Non-selective state schools in Belfast?

[PooWillyBumBum]

Hello,

We're scoping out a move to NI but I'm struggling to navigate schooling for DD who is 11.

We currently live in SE England. DH works for a company with an office in Belfast and he flies back and forth, staying there Mon-Thurs, on the weeks he needs to be there. The rest of the time they let him WFH or he commutes 1.5 hours to the midlands office instead.

We were meant to exchange on a small 3 bed house (with 50s kitchen and 70s carpeting!) here for 500k this week, but after a lot of stress it looks like it's falling through and in February there will be three of us and a new baby in a tiny 2 bed house with no off street parking, in a place that requires a car to go anywhere. After a lot of soul searching this weekend, we're thinking why don't we just leave the area entirely? We'd always talked about moving away from this dull town (albeit to Kilkenny!), DH has a well paid job he could work from Belfast and he's absolutely in love with the city. We've been talking about this move for a couple of years but haven't done anything about it.

One thing I'm really worried about is schooling. We live in a grammar area, and DD missed the 11+ by 7 points last year. The secondaries in our town are awful, so she's starting an all girls independent school next week. We could keep her private in NI but then I'd need to work and - to be honest - I'd rather her go to a state school for lots of reasons other than financial. But - and this is a big but - I'm not sure if I want to put her through the 11+/12+ experience again.

We are non-religious, and though I'm baptised Catholic with ROI family and passport, seem/am to all intents and purposes just as English as DH. Probably wouldn't feel comfortable lying about religion for schooling and DD is so staunchly atheist I imagine she'd out us anyway...

My questions are:

• Are there good non-selective and non-religious schools? And if so, which areas?
• How does catchment work? If schools are full, is the proceedure largely similar to the rest of the UK?
• If worse comes to worst, is there the possibility of getting DD on waiting lists based on our new rental address and sending DH ahead of us...or even leaving her here with my mum for a couple of terms until she can join us? I realise this sounds mad but DD was a day girl at a boarding school for primary, so parents living abroad isn't alien to her!

Thanks if you made it this far. My head is spinning! We're planning a trip out in October to do further scoping, so any recommendations of what we should be looking for would be appreciated.

Hi there,

First questions is your child in their first year at secondary or still in primary? When is there DOB - month year as cut off for school years is different in NI

There is no private school sector in NI - only one private post primary school in NI - every other school is a state school - it isn’t that fantastic reputation wise and I would see no reason to pay to send your child to it in NI when state system is so strong.

All schools are fully state funded whether catholic or non denominational or formally integrated. About 40 percent plus of children go to state funded grammar schools (both Catholic and non denominational) after sitting transfer test in P7 so not as difficult to access as on England and if your daughter narrowly missed out you may Wish to access. There are are also many good state non selective schools ( again both Catholic and non-denominational). even the non denominational schools are Christian in ethos and will have assembly etc ( all parents have right of opting child out). You do not have to be a particular religion to access any school - indeed the law specifically prohibits this as a criteria.

Strong areas would be East Belfast out to Holywood/BANGOR direction, and Methodist College is a big grammar beside Queen’s University in South Belfast. You will need to see where you are likely to be living three contact individual schools In the area. You can get a list of schools from the Education Authority.

If you knew roughly what area - could give you a list of schools to ring - popular schools do tend to be oversubscribed if she is already in Year 8 - but if your daughter is only in final year of primary( as aged in NI) she would be on time to apply for September 2020 now.