Life in Maidenhead for Socially Awkward new arrivals.

[Anushie]

Hi all,

We’re a family of four, two girls one is 4 and the other is 1.6 years old, husband and I.
We’re moving to Maidenhead (Shoppenhangers) February, 2020 from Bangalore, India.

I have a couple of questions and was hoping to understand how the system works.

1. School - If our older girl needs to start school in the next term (September) how can we apply and by when? We are totally unaware of how the enrolment works. How does one secure a seat in a school of one’s choice?
2. GP - how can we get assigned to a GP in the area?
3. Is there a parent group or an active community in the area where the kids could mingle and socialise as me and my husband are not great at socialising, we take time to make friends and friendships that last a lifetime. But I guess we can’t except our kids to be the same and they need activities.

My list is longer, I promise but I’ll end it here for now 😁 This platform is amazing and thank you to so many ladies who without their knowledge have helped us make important decisions.

Thank you.
Anushie

Ok first (and most urgent) question - are you aiming for state primary for your daughter, or private? If state the deadline is 15 January and you need an address in the borough so they know which catchment you're in. The application and the PDF guide to admission is here: www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/schools-and-education/school-admissions/starting-school-or-moving-junior-school-september-2021

If private, you have more options and flexibility - but you have to pay fees.

On the GP, you just go to the website of your local GP surgery and there is a form that you can either fill in online or you can download it and hand it in. To find your surgery you can put in your postcode here: www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-GP

On the final point, all this applies to post-covid as right now no one is going for playdates or coffees but if we're talking about Sept 2021 I would recommend inviting other kids from your older daughter's class for playdates and then you'll get a chance to chat with the other parent and get to know them (do this after a couple of months when you know which kids your kid gets on with). You can also chat to other parents at the school gate and say that you're going for a coffee after drop-off and would anyone fancy coming alng. You can also sign up for loads of little classes, esp with your younger one while your older one is in school. They're a lovely way to meet people in your area with kids the same age. Generally they are run out of church halls and sure start centres. If you go to the family service page of the council website, there are events listed: rbwm.afcinfo.org.uk/ Of course there aren't many at the moment running because of covid, but usually there are loads - messy play, art clubs, music class, baby swimming etc. Then you just need to pluck up your courage and ask the other mums that seem friendly that you are going for a coffee after class and would they like to come along. If they say they're busy then don't take that as "never" - keep inviting and maybe someone will take you up on it. Then you can get to know them over time!

You can also re-post on the Primary Education board for more advice about schools, there are some very knowledgeable people over there - just put a title like "Moving to Maidenhead - help with schools" or something so people who know about Maidenhead will help you out! Good luck and welcome to Berkshire

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond so patiently to all my questions.
Public school is what we’re looking at.
We’re in a situation where we’ll arrive in Maidenhead in February only. Which is past the deadline and we’ve finalised a house which will be handed to us at the end of January, which means we do not have an address to apply. This is why we are worried and unsure of the next step.