Moving to UK - religious/faith schools

[Josieandthecats]

Hello everyone.

We are contemplating moving back to the UK and will need to do in year applications for our DCs. We are practising catholics and have been attending regularly in the country we are currently living in.

I noticed that catholic schools in the UK require a certificate from parish priest, would they accept a certificate from our current country given that we would not have been attending our local church for long enough to get the certificate? Or is it possible for our current parish priest to ask our "new" parish priest to do a certificate for us?

I went to a Catholic school a long time ago but not really sure how it works anymore. Thank you!

In Scotland you just need to provide the baptismal certificate

Well obviously get your current priest to write whatever needs to be written in case you need to show it as proof

Every faith school is different and their admission criteria change every year

You'll need the baptism certificate in most cases

Our school would accept a baptism certificate from another country no problem.

For in year applications you probably won't need it, they have to take any child if they have a space.

Yeh agree that if it is an in-year application it won't make much difference. A school with a space will have to take you.

Can you say where so that people can maybe help with more direct intel? What years will the DC be going into?

@Josieandthecats

I would have thought that a letter from the priest at the church you are currently attending would have been acceptable, but you will need to check with the school.

Do you know which part of the country you are likely to move to?

How old are your children?

Unless your kids will be applying to reception or y7 at the correct time (so this term for entry next September) to an over subscribed school I think this is a non issue. The catholic school near me has all this information about what is accepted as proof and so on but they’ve not had more than 15 applicants for 30 places the last 3 years so I don’t imagine anyone has submitted anything.

maybe call the school you are interested in (probably need to wait until September) and see what they say.

Thanks everyone, we are moving to North West London (currently looking at Neasden but open to suggestions on other NW areas) and are leaning towards Y3/Y5 entries for DCs as opposed to Y4/Y6. We are in the Phillipines and they are at a school with British curriculum so we are hoping academically the transition will not be too difficult.

The Catholic school happens to be oversubscribed each year so the admission criteria bumps baptised and practising Catholic children with a certificate of Catholic practice over baptised children with their baptism certificate only.

But I forgot that as so many of you have mentioned, in year availability depends on actual spaces and less so on admission criteria unless there is a tiebreak.

I doubt if state schools will let your dc be in the wrong year tbh. When are their birthdays? They will probs be fine in the right year at primary, they catch up easily enough if needed ime

If year 6 tho - when are you moving? Good to get here before secondary application date if end oct

You don't get to choose what year group they go in!

@Josieandthecats

Do you have any other criteria which you need to take into account re where you will be living in London, such as how you will get to work or anything else which needs to be taken into consideration?

Are your children boys or girls? How old are they?

When are you hoping to move to London?

We aren't going to be in the wrong year, we will either move next year for Y3/Y5 or the a year later for Y4/Y6 (they're both born in Feb). We initially wanted to move slightly later and but was nervous for my older DC joining in Y6 with making friends, SATs etc. But at the moment the move date is flexible, I just want to be organised because of schools.

@Josieandthecats

Are you considering both state schools and private education, OP?

Ah ok that makes sense but you see why we were confused @Josieandthecats .

If moving for year 6, then I reiterate, make sure you are there for September to apply for secondary on time.

I will be commuting to Mayfair whilst my DH will be commuting to the city.

Hoping to move next year or the year after so they'll be Y3/Y5 or Y4/Y6 respectively. Girl and boy.

We hadn't really factored any other criteria in, we recently decided and tbh I've been researching schools ever since. Definitely dont think my parents put this much thought 😅

Open to private schools so would love suggestions if you know any, but also not sure we'll be able to afford it if the prices continue to increase...

@Josieandthecats

I was wondering whether you would like to live in the City, the Barbican, for instance. There is a Catholic Primary near Goswell Road.

https://stpetersandstpauls.islington.sch.uk/

I've realised that the Diocese actually has a website about education, which shows where all the schools are, which might be helpful for you.

https://education.rcdow.org.uk/find-a-school/

It’s no good people on here guessing! You need to read the school admission policy which will be on their websites. That will tell you the faith evidence you need to apply for a place.

I wouldn't limit yourself to catholic primary schools. For example if you moved to Twickenham you may find the 2 catholic primary schools are full and will remain full for the year groups you want but the non religious state primary schools have places. In Twickenham you could then target the catholic secondary school from year 7 by renting near by and being catholic.

I agree to go through the DOW schools list and focus on the many outstanding catholic secondaries.