Schools in Richmond Borough

[Sh0rtya83]

Hello everyone,

We are relocating from Germany to London and are planning to live in the Richmond Borough area. We have two children, aged 5 and 11, who both speak English well.

I’m trying to get my head around how the UK school system works and would love some advice on a few things:

• What are typical class sizes in both primary and secondary schools?
• At what age/grade do children transition from primary to secondary school?
• How does the application process work for state schools – when do we need to apply, and how competitive is it in Richmond?
• Are there particular schools or neighborhoods within Richmond you’d recommend (or avoid) for families?
• Any tips for helping kids settle in socially and academically, especially coming from a different school system?
• What are the sports clubs like, especially for soccer and table tennis (my kids are really into both)?
• For soccer in winter, do clubs typically have indoor facilities, or do they keep playing outside in the cold/rain?
• Are there good after-school clubs or enrichment activities we should know about?

Any insights or personal experiences would be incredibly helpful as we start planning this move. Thank you so much in advance😊

A lot of the information you need is here:- https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/community-information/information-and-advice/school-admissions
You may not know that there is a German school in Richmond borough as well:- https://www.dslondon.org.uk/en

Many thanks - we would prefer to put them in a local school so they can continue learning English.

Hi Richmond mum here, about primary school size depends on school. State max 30 per class, private is about 20. You don’t mention about private or state so it’s hard to answer about your second questions.
About football clubs, your younger can join any grassroots clubs in Richmond, there are a lot of clubs, but 11 yrs old one would be tricky, he will need trials as most of teams are full in this age.

@Sh0rtya83 there are many other threads about Richmond borough schools, but basically they're all good, so you can live almost anywhere and be fine. The secondaries are all very full, so competitive to get into, but the primaries have plenty of space. The link posted by a previous poster to the local authority info is the best place to start.

Your 11 year old will probably be in year 7 (first year of secondary school) unless they turned 11 after Sept 1st.

You need to consider the German school Ham for your 11 yr old dc because the state secondary schools are full for year 7. See other threads for parents looking for places.

What are the typical class sizes and sports programs offered in most schools

Class sizes are typically 30 but can vary.
I suggest you look at school websites for typical sports information or, if you don't have time, ask ChatGPT to write you a summary for Richmond schools.

@Boysbusymum Thanks so much! I meant state schools. Are there any soccer clubs you’d suggest we check out, and do most have indoor facilities for the winter

The winters can be mild in the uk, there is no need for indoor training. My ds was a member of Kingston town football club and they train at the German school on Saturday mornings. If there is evening training, clubs use Astro pitches with flood lights. Generally football clubs for school age dc train 1 evening per week for 1 hour, 1 session on Saturdays and a match on Sundays from Sept to May. Due to the proximity of premiership football clubs, the really talented child players are picked up by the club academies by the age of 9.

Football is an outdoor winter sport. If you want indoor football training, look for "5-a-side" clubs instead.

Most children who are serious about sport are members of clubs outside of school (assuming you are looking at state schools, not private). There are many clubs in Richmond borough.

Hi OP, I live in one of the towns in the borough, I have a 14 year old and a 12 year old. The younger belongs to a football club. Feel free to PM me with any questions. It's a lovely part of Greater London to live in, with huge deer parks, the river, close to Heathrow and good state schools. Good luck with the move 🤞👌

All the secondaries seem to do lots of different sports (they change regularly so children have the chance to try out different things) and have plenty of clubs. If you go on the school websites they will have a page showing what is offered, sometimes in quite a lot of detail.

See here for some examples:

https://sites.google.com/christs.school/christs-pe-website/ks3?authuser=0

https://www.orleanspark.school/curriculum/subjects/physical-education#

https://sites.google.com/aetinet.org/richmond-park-academy/teaching-learning/curriculum-by-subject/pe?authuser=0

Primaries will be a bit more basic but it will be some combination of rounders, netball, football, basketball, rugby, athletics, gym, basic fitness etc (DD did all of these at some point in her primary). Again, they all seem to switch it up regularly so children try different things.

Table tennis https://www.twickenhambrunswick.com
football https://www.twickenhamtigers.co.uk/
Start school Sept after 4th birthday. Reception, largely play based but start reading, writing simple maths etc.
Legal startterm after 5th birthday
Start secondary Sept after 11th birthday
Legal class size up to age 7 max 30. Most will have 1 teacher and1 classroom assistant.
If you child is due to start Secondary or receptionin Sept 2026 and you are in The country there is a standard application form and date. All other admissions are called in year admissions. Contact Richmond council for advice.

Most schools in UK have uniform. I think all the Richmond schools do. Most/ all schools are used to welcoming pupils from other countries. There is quite a big German population near the German school in Ham. Russell primary certainly used to have quite a few German children. The education systems are different. Something to consider if returning to Germany in critical exam years.