Where to live for a good secondary school in London

[nk07]

Hi all, me, wife and my son will be moving to London in a few months. My son will be 10 in May and my priority is to find a good secondary school for him. I can commute for an hr each way and make all compromises. My only priority is to get an outstanding secondary school for him in 2015. He is preparing for 11 plus tests but I am not sure he has enough time to prepare. So I want to play it safe and be near a secondary school just in case he doesn't qualify for the grammar school. Can you guys please suggest where should I look for a home? Which areas have the max concentration of good secondary schools? Again, my only priority is a good school.

Are you thinking state grammar? If so there aren't,t that many in the London area so competition is fierce.
You could try looking at the Ham side of Richmond. Grey court is the local secondary. On the up and Ofsted outstanding. Tiff in boys grammar is close. But only 1 in 10 get in and only bright boys take the test.
There is a collection of grammars in the Sutton area. Not to sure of the state options. There are some on the Kent side of London and QE boys and Latymer in North London.
Another option is somewhere like Dame Alice Owen that is semi selective. Try and live in their catchment then you could get in on either proximity or ability.
Do you know what side of the city you want to be on.will you be in the UK with an address by October 14. That is when you will need to submit your application.
Often housing is pricey near good state schools!

I am looking at Grammar school as second option if my son clears the test. What I want is to stay near a good/outstanding state school, so that if he fails to clear, he gets a seat in a decent school. I have very little idea of London but have found Bromley/Southgate as two decent options. I should definitely be there before Oct.
Thanks for your comment and help.

If you lived close enough in Crystal Palace you'd have the CP Harris Academy (outstanding, bit hot housey I hear, but as you want grammar that may be a plus) and could apply for Wilson's (11+ super-selective), which isn't close-close but perfectly doable. There's also back-up in the form of the up-and-coming Norwood School and Kingsdale (bit controversial but still good from what I hear).

Bromley is definitely worth checking out too, though less 'Londony'.

Richmond borough
Richmond park academy good on its way up
Christs good
Grey court outstanding
Orleans park outstanding
Teddington good
St Richard Reynolds catholic and new
But avoid living at west of borough as Twickenham Academy and Hampton academy "requires improvement"
And as I said not too far from Tiffin

Thanks all for help. How close should I say to be sure about getting place in a good/outstanding state school? Will staying within 1 mile do?

Other option is to live just outside & commute. E.g. st Albans

I can commute, up to 2-2.5 hrs a day even. My office will be in canary wharf

For Dame Alice Owen's you need to be in one of about 5 roads to be sure of a place without doing the test. They publish a catchment map on their website. That would most likely be over an hour for you to Canary Wharf though.

I would recommend Bromley Borough as they have done outstanding schools. Langley boys, ravens wood and Langley are the best in the borough which if you live in Hayes/ West Wickham boarders you would be in the catchment area for all 3. All schools have a small catchment area approx 1 mile. St olaves is the grammar school in that borough also not far from the other schools but as it's top selective your son would have to be well above average to get into as the competition is high. Bishop justice is very good if you are looking for a Christian school.

This website has a useful search feature that filters the top10% of schools in an area.

www.locrating.com/schoolsmap.aspx

Right next to Graveney in Tooting, perhaps?

House prices in Bromley are far more accessible than those in Richmond and far less aircraft noise.

I'd second www.greycourt.richmond.sch.uk/ and if you are looking for a new home then Ham (where the school is situated) is actually quite a bit cheaper than Richmond itself and it's a lovely part to live in (so my cousin tells me)

Many thanks all. I am not looking to buy, not in the next one year. My son will be 10 in May. So I am looking for a place in preparation for his secondary school.

nk07, whether you rent or buy I believe the advice would remain the same.

Hi MadameMattise, many thanks. I really like the area and the school. Not too crowded as well. Now the trick would be to find a place on rent close enough to be sure about a place in the school. Thanks

Bexley has a number of good grammars. You can do Bexley and Kent tests which broadens your grammar school options and still leaves St Olaves as a possibility. Can you take those tests if you are in Hayes/West Wickham for the good statesthough? I am not sure of the rules tthere.

Thanks all. I also see a very good concentration of good schools in Southgate.

What is your housing budget?

You could live very close to Dunraven in Streatham Hill, and be very close to the fast Thameslink line from Tulse Hill and with fast connections to London Bridge, so lots of options for commuting to the city / the wharf. Boys travel to the Sutton Grammars from Streatham, or to the selective streams at Graveney, but all these are what are called 'super selective' because there is no distance element to selection so they attract competition from miles and miles away.

Or Herne Hill is also on the Thameslink / London Bridge line and is a little more 'posh' and has a beautiful park, nice shops and cafes, and you can live close enough to Charter School.

Glyn boys school in Ewell, Epsom has a very good reputation and near to Sutton or Kingston grammars (supers selectives) if he gets in. Easy commute from Epsom, Ewell West or Stoneleigh. Not sure how near you would need to live to the school. You will find details on Surrey's website for furthest distances in recent years.

between 1000-1500. need 2 bedroom

I have been told that all schools in the london borough of redbridge are good. I have no experience cos my DC are not school age yet.

Ealing (and Hillingdon) has a good selection but is v v pricey for homes! Twyford (one of the top performers in London) have just opened a sister school in Greenford (more affordable to live there!). Also in Greenford are Drayton Manor and Cardinal Wiseman: both have excellent reputations. Further afield is Featherstone High School which is also outstanding.

Queensmead and various others in Hillingdon are an easy commute (by tube) and also Outstanding. Eastcote/Ruislip is slightly more affordable than Ealing, being further out.