Confused about School options for 5 y.o. , moving to Epsom this August,

[GaganRavi]

Dear Mums,

We are moving from Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Epsom this August. I have a daughter 5 years old. We don't have many friends in UK for suggestions or guidance.

Our timing for movement is little odd; we were not able to apply for all the schools in normal application schedules. And will be able to apply for any school only after our move (need to fill home address) i.e. 2nd week of August 2015.

We are now so worried and confused about it. We are not sure, which school we will be offered?
Should we star with whatever school is offered or should we try for some private (fee paying) schools?
We are thinking of getting a home close to either Southfield Park Primary School or Wallace Fields Infant School. Idea is that we can fall under catchment area for one of these schools (purely based on Ofsted report, any feedback/recommendation on schools in Epsom area is most welcome).
If we opt for private school to start with (thinking of Downsend school), will county keep our daughter in waiting list of Southfield Park Primary School or Wallace Fields Infant School?
Does taking home in vicinity of good schools ensure a place for the kid next year?

We are looking forward to you vice guidance / feedback / suggestions.

TIA

Hmm, I don't live in that area but...
When you arrive, you apply for a school place, listing your preferences. The LA then needs to find you a place. If your top preferred school has a place - then great, if no one else with higher priority wants it, you get it. If as is likely all the schools you choose are full, the LA still needs to find you a school "within a reasonable amount of time" and "within a reasonable distance", this can be in another LA. If they can't find you such a place, they can force a full school to offer your DC a place.
If you don't get offered a school you want, you can request to go on the waiting list. If a place comes up and you are the highest priority for a place (based on the school's admissions criteria), you get offered a place.

However once you have a place, you can move away and you don't have to give up the place, as long as you can get your child to the school. There is no "reapplying" every year.
So a school may never have a place for your child.

You can appeal for a place at a school, but if your child is in years R-2 and there are 30 in the class it is unlikely that you will win unless a mistake has been made.
Once your child is in year 3 (7 years old on 1st September), it is more likely you could win an appeal.

If you send your child to a fee paying school you could end up paying 2 terms fees after they have left. Eg. You child is offered a place at your preferred school on September 8th - you have to accept this and they have to start within a couple of weeks; but you still have to pay for the Autumn term at the private school, and for the Spring term, as a term in lieu of notice. It can still save you a lot of money long term.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your descriptive reply. It was really helpful.

We are planning a visit to the UK in July and this information will be handy.

Thanks!!!

If you are looking for a private school, Chinthurst in Tadworth is extremely good. We moved from abroad last September and my son loves it there. I'm sure there are places available and I know you would be welcome to have a look around the school on your next trip over. Good luck.

Hi, if you decide to go the private route, all the local private schools are quite different. Some are large, some are small, some are exam factories, some are strong on pastoral care. Downsend school has small lodges until the end of year 1 (age 6/7) then everyone goes into a very big school environment. Aberdour I would say is middle sized. Chinthurst is a small school with focus on family ethos, traditional values and pastoral care. All are co-ed. There are of course others. As you are abroad, visiting might be difficult but you could look at their websites and follow their facebook pages to get a better idea of what each school is like. Also, if you are new to the area and are looking to make new friends, it may be easier at a small school.

Hi,
Thanks for all the information!!!
For private schools, we are looking around Leatherhead area (closer to work place :)). So we are pinning our hopes on Downsend. We are curious how would you classify it among other private schools i.e. exam factories, strong on pastoral care. Our plan is to start with Downsend and then move to state primary school (its a plan after 2 years so will get some time to understand things around).

Thanks

My children don't go there so I can't comment from personal experience. I know many people who go/have gone there though. It is a big school and not known for pastoral care. It is fine for kids who are already confident and academic but doesn't seem to do much to nurture them to be those things. It wasn't my choice for my children because I wanted strong pastoral care but as I said before the schools are all so different, what is right for you and your daughter may be very different. Maybe look at a few places when you come over, test out the journey from home/work and see what feels right. I think it's a bit like buying a house, you just know the right one when you see it. Hope that helps!