Moving from NZ to London - where to live for good primary school

[KiwiEmma]

Hi there, we're planning to London from NZ early in 2010, and I'm trying to work out where to live so that I can get the girls into a good primary school (one will be 4.5, the other just turned 7 when we move).

We can live absolutely anywhere in the greater London area, the only requirement is that DH can commute into the city in about 30 - 45 mins, and that we can get into a decent school. We're planning to live fairly simply in a small house/flat, so I think that most suburbs outside the really posh places are affordable.

The only sort of place I don't want to move to is an area full of fantastic schools that I cannot get the girls into, or dubious schools that I can get them into.

Is there such a place to live?? I've done loads of research on the internet and am starting to think this is an impossible search!

Many thanks for any help you can give. I've posted this on the primary forum too, sorry to double up but I wasn't sure which board would get more replies.

Emma

Ah well given the ages of your dcs you won;t have to got through the council admissions criteria as you'll be applying for a Yr 1 place fro your younger one, and a yr 3 place for your older one. In which case all (ha ha!) you need do is phone the schools you are interested in to see if they have vacancies in those year group, and if they do, irrespective of where you live, as long as you can accept the offer of places within a week or two (and the dcs can start) the places are yours.

Dulwich is a great spot, but the perceived-to-be-good primary schools are heavily oversubscribed, as elsewhere - see this thread for details of this year's admissions chaos. However some of the less subscribed schools are thought to be in turn-around mode. There are a lot of friendly folk on the website I've linked and I'm sure they could give you some advice if you are interested in this area. (I'm a kiwi and live near North Dulwich station, the commute to the city is around 12-15 mins from North Dulwich station to London Bridge).

Hi I believe if you move into an area and have no school place for your child you are a higher priority than someone who has a place but its not their preferred school. If you can only get one of your kids into a school then your other child will have sibling rights and therefore become top priority. Your children will be going into reception and year 3. Reception places are the hardest to find as everyone has just started but in most areas there is a fair amout of movement. I would imagine you can yet a year 3 place for your oldest quite easily. you might have to wait for a place to come up at the same school for the younger one for a while. As she will still be under 5 she could go to a nursery for a while whilst you wait or do some work with her at home. She doesnt have to be in school till 3 months after her 5th birthday. Lots of new pupils have come into my sons school over the years mostly from overseas/ austrailia, Holland and Us come to mind

Mary - the young one is 5 this academic year - so she'd go into year 1 in September 2010.

Titchy is right - you are not looking at a reception place, you are looking for a year 1 place. This makes a world of difference - usually much easier as you are not fighting with all the first time school starters.

Lots of these posts seem unduly pessimistic. I'm in Islington, which as someone else has pointed out is one of the few boroughs without problems, so maybe not an accurate reflection. However, I do think that in London there is so much movement that you can always swoop into a primary school even if it was one that is oversubscribed at reception level. I think this most true the further into the centre you go as people move out to the burbs or country. I second that post suggesting an area like islington if it's only primary you're after. If not, Crouch End is great and they've just expanded Coleridge so there is a bit less pressure on places.

Yes we are definitely only coming for a couple of years, so primary schools are the only concern.

Thanks, I feel much more positive now. It might be that dear Madeleine is our ticket into a school, and that Lucia can spend 6 months roaming around London with me until we can get her a year 1 place.

Again, I really appreciate all your advice and genuinely feel much better equipped to tackle this task having read all your responses.

I think I'm going to be making a lot of phone calls, and pounding many pavements, before this is over!

Emma

Less fashionable, but have you considered the Harlseden/Willesden area (or anywhere in the Borough of Brent), Tower Hamlets, or the up-and-coming areas of Newham around Stratford (site of the 2012 Olympic stadium)?

Phone ACE the educational charity as they are well equipped information wise. I don't know where you stand as you are outside the UK but I found out from ACE that you don't have to live in an area in order to be offered a school place in the school you want and even if the school is full you can still appeal.

ACE telephone number is 0808 800 5793

Good luck. I have been trying to find a suitable school place for my DC for nearly a year now without success and have had to teach him at home instead. Don't be fobbed off by what LEA's tell you either as I have discovered that a lot of what they have been telling me is untrue and unlawful!

I'm biased as I'm born and bred but North London primaries are very good. Look in Highgate and Muswell Hill.