American family of five moving to London, need to figure out schools

[Shmercil]

Hello, this is my first post here so I'm sorry if this isn't the correct forum. A fellow American gave me this site name and told me to ask here. My husband and I have three children, age 5, 4 and 2. The older two are in American kindergarten and pre-k and the youngest is in a part time preschool. We have the opportunity to move to London for his work and are considering it but extremely worried about navigating school placements. We would prefer to live in central London as he will be commuting daily. Does anyone have any suggestions about where I should start? Any lists I should research? Our kids are currently in a very small, hippy touchy feely catholic school which they love. Our middle child and only boy is quite shy, our oldest is very outgoing and friendly but anxious.

I realize we are late to be thinking about next Fall and I don't expect to just waltz into a school. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much.

“touchy feely catholic school”

probably wouldn’t use that term over here, OP. 😬

Another factor is that my parents will be moving with us though not living with us. My father is British but hasn't lived in the UK since he left after childhood.

What are your parents’ plans? Will they be looking to live near you, and do they have similar budget?

I wouldn't go for Islington - I wouldn't want to do the commute for schools in, e.g. Hampstead.

I agree looking at FB groups - I live in North London and lots of American families here - either sending their kids to the Hampstead private schools or the American School. You could look at living in Hampstead, Belsize Park or Primrose Hill - I prefer all of these to St John's Wood. I brought my children up in this area and have been very happy with it.

I don't know Richmond, South Kensington or Dulwich so well from a family perspective - lovely (wealthy) areas though.

If DH is working in Aldgate, you are best off looking in zones 2 and 3 in South East London - or South West near the district line. If you want private schools, there are loads of them in Dulwich - all highly rated. It sounds like Herne Hill School, which is a pre-prep (3 - 7) would suit you whilst you settle in and you can look at the prep and secondary options once you are here. If you want something a bit hippyish, you might like to look at the Steiner school in Blackheath, but private schools are either like those shown in the movies - strict uniforms and high academic standards - or Steiner, which are child-led and very alternative. If you want to consider high pastoral, slightly hippyish state schools, you might like to look at Fairlawn or The Horniman school, which are both non-uniform.

This is OP- I just woke up. Thank you all SO much, this is all incredibly helpful and I am reading through each and every response. To clear up a few things- we wouldn't want to live by his office, just keeping that station in mind for his commute. The move is indefinite, we could stay forever or leave at any time. My dad is almost 80 and likes the idea of "dying at home" so to speak so I think if they move with us it will be permanent for them. I agree about finding the school and then working outward from there. The American school is very expensive, it seems like one of the most expensive options in the city, but keeping an American education appeals to us. We are going to speak to family friends who have done this move (also as an American lawyer) and see what they suggest.

In the meantime this gives me a lot more information to start with.

A lot of USA families with your budget go to St John’s Wood and NottingHill (I have South American friends who get very annoyed when I say America for the USA - ‘we’re in America too, y’know’ - so don’t think me too odd for calling you US Americans). Both are very pricey and St John’s Wood is all mansion flats that are mainly empty most of the year (in laws have lived there for 50 years so I know it well). Not really somewhere I’d want to live. Nottinghill is probably better but it is very expensive, you need to be very wealthy to get the most out of it.
I wouldn’t worry about staying with the American curriculum as I believe the UK is actually ahead, so if you went back you could slip back very easily. I’ve friends who’ve done the reverse and their children had no problem, academically, moving to a US school. If you want a Catholic school there are some amazing state (free) primary schools that do as well as some of the privates and are very nurturing.
Perhaps Ealing would be a good place to look. Elizabeth line would mean a very fast commute and there are several excellent private Catholic schools and state schools to look at.

I was in Chiswick today and kept hearing the USA accent… don’t know if I’m just more attuned to it as I’ve been watching CNN the last few days, of if there is a growing expat community. District line is really slow though so commute would be faster from Ealing, but somewhere like Chiswick is a bubble for families, you don’t really need to leave!

“Our kids are currently in a very small, hippy touchy feely catholic school which they love”

London top private schools are as bad as New York in terms of over competitiveness especially age 10.

Are you coming long term or just for a few years? If long term, I strongly suggest you look for a nurturing co-ed school that goes all the way 3-18 kind of thing where all your children can go and stay with no pressure.

If you went for the above model in the US I assume you want something similar here in the U.K.?
So you first select the school you are happy with and then you live nearby with a good commute to Aldgate.

Do you live in a big City right now?

There is at least one American school (near St John’s Wood i think) where they follow the US curriculum.

Don’t go to the American School if you want to stay long term potentially. The U.K. system is very academically rigorous and they will easily adjust back to the US system anyway. Some U.K. schools do IB now at Sixth Form anyway.
Also don’t go and live somewhere with just internationals. It’s a bubble and there are too many kids coming and going, it can be unsettling.

I agree with the poster who suggested Wansted. Private schools can be really competitive to get into, especially the top ones. 8k a month would get you a beautiful large property in Wansted and access to Bancrofts , Chigwell etc schools which are less difficult to get into. I would also suggest looking a Chiswick in West London and Putney for family environment and schools.

I would echo this.
I am a Relocation Agent (not in London) and I work with families like yours all the time. It saves them a lot of time, stress and money and most people say that they couldn't have managed without me (they could but it would have been harder)
I am usually paid by an employer as part of a package but there will be people you can contract yourself, even if you pay for a day or 2 you might be glad you did.
As I said I don't work in London but if you want any free advice about the process drop me a DM

I also think what would be helpful is if you describe your lifestyle now. And then we can suggest the equivalent here.

There are loads of state primary schools including excellent Catholic schools in Central London right now with spaces. London living is so expensive now lots of families left during Covid. You won’t necessarily need to pay for schooling at primary level. The annoying thing though is they don’t guarantee a place until you are actually here. That is why so many internationals pay up - for the certainty in advance.
If you want down to earth neighbourly vibe and community spirit as opposed to international elite rich who jetset and have nannies, you are better off avoiding certain parts of Central London.

Hi OP good luck with your move. I just wanted to add that my DB has children in “hippy catholic” schools in the US but you may well find catholic schools in the uk to be quite different- they don’t usually go together here, and I can’t think of anything similar in London. Catholic schools here tend to be stricter and traditional.

also heard great things about the American school in StJW 😀

OP there's a strong American ex-pat community around St John's Wood, where you could commute to Aldgate in 25-30 minutes via tube which is very easy. You'd be close to Regents Park and Primrose Hill and have lovely shops and cafes locally. There are plenty of local private schools or good state schools to choose from.

Sorry OP I missed that they are currently in a Catholic school. There are lots of state RC schools in the UK.

I'm seconding the advice not to rule out state primary schools. They can be very good indeed and your children are younger than the "bulge" years where schools are very oversubscribed.

I'd try and find an area where there are good primary schools plus private pre-prep/prep schools. Then see if you can get a place at a state school ( you can only apply after you have an address) and if not go for private. You might as well save some money while you can.

What kind of lifestyle are you used to and/or looking for? Downtown or suburban? Do you prefer to walk to your local coffee shop or are you fine driving 5 minutes? Are you ok living in an apartment building or townhouse, or do you definitely want your own yard where you can let the kids out?

How long do you expect your DH's placement to be? Are private school fees part of his relocation package? If so, for how long?

Are your DC boys, girls or both? Do you have a preference for coed or single-sex schooling at that age?

At ages 5, 4 and 2, you probably will be looking for places in Years 2, 1 and a nursery for September, respectively. Unfortunately, most private schools have standard entry points in Reception and Year 3 so your two elder will be looking for "occasional places", obviously more limiting if you really want to keep them together. You could conceivably try to keep all three together in a "pre-prep" but, again, limited options.

I agree with PP that there's no need to keep to a US curriculum, whatever that is, at those ages.

If you're into touchy-feely in the early years, you might consider Steiner schools.

Surrey.

ACS Cobham is where our DC are.

International/ Non-denominational.

Oh, no please don't go for Steiner schools. They are very "alternative" and are based on very weird philosophical ideas that don't match current understanding of child development

TASIS in Surrey?

The American School in Surrey, near Windsor I think.

Personally I'd stay away from London, insofar as living in London I think.

@Shmercil

Would you prefer a Catholic school, OP?

I would absolutely go with the American school.

UK schools sacrifice the essential social and emotional development of the early years in favor of academic hothousing. Acclimatising to a traditional British school would add a lot of stress in your children's lives.

There's an unfounded belief among many Britons that the UK system produces better academic results, that American universities offer four year degrees because American students need remedial courses in the basics before they embark on their degree studies, among other shibboleths.

The American approach has a huge amount going for it, and if you have a choice, I'd go for it, if only because it would make a transition back home easier. If the American schools seem pricey, can you cost it out, and can your H negotiate a package that would cover it?

If you want a friendly Catholic private prep school, Donhead might be a good shout. It's recently gone coed and Wimbledon is a nice family area. Has good transport links although the city is a bit of a commute and your budget should be more than sufficient for a 4/5 bedroom house with a garden.

There are some private catholic schools in London, which you can find via google. They will take a wider academic range, an advantage if you want to avoid the London hothouse schools.

My nieces went, a long time ago, to the Cavendish School in Camden. Founded by Catholics and still with an emphasis on kindness and roundedness, but no longer Catholic in name.

Like others I would recommend a relocation consultant. They will know which schools will have vacancies and what their selection criteria are. They will also consider what school will suit you.

The American school in London is expensive, oversubscribed and had some kerfuffle over wokeness a few years back. The school in Cobham seems to be liked by Americans wanting to educate their kids in the American system, but Cobham is definitely not central London. London is fun, with loads happening for kids. It is worth living centrally.