New to the UK: Schools in North London?

[surista]

Hi all, my wife and I moved to London from overseas a little over two years ago, and we now have a beautiful baby boy in our midst, about a year and a half old! We live in North London, and absolutely love it (such a beautiful place to live compared to the cement and pavement of Tokyo where we were living previously...)

I'm from the US (New York) and thus recall horror stories of parents trying to find housing in popular areas to get their still-unborn kids on waiting lists, etc. We've just started doing some intial reading on the UK school system, but I prefer the oracles of wisdom that reside on these boards over the somewhat randomness of Google-fu .

Sooo - can anyone give me a 'thirty-second guide' to UK schools? Are we restricted in choice to where we live? Are public primary schools pretty much all the same? Any benefits to private schools? Costs? How do I get my son into Eton anyway? (OK, just joking about the last one. Well, half-joking).

Not sure I'm the best person to advise as I'm still learning the ropes myself but my basic understanding is that there is the state school option or the prep/private school option, starting with preschool (age 3).

State schools are free but vary hugely in quality and, I've been told, need to be supplemented by private tutoring in order for the child to be in a position to sit the exams required to obtain a place at a reputable secondary school. Gaining a place is difficult as most of the good schools (see Ofsted reports but jury is out as to how accurate these are) are 'oversubscribed' and have long waiting lists.The religious state schools (such as Catholic schools) tend to have very good reputations and are also over-subscribed - their entry requirements often require you to be a practising, eg Catholic, attend religious services regularly and obtain a signed evidence from the priest.

Prep/private schools tend to be expensive - but often less expensive than full-time childcare which you may need to consider for the infant years if both you and your partner work full-time. I understand costs vary but the options I've been considering for my 3yo (in North-East London) have been around £2500-3800 per term (3 terms a year of about 36 weeks in total, no meals, compared with around £1000+ per month for full-time childcare, meals and nappies etc included). Some private schools have after-school care for an additional cost which may mean you don't need a Nanny for pick-ups (at 3pm). As I have found out, applying for the good state schools in your area is something you cannot rely on - you also need to apply to private schools in order to gain a place near to where you live. Despite these costs, the government does provide 15 hours pre-school funding until the age of 5 which can be discounted from the fees for the first couple of years at least. Don't leave applying for schools too late. Learn from my mistake - only applies to the state schools and consequently trying to find a place at a prep school in my area (for example, St Paul's Cathedral is not allowing anyone else on its waiting list for September in-take this year).

I'm sure others will be able to help you more accurately than me but hope this gives you a bit of a steer. Welcome to North London! Hope you enjoy your London life.We do - despite navigating painfully through the schooling system!