Moving to Oxford - Secondary School Admission Nightmare!!

[fantom78]

I have recently accepted a job in Oxford (Marston) so we are moving to Oxford from London.

My elder son is going to year 7 and we have already got a school place in London but in order to get admission in any Oxford school you need to have a property there. We thought about Cherwell school but it will be impossible to get admission there due to over subscription. I heard Cheney school and Oxford Spire have a dodgy reputation. That leaves me Matthew Arnold school, I heard good things about it. I am looking a place in Botley area near to MA school.

I would really appreciate your advise about the Botley Area and schools.

Have you phoned Admissions at the County Council? They may be able to advise you about best time to apply. I think there is a second round of allocations sometime in May - if you have an Oxford address before then, it may make things easier. Matthew Arnold is likely to be oversubscribed too, not sure what back-up options there are near Botley.
Cheney is a good school AFAIK, although no personal experience of it. Cherwell is popular but places do come up due to high mobility in the area, so it might be worth living in catchment, even if you accept a place elsewhere temporarily. Hope you find something!