primary schools in new york

[tostaky]

because there might be a chance that we move there next year.....
what is the equivalent to Ofsted?
How do you set about finding a good school?
is there preschool over there?
thank you!

No idea but am very jealous!! I love NY.

Oh - they have kindergarten!

I assume you mean NY city (it is also a very big state). Are you going to live in the city? Which of the 5 boroughs?

This website might help: New your school ratings
I did know another good one a few years ago, if I come across it I will post it for you.

yes, sorry i meanNY city
Not sure where we would live though, it will be a function of commuting time, good primary school, and goodhousing...

This book might help: New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools: A Parent's Guide I think it takes you through the minefield.

Lots of people do commute in eg. from Greenwich or Westchester. But it does also depend on where your DH is working, if they will pay schools fees, etc.

The book mummytime recommends is very useful.

In NY, there's no public (public = state) pre-school provision to speak of until pre-K which is the equivalent age to reception but in the US is not proper school age. Some public schools have pre-K but it is very oversubscribed and you shouldn't have high expectations of getting a place. Especially if you are moving from abroad since you'll have to live in the right district in March to apply for a September place. So you should expect to pay for pre-school if you want it probably.

From Kindergarten (age 5) you can go to your local public school. Mostly, you are zoned for a specific school depending on where you live so there's not the same choice that you would get in the UK. However this means that you can pick where to live and pretty much be guaranteed a place at your chosen school - although there are problems with overcrowding so it's possible for that to not work out in practice.

How old are your children?