Moving to Birmingham and registering for primary school

[Goodish]

Hi Everyone,

I am a single parent with a 10 year old daughter currently living in Cardiff, but have accepted a job in Birmingham University. I'm looking to move by the beginning of October to Edgbaston, to be close to my place of work.

I had a conversation with Birmingham council over schooling (as I'm not familiar with the school system in England) and was left in tears.
Apparently, all schools in that area and neighbouring areas are oversubscribed but I have to apply anyway in order to get a rejection and then be referred to the council. I will have no say where my daughter will end up and even then the registration process can take in excess of 3 weeks, during which time, my daughter has to stay at home, without any schooling at all.

As a single parent working full time, I need my daughter to be in a school near my place of work so pick up and drop off will not impact on my working hours. I also need breakfast club and afterschool club facilities but apparently I'm not guaranteed anything and they can't implement different rules just because of my circumstances.

I am at a complete loss. Any help and advice on schooling or alternative schooling (such as private schools that are more likely to offer scholarships), would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks

[Soak88]

sorry folks..my bad, i thought Goodish OP was in Sep 2018!! But was in 2-17, Duh!

[Soak88]

Goodish, KEHS which is across your workplace offers scholarship. Worth enquiring.all d best!

[Soak88]

or rent (first) within catchment area of Lordswood Girls Sec School - outstanding ofsted
.

[Soak88]

welcome to your new post at UoB, Goodish.
Despite the Sec School deadline on 31/10 & having missed the Grammar exam, hope there is time for you to rent (first) somewhere close to good state schools in Sutton Coldfield area & accessible to train station (Wlyde Green, Chester Road, Sutton C, 4 Oaks etc) for direct commuting (no train change) to UoB campus.
Alternatively, rent (first) within approx 700metres of UOBS for DD to join Year 7. Please ensure you put UOBS as 1st choice due to oversubs.All the best!

[Caulk]

EHS is a very good school, I know a lot of girls there. Dr Weeks is lovely too.

If aim for Longbridge or Cofton Hackett at this stage. You may get into St Andrews, Barnt Green for primary but I think you’ll struggle with housing in Barnt Green. It’s also on the cross city line.

Other option would be Quinton? The oldbury side near Oldbury is good and schools there are great. It feels a dangerous game to put all your eggs in one basket by renting near KNGS.

[Cinnamonlily06]

Hello
I'm in the same position as my daughter is in year 6 😓 I ve pm you ...

[KingsHeathen]

Provisional performance tables have been published this morning.

[BackforGood]

Have PM'd you.

[MrsCharlesBrandon]

Can i suggest further out of Birmingham if you're still looking? Halesowen is a very lovely area with great schools (primary and secondary) and is reasonably easy access for Birmingham University. I can drive there in around 30 mins in rush hour, 10 at any other time. It's also right on the edge of green belt land and most of the properties here have decent sized gardens.

[KingsHeathen]

That's not an eye-roll, it's a sceptical face!

And the very big difference between London schools and Birmingham schools is the sheer amount of money the govt have pumped in to raise standards!

[ZoyaTheDestroyer]

I imagine very few, Heathen. No need to roll your eyes at me. I know the school very well and am very familiar with its deprived demographic.

Nevertheless, it is improving rapidly and it has a lot of support from the ARK network. KNGS is always going to have a naicer intake, I'm sure, and if that is OP's priority then that may be the school for her and for her DD.

However - I worked in some very tough London schools for ten years before I moved to Brum and saw first-hand the remarkable transformations that previously unspeakable schools made. London parents have had to learn to disregard schools' reputations and to go and see them for themselves and I think that it would be well worth OP's time, if she plans to settle in King's Norton, to drop by one of their open mornings and see for herself.

[KingsHeathen]

Zoya- how many university lecturers' children do you think ark kings currently has on roll?
Have you spent 5 years at school in those circumstances? I have.
50% of pupils achieve basics measure, albeit likely because they had 1 pupil last year in the HPA group. No-one did triple science.
OP, do not go anywhere near ark kings, for your DD's sake.

[ZoyaTheDestroyer]

Someone upthread dismissed King’s Norton High School but I wouldn’t write it off. It is now an ARK academy and it is improving very rapidly.

[Margoletta]

Ofsted reports mean nothing. You cannot learn anything about a school from them, you need to visit. Ring the school and arrange a visit next time you're in Birmingham.
New performance tables are issued on 12th October. The progress scores will tell you all you need to know.

[SellFridges]

I'm glad you're on the way to getting sorted. We live very close to KNGS and I hear exclusively good things, the only complaint seems to be that it isn't mixed which I can't really accept as criticism! DD will go there assuming she doesn't get into grammar. I get a good feeling from the girls in a morning when they're walking past and the few older girls I know are very happy there - they are all involved in drama and arts.

[cottonwoolbrain]

Goodish I've sent you a message - hopefully helpful :)

[Goodish]

I'm back in Birmingham on Monday to look for accomodation and I hope to move the week of 9th October :)!

Looking forward and scared at the same time. I've never lived outside of South Wales before!

[Goodish]

Thank you so much for the helpful advice.

My daughter has been offered a place in EHS for Y6. The Headmistress was very open about the fact that my daughter is unlikely to pass the Y7 entry exam as whilst all her answers are correct, she is very slow to work through them :(!

My plan is therefore this: EHS for Y6 but then rent a house within 1.2 miles of Kings Norton girls so that she can secure a place there for Y7 at least!

I made the mistake of taking my daughter to the EHS open day and she is convinced that's the only school she'll go to. The Ofsted report doesn't show Kings Norton Girls to be particular better than any other state school! Does anyone have kids there who might be able to offer some insight into the school/pupils?

Any other state school that may be better for higher education?

[KalaLaka]

Bournville all through school would not be my first choice. Bournville school is very good, but I doubt there'd places.

Have you tried st josephs? It's catholic but may accept you if there's a place. All schools need the funding too! Are you catholic? May open lots of possibilities. Or cotteridge school? That's very good.

Secondary: uni of bham looks good. Weird selection process regarding small catchment zones. Kings norton girls is good. St. Paul's (edgbaston) is amazing but you'd need to be catholic. I'd avoid Bournville all through school and Dame Elizabeth, personally.

[Frescoed]

Oops, plus we have a big garden! Bournville Village Trust houses (it’s a big area, not just the conservation area around the village centre) mostly have very good gardens.

[Frescoed]

No advice on schools, but we live at the Northfield end of Bournville, walking distance from Northfield and King’s Norton railway stations, both about 10 minutes by train to the Uni train station (and 20minutes into the city). Communte by car to the Uni would depend on what time, but probably about 20 minutes in rush hour traffic up the A38. Much faster if not. Northfield has a functional, though not smart, High St including an Aldi and large Sainsburys. Bournville is lovely, lots of parks and green spaces, nice community feel, etc. My neighbours are just moving up the road to Northfield proper and have bought a lovely house. You get more for your money than in the posh bits of Edgbaston/Harborne, and we have nothing like the parking hell that Harborne is.

[Whatthesausage]

Also consider alvechurch and barnt green on cross city line too, very nice areas

[Whatthesausage]

Northfield and Kings Norton are very similar, areas of affluence but then some very deprived parts, but some lovely primary schools in both, and about 10-15 mins in a car to university of birmingham, I know most the schools in Northfield are very well catered in terms of wrap around care, and very reasonable prices too. Good luck with your move. Happy for you to message if you need any specific info I know south Birmingham very well x

[KingsHeathen]

Meant to say also that KEVI Five Ways have their open evening tomorrow (Friday), KNG is on Monday. KEVI CHG and Handsworth will be soon too.

[KingsHeathen]

Rookery- I believe there is a small sitting of the grammar school entrance exam in Jan/Feb for children that move into the authority after the exam has happened. But of course, one has to "waste" all the choices on the common preference form on grammar schools without knowing what the child will score, as the deadline is end of October.