schools viewed themselves as having a wider responsibility to give bright DCs the opportunity to study there regardless of background , and I also think it benefits the mix you get in the school. It means you don't get the homogeneity you encounter at the Ibstocks, Harrodian etc. 40 isn't out of the ordinary since it is, 6 or 8, form entry?

OP it is true what Showme says about the site and sporting facilities but I know lots of families whose DDs are very happy there including those on national squads there on sports scholarships.

These are scholarships not bursaries, completely different thing, you can read the difference on lots of other threads. - I have no idea how many bursaries they give. SHS isn't a flash school, there are lots of people struggling for the fees.

They do give a lot of scholarships though 6 for drama last year, the gymnastic team they bought in from St Davids etc and the list goes on. Sometimes it does seem to be all about the marketing brochure.

The sports facilities are very limited and are shared with the junior school, the prep and Rowans in Claygate - which is expanding. There is currently no proper sports hall, they are trying to build one but the sports ground is in green belt.

Anyone pursuing a sport to national standard is training long hours outside of school.

There is nothing wrong with the school, most girls are very local. But it is not going to blow away someone coming from Australia and it is not comparable to schools like Alleyns.