Thinking of Moving to Hertfordshire and will need Primary school place for April!

[Glenbank]

Hi,
I'm hoping I can get some good advice as I'm very nervous about our move back to the UK after 10 years away. My husband will be working at Kings Cross so we have been looking for somewhere to live that is a comfortable commute.

So far we've focused on Hertfordshire- St. Albans, Harpenden, Berkhamsted and Tring, for the simple reasons of we like the look of them on the computer!

Our main issue is that DD is in Year 1 and will need a school to take her in April/May to complete the year. (I'm also trying not to worry that our other DD will need a Reception place for September).

If anyone has any advice on any of these areas and schools within them please let me know- my head is spinning a bit at the moment!

Also, can anyone confirm that we won't be able to get a place until we have an address? We don't want to rent until we have a school!

Thanks in advance.

I live in harpenden and can highly recommend for schools-primary schools all fab here afaik-I know Wood End and Roundwood and both great but others similarly good. Area lovely-very family orientated but expensive and BIG competition for places so you need to live close to your chosen school.
HTH

Sorry to be negative but you have two problems. Firstly your daughter is in year 1 and it is highly likely that most of the good schools will be full. Whilst you can appeal it will be an infant class size regulations case in many cases and your chances of a successful appeal are practially nil because of the very narrow bands that the appeal panel have to admit. In effect the Local Authority will have had to have made a mistake which is nearly impossible on an in year application. Your daughter therefore may be given a place in a school and good distance from your house and secondly a school that you do not want.

In effect the same will also apply to your second child as the application for reception in september will be a late application and therefore will not be considered until all applicants who were on time have been allocated places. There is therefore a possibility that they will get a place at a different school from your elder daughter.

To be honest there is little that you can do to solve these problems because until you have completed a rental on a house the Local Authority will not allocate a place. The best possibility is to find a school you like, speak to the school and see what the situation is with places at the schools. Ask what the movement is in and out of the school, that will give you an idea of whether places do come up or not.
If they happen to have a place at the school for DD1, then I would immediately say you want it and get onto the LA who are responsible for actually allocating the place

btw, welwyn garden city is 15mins on the fast train to kings x. stops on that line are hatefield, potters bar as well.

sorry, hatfield, not hatefield

Agree with Admission.

It may be worth your while to talk to Hertfordshire County Council about your situation. They should be able to tell you which schools have places in Y1. However, they will not at this stage be able to tell you which schools will be able to take your younger daughter.

How far out from King's Cross? Royston is 40 minutes (and consequently houses are lots cheaper than St Albans!).

AFAIK all four First schools have places (static population, less kids here than 20 years ago) so you can just choose which school you want. They're all good schools too.

There are also Hitchin, Letchworth, and I think Baldock? The first two definitely do fast trains to Kings Cross.