Guildford Schools

[LisaF123]

Dear Surrey Mums,

We are moving to Guildford coming September. We have an 8 year old boy (he will be in third grade next year).
We are Canadians and live currently in US and know very little about the schools in UK. My husband accepted a reader position at University of Surrey, and. at least for the beginning. that will be our only income.
We are desperately searching for info about housing and school system in Guildford and surroundings. We are both working in academia and price our careers, but are the most important thing for us is that our son gets an as good as possible education.

Could you please share your opinions/advice about what would be the best scenario for us ? I understand that for state schools one needs to live in close proximity, that there are waiting lists etc. We will only be able to physically move to Guildford in late August, is it still possible to register our son then ?

Thank you so much.

Lisa

For State Schools (non feepaying), it is all based on where you are living, so until you have an address of where you will be it will be hard to knowwhich schools are your options. If your son is 8 already, I think that will make him Year 4 in the English system come sept - what month did he turn 8?
If you are looking at central Guildford / near the Uni then I think your options are:

Queen Eleanor's Junior School
Sandfield Primary School (lots of international families here)
Holy Trinity Pewley Down School
Guildford Grove Primary School
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School

All the local schools can be found at the Surrey County Council Website www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Directory+of+Surrey+schools?opendocument

Look up the school's websites too to get a fee for what sort of school they are, to help you to work out what suits your son best. You can also go to the www.ofsted.gov.uk site to read the school inspection reports.

Hope that helps

@Notnigella33
Thank you so much.
He turned 8 in April.

He'll be Year 4 then in September :)
Feel free to PM me if you need anymore help - was a teacher before a mummy :) x

@Notnigella33
Thank you so much again.
We took a closer look at the schools around, but it did not clear the confusion.
If chose a given school and move close by, and there are no more places there what happens ? Do they direct him to a school with vacant places, regardless of where we live ?
What would be the fees for a private school ? Are they better, much better than state schools ? Here there is a mix, some are some are not.

private schools are around £3000-4000 per term i think... (Early in the morn!) there are 3 terms in a school year. So v v expensive!!
The private secondary schools in surrey include some of the top ones in ENgland including, Royal Grammar School for boys, Lanesbrough School is the 'prep' school to RGS. Cranmore is also popular (dont like it myself). There is also schools such as Aldro, Barrow Hills, Downsend, Feltonfleet, Ripley Court, City of London freemans all private.

However, the state are also excellent. I have heard good things about Holy Trinity Pewley Down, Guildford Grove is in a 'rougher' (relatively) area of guildford but is near surrey uni, but it just got 'outstanding' on its ofsted report. St Josephs is over the uni side too- it is catholic, and very good.
I have heard very mixed things about sandfield. QE's is meant to be good.

Long term the good state secondaries are said to be George Abbot (fab but huge) and Guildford County.

In terms of private vs state there are mixed opinions. Some privates are certainly excellent GHS, Tormead, RGS, St Cats, Priors field being the main ones. Some I would question if you are sepnding your money well in terms of the states are so good. I guess it depends on your child, what kind of education yo want (some states especially holy trinity pewley down have a very innovative topic based relaxed approach (but do very well!) ) so it is all extremely subjective- you will have to look at the school websites and look round to decide what you think is best for you

Sorry about the typos- hope this makes sense! Cant do early mornings!

Thank you very much for the detailed information.

Private schools are not an option for now.

We have been told that as of now only Guildford Grove , Weyfield, Northmead, and Sandfield have places, although it is not sure how it will go until we will actually be able to submit an application (we still need to rent something; and about 50 applications still need to be processed).
We noticed that Guildford Grove and Weyfield have no so good scores, so, if we were to judge based on this, it basically comes done to two schools--are we right?

...Looks more like a lottery the whole process.

Thank you again, have a nice day.

It seems that in fact the infor we were give is not correct. now only Guildford Grove , Weyfield, Holy Trinity, and Tilingboume have seats for year 4 next year. Out all these, Holy Trinity seems the best to us. Are we right?

Thank you

Yes, Lisa, from that selection I would choose Holy Trinity too, although the rental market for housing is likey to be less prolific in their area. Tillingbourne is about 20 minutes out of Guildford in a small village - I wouldn't really count it as a Guildford school. Any ideas where you may rent?
I'm sure that if you called Holy Trinity they would be happy to chat to you about their school. :)

Dear Moms,

Thank you very much for your answers. We moved a lot in the States, and thought we would be prepared for this bigger move, but everything seems much more difficult. So your answers are very helpful-- and we already feel welcome.

For now we are considering the university housing at Manor Park (close to the hospital), but we can move out with a 4-week notice. This is also because we just do not have the time to come there now to rent something else; we can arrange with the univ housing remotely, and then apply for school enrollment soon.

I am also looking for work and, although I hope to find something in Guildford, I may have to consider London and commute by train...I do not even drive.

The scores from Holy Trinity made us think that it is a not too relax school. We definitely would not like this, as our son (who are gifted, we are told) gets bored very easily and THEN we may run into problems. Any thoughts on this? We would rather prefer a more demanding school.

We have been told by the admission office that it does not matter where we live. Is this really the case?

And, I forgot to ask, are there school buses?

....Do all these have solutions?

Thank you again.

Hi Lisa,
If you do not drive, then Holy Trinity is quite a walk from the Uni Campus. Buses serving the school areas are just the local public buses, so at age 8 you'd need to be travelling with your son in my opinion. Bus wise, I expect you'd be getting a bus from the hospital to town, then changing buses to go up to Holy Trinity. You could walk from the town; probably around 20/25 minutes. Although vehicle access to Holy T is up a hill, there is lower pedestrian access which avoids hills! If you ultimately wanted to rent near the school, you would need to look at Central Guildford and the Charlotteville area.
From Manor Park, Guildford Grove is a closer and easier walk - might be worth looking at considering their recent outstanding OFSTED inspection?
I think the admission office is right to tell you location isn;t an issue - because you are joining Year 4 so not having to go through the full admissions process.
NN x

thank you. I will keep you updated.

Hello again,

Everything is still very complicated, and I would need some more advice.

1. First, the OFSTED scores of the schools seem not consistent with the test scores of the students given at www.findaproperty.com/schoolfacts.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&areaid=0122

what would you advise us to use as a guidance?

In fact, in an ideal word, when one could choose any place to live and any school for children (wouldn't this be wonderful?), what would you consider the top primary state schools in Guildford? This information would help me understand better what the OFSTED and test scores mean.

2. Also, what budget would a family of three need for a decent living? That is for renting a semi-detached three-bedroom house with a small backyard in a relatively decent area around a relatively decent school and enrolling one child in after-school activities, and all regular expenses (we plan to have one car; we do not go out much).

How much does a semi-detached three-bedroom house with a small backyard in a relatively decent area around a relatively decent school cost? We have tried to get a sense of this by looking at different websites, but we are not familiar with the areas and are not sure we got the right picture.

It was a little scary when we moved from Canada to he USA (and it turned out the be good), but now it is much scarier. The salaries in the UK seem much lower, while everything seems much more expensive--but we see that everybody manages somehow.

3. How is the health system in the UK? Would you advise us to get private insurance? How affordable is this?

How easy is it to access the state medical services? Are there long waiting lists, shortage of doctors, etc? In Canada, where a state system is also in place, this is the case. In the USA you are OK if you have a relatively good job with benefits, but, on the other hand, not everybody can have access to decent (or any) health care.

Thank you very much for your time and any information you may have for us...it is interesting how across the ocean I think of you whenever we have a question.

Hi Lisa,
You have such a lot to think about - I really feel for you.

1. The two aspects you are looking at are the schools' SATS (test) results and the findings of the OFSTED inspections. So, the former of these show how children do in tests at age 7 (although these are quite informal) and at age 11. OFSTED obviously look at this in their judgments of a school, and any school which gets outstanding at OFSTED will have very good results as it is part of the criteria. However, whilst you wouldnt pick a school with terrible results and/or a poor OFSTED report,you do have to try to see beyond these and match a school to your son. I appreciate how hard this is from across the pond.
2. Budget wise - hmm a tricky one. Ill try to give you an idea of what we spend - there are three of us too. Weekly food shop - around £60 Utilities - roughly £80 a month Council Tax - £100 a month (I think not quite sure! Depends on size of house and area) And for us mortgage of £1300 a month. I'm not very good at the budgeting side of things so hope someone else might be able to hep you out here!

House rentals vary hugely, depending on where in Guildford you are looking. Not sure if these links will work but thetop 2 here give you an idea - the first is up by the hospital near to Park Barn area, which is sometimes considered a less desirable area, although I have friends (with family) who live there very happily. The second is bang in the centre of town witin easy walk of Sandfield and Holy Trinity:
www.manncountrywide.co.uk/Rent/Search/Guildford#/rent/search/guildford%20%28surrey%29/within-3-miles/3-to-3-bedrooms/
Some more here www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Guildford.html?sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&maxBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&retirement=false&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses
North Guildford tends to be cheaper - have you looked at Worplesdon Primary school in this area which has a good reputation also?

3. Healthcare - I would say the NHS will be fine. You can register with a local doctor, the Royal Surrey Hospital is essentially good, waiting lists can be long but in my experience not ridiculously so. We have private medical insurance through DH's work, but have only really used it for physio/chiropractor treatment just to get it more quickly.

Phew! Sorry I have written you an essay!

x

Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed message.

I see now how one can manage with the salary levels in the UK (here we spend more on everything--and we do not overdue anything)

I will keep you posted.

L.

hello,

well, since my last post we have applied for school admission, and are still trying to sort out the housing arrangements.

and I would like to ask you one more question;

what does the buyer pay in the UK/Guildford when purchasing a house? roughly, what percent does this represent of the cost of the house?

in particular, do all of the following need to be paid? roughly, how much?

--Legal fees and services
--Loan arrangement costs
--Structural surveys and valuations
-- Stamp duty and land registry fees

...still budgeting

thank you very much

Hi Lisa,
You do pay all of the above - most are usually absorbed into your mortgage - so you borrow enough to cover loan arrangement costs and stamp duty. Legal fees and surveys will vary according to solicitors / surveyors. Sorry not much help biut its been 7 yrs since we last moved!
Thiswebsite gives you the stamp duty info etc
www.ourproperty.co.uk/guides/the_cost_of_moving.html

Hi Lisa

I live in Guildford and used to work at the University - it's a lovely place to work and Guildford is fab. My 2 aren't at school yet but there are some great schools in the area. The Manor Park accommodation is good as far as I know and a good base for you to look into something more permanent.

Rentals vary depending on area - we are currently renting a 3 bed semi with a small garden just off the Epsom road about 15 mins walk from the town centre and we are paying #1750 per month which is quite expensive in my mind!

In terms of buying:
Legal fees and services - I think around #800-#1000
Loan arrangement costs - we just paid #575 for arrangement fees and a valuation survey
Structural survey again around #800 depending on size of house
Stamp duty rates depend on the price you are paying for the house - currently:
Up to #125,000 is 0%
#125,001-#250,000 is 1%
#250,001-#500,000 is 3%
above #500,001 is 4%
Land registry fees will be included in solicitors fees

Hope that helps - must be very hard planning all of this from so far away!

Rachel

Thank you very much.

L.

I come back with more questions, if possible...

How long does it take to schedule an annual physical with a doctor? Also, how long does it take to schedule a routine mammogram? does the patient need to pay anything for such services?

the same with the dentist? if more complex work is necessary (root canal, crowns etc), how long does it take to have an appointment for this? does the patient pay anything, or it is covered in full by the state insurance?

thank you

Hi Lisa,
If you were joining a new Drs Surgery they might offer you a 'health check' as you are a new patient, but this might not beas comprehensive as an 'annual physical' that you might pay for privately in the US or Canada. I'm sure you could pay for one privately if you wanted something more comprehensive.
Women over 50 are invited for routinebreast screening. If you are under 50, you would be referred by your GP (Doctor) and waiting times would vary depending on their level of concern. www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/breastscreen/screening-programme.html
There are no charges for NHS treatment - only for medicines for which you pay a set prescription charge per item.
Registering with NHS dentists can be difficult and many people go privately. It really depends if there are anyNHS dentists with spaces in your area. Even on the NHS, adults still pay a portion of the costs but for children it is free. Appointments at my dentist are usually available within 2-3 weeks uness it is an emergency.
hth x

Thank you.

Here the annual physical (including the pap test and the mammogram for women over 40) is fully covered by the insurance. In fact, it costs a lot to pay: a simple blood test in the facility I use would be >$600; a mammogram is at least $2000, I think). You mentioned that in UK you can pay for such test privately? But aren't they expensive?

For dental, here one needs to pay a portion that depends on the insurance:with my insurance (not the best, but not the worst), for instance, I will still need to pay ~$1000 for a crown. Is it as expensive in the UK?

Of course, we pay a monthly contribution for the insurance of about $250 for us.

For medication, we only pay a copay of $10-25, depending on the insurance and medication. Otherwise the bill will be at least $100 for a simple prescription.

Thank you again.

Private medical treatment in the UK tends to be cheaper, for instance my recent crown (partly NHS was about £200-300).
Which school have you applied to?

If you want to see some prices of private treatment try this site.

There are reasons that mammograms are not offered to younger women, and smear tests (pap tests) are done for free on a 3 year basis.
There are lots of US/Canadian's in Guildford, and you will probably settle quite quickly.

Lisa - have you taken a look at Godalming schools at all? Godalming is just down the train line from Guildford and has some good schools. You might want to check the following for places in Year 4:

Godalming Junior
Busbridge Junior School

Both are very popular, but will sometimes have vacancies in other years..

Thank you for your replies.

The doctors here say that the cost is the main reason women are not screen at younger ages in other countries.

Also thank you for suggesting other schools. We are still waiting for the decision regarding our child's placement. And, to make things even more difficult, I was not able to identify any work opportunities for me in Guildford. And I may need to consider working in Crawley. Which would mean a long commute for me if we are to live in Guildford (which concerns me, as I would need to balance work, family AND long commute). I have looked at places in between Guildford and Crawley, so I could split the commute with my husband, and could not find many schools comparable to those in Guildford. Am I wrong? Are there any places where that I should looked at and I missed?

Thank you again....We are getting close to having to relocate and things are still not to clear.