Getting into London prep school after regular admissions process

[jackerooattack]

Ladies

I'm looking for some advice. I am a Brit, but have been living out of the country, mostly in the USA, for the last 10 years. I was educated from nursery through Uni in the UK but never had to deal with process, forms etc because my parents did that. Now as a mummy, it's my turn to try and navigate the system.

I have a 5 yr old in a private school here in California. We're very happy with it. However, DH (who is American) has been offered a job in London with his current company as an expat so we're potentially considering moving to London for 2 years. I've told DH that it's not like the US, and you can't just rock up to a private school of your choice, slap down a large cheque and expect to get a place. We looked at the American School website and it's £20,000 per year. Holy cow. But DH told his boss that unless work paid for private school then we wouldn't even consider moving. So technically, I'm guessing budget isn't a problem since we won't be paying.

But what's the chance of us getting into a good private school in London given that it's already end of March and we'd probably be moving in the summer. Our DD is smart, creative, social and an eager learner but she's been in the US system which is typically one year behind the US; plus she's been in Mandarin immersion (which I'd take in a heartbeat but apparently there aren't any mandarin immersion schools in London). So on any reading tests etc she probably would be behind peers her age.

Surely all the popular schools have already filled places and there isn't any 'we'll just squeeze her in' mentality since some people have had their kids on waiting lists for the school of their choice since before they are born.

We'd probably live somewhere central London, like many American expats in Kensington, Chelsea, or Hampstead (oh lordy, when I was living in London post uni, I'd never have imagined living in such a flash part of London but hey, if work is paying, then I'm all for it. Any suggestions on good schools which might consider us?

Sorry for the long post. Just trying to decide if we should make the move or head off the job offer before anyone starts getting too excited.

When are you thinking of moving or starting her education here? It's easier if you move in the summer holidays and start in September. And do you have a budget for school fees (incl extras)? The well regarded schools in central London can be up to £5,200 a term (eg Pembridge Hall) - you should probably look up individual schools you are interested in and enquire about positions on/lengths of waiting lists directly. Different schools will have different policies about whether they require admission tests or how demanding the tests will be. You probably know the year groups already - age 4+ to 5 is Reception, age 5+ to 6 is Year One, age 6+ to 7 is Year Two: this is pre-prep age group - in state schools it will be called either infant school (if the school is for 4-7 years old) or primary school (if the school is for 4-11 years old); some of these may be familiar from the time of your own schooling. If your husband's work will pay for all or the bulk of the school fees, you may want to keep the American School as an option, as getting a place in a British independent school is usually hardest if you are joining at 5 or 6 rather than at the start of Reception. I also wouldn't rule out a state school place - depending on which area you decide to live in, it may be quite easy to get a place for her to start at if she has to go on a waiting list for a private school; some state schools in London can be very good - again, it depends on where you stay. You'll need proof of residence to be able to apply for a place. Hope that helps.

Thanks for your speedy response.

Well, we'd probably move this summer. But I'm due with twins later this spring (yikes) and we have to make sure that these two guys are healthy before we agree to any international move; I'm very happy with my US healthcare situation and am terrified of the NHS if we have preemie complications. Anyway, assuming all goes well, she's start school in Sept.

I'd anticipate her being in Year One. And DH set the expectation with work that schooling is £20k+ per year so budget isn't an issue (I'm personally horrified at that price but I'm not going to complain if work isn't). I'd rather that she go to an English school that plop her straight into the American school, then again an expat school probably has more experience/likelihood of kids joining/leaving during the school year where places might open up.

I'm assuming that all the good state schools are full with long waiting lists.
We'd be able to provide proof of residence once we got a place to rent sorted and on paper DH and DD are Brits too (although you'd never know by their accents).

What is the best place to search for school recommendations? We're flexible on places to live other than DH needs to commute into Covent Garden, so somewhere within a half hour tube ride of the West End.

Thx in advance

One thing it would be worth doing now is looking at the eyfs curriculum and helping your daughter with that. One big thing you will see from the us system is that the uk spell with phonics, not letters. Your daughter may struggle with the assessments otherwise.

Why not send her to the American School if you're only here a couple of years? Wouldn't it make life easier?

When I was looking for a year 1 place earlier this year most of the private schools in North London had places. I'd probably go for Hampstead area as it is an easy commute into the West End and there are loads of schools to choose from plus I think that most children are relatively local so it will be good for the social side. The American School is lovely, but it is completely American with little immersion and contact with any of the UK schools so it completely depends on how comfortable you are with that as an option.

hi i have just been trying to find a yr 1 place for my 6yo (or for yr 2 in sept) and have failed to find one at the schools i like - most wont even take her on the waiting list as they are full of priorty children. We are therefore having to wait and take the exams this autumn for yr 3 entry in sept 2013. However, you may be luckier (you are a year 'behind' us so our experience may not be yours). We tried many of the north london and the west london schools, but didnt try the more international/fluid ones for various reasons - these may suit you though if you are looking at a 2year placement. I did press hard on how amazing my child is but i got pretty much a shrug and a 'well arent they all' answer...i hope you have better luck

maybetimeforachange - thanks for that. good to hear from someone who has visited The American School.

I guess I'm just a little put off by the price, even if DH's work is paying. I'm not really into the competitive "who's got the right handbag and ridiculous price tag stroller" at the school gates. Many private American schools have this (and probably many Brit ones too, I just haven't experienced that yet!)

I'll probably give them a call today and ask about admissions. And yes, it might be easier, but as a Brit, I quite like the idea of her being surrounded by my fellow countrymen rather than yet more Americans, since we'll be living in London. And the curriculum doesn't really matter at the moment since she is barely 5, but by the time she is 7, it just might.

Thx for the insight.
Is there a good website I should be using to check out schools (other than this one?)

Jackerooattack- If Dh's company are paying maybe they'll stretch to paying an advisor for you..I know it sounds crazy but I have lots of American friends that have used this service and managed to know exactly how the system works-better than me who was born and bred here!

As far as ASL is concerned it's a great school and my friends DC's went there until she moved back to the states, as far as the handbag competitiveness I don't think you really see many of the parents as they have a school bus for drop off and pick up. Most of the English private schools tend to be full of lovely American families anyway so it won't make a difference which you choose with respect to that!

I would try and call the schools and see what they say, my DS goes to a pre prep in Kensington and he had a couple of children enter in different years and they do make allowances for people coming from overseas that couldn't register the day DC was born!

In Kensington I would try Pembridge Hall ( full of Americans) Norland Place (lovely, not that PH isn't too!) Thomas' There are many other great schools but I only have experience with these and it also depends on whereabouts you'll be as these schools work better if you're in Holland Park, Notting Hill or kensington but there are many others in South Ken and Knightsbridge.

Lastly, regarding the NHS, if you have private health insurance in the US I think you can carry it over to the UK there's a company called HCA that have hospitals like the Portland on their list so worth checking, also even though a lot of UK medical insurance companies don't cover maternity they do make exceptions for twins.

Good luck!

Try St Nicholas (near the royal Albert hall). Very international Montessori.

And if you aren't into 'who has the most expensive Gucci...' hold onto your hat - we are talking central london preps here! St Nics isn't too bad for that though.

Do you know where in London you are likely to be living? Do not underestimate the negative impact of a difficult school run (not just length, but also convenience/reliability).

There is always churn in London prep schools as international families move in and out, and Londoners move away. There is no guarantee that any specific school will have a place, but it is likely that many will.

A consultant could well be the best approach for you, in terms of narrowing you list of possibilities. And you may well wan to look at Hill House (Chelsea) which is on some levels a very traditional British school (with a very, um, distinctive uniform) but is also a renowned international school which has a strong reputation for integrating pupils arriving from other systems.

I'd echo those who say use an education consultant if you can. The Independent Schools Council website is good for lists of schools in specific areas.

Beware the tax situation regarding your husband's work paying for the school fees. This amount will take you over the tax free limit for relocation expenses. Make sure his company are going to deal with that for you (ie gross up the amount to reflect the tax you'll pay on it, or get accountancy advice on how to manage it best). Otherwise you'll get stuck with a nice unexpected tax bill at the end of each year.

If its for this year... The lists are being made up about now. Gabbitas are good and for extra will do the hoof-work for you (getting applications sorted, visiting schools etc).

Thanks for your top tips. Yes, I agree, a relocation agent/education consultant is in order. I've already gone through that once since DH's company moved us from California to China when DD was 1 (clearly schools weren't an issue then)

DH, is under the impression that an consultant can just say the right magic words and get DD into the school of choice. A bit like a concierge at the top hotels for a dinner reservation. I don't think that can happen in London but a consultant can hopefully agree to at least narrow the search for us and do some of the leg work.

And I did call the American School this morning, they said that they do have spots for yr 1 students in Sept. I'm not surprised at that price! They don't teach other languages until yr 5 though.

CydCharisse - thanks for the tax tip. And yes, I am fully aware of the tax compilations with the hideous US tax system. DH's work has to take care of that and they 'tax equalise' us so that they pay the cost plus the additional tax on housing, relocation, school etc

Still trying to get my head around having newborn twins in a few weeks. Not really able to deal with thinking about applying for schools for my 5 yr old in a completely different education system. Best go make myself a cuppa.
thanks for all your help.

I wouldn't worry about the 20k a year making ASL too exclusive, it will be full of dcs like yours on relocation packages. If you're using a consultant I'd think where you want to live first, then narrow the search to schools an easy commute away, especially if you'll have twins. At this age, an easy life with not too much time travelling is way more important than what any particular school offers. You could always find her extra-curricular Mandarin classes wherever, there are plenty of those about. Good luck with the pregnancy

Good luck with it all!

The place to live is def flexible since all my friends from school and uni have already fled London to the burbs after having kids. My family is in Herts and Surrey/Kent so we'd head out there for weekends etc.
And after school mandarin is what we'd have to do, but the poor thing will already have to deal with an international relocation, new friends, new school, etc and then I'd be asking her to attend after school tutoring in classes. Don't want to overload her but when we return to the US, I'd love for her to go back into Chinese school, which without some serious effort on her and our behalf isn't going to happen. All her peers here will have been taught all day in Chinese for 2years. (if we do move to London, she'll be very confused about being able to speak English at school, at the moment she has no idea that is possible! Sneaky parents)
Anyway, off to do some more research.
Thx again

Wow! Pregnant with twins, relocating and finding a new school for your older child - nothing like jumping in at the deep end! I have worked and studied at UK hospitals and US hospitals, and I would say as a mother, the only caveat I would warn you about with regard to private maternity care (if you are in any way considering suggestions that you deliver here) that many "celebrity" maternity hospitals like the Portland and St John and St Elizabeth do not have neonatal intensive care facilities (otherwise known as special care baby unit). If you are delivering twins, you'll invariably have a paediatrician on standby, and even for healthy twins, because they tend to have to come out earlier, more often than not, a short period of care in the NICU/SCBU is recommended and necessary before they come out into the postnatal room or ward with you or to the postnatal nursery (only found in private hospitals). If it's the Portland or SJSE, your babies could be spending the first crucial hours in an ambulance if they need serious care or be in a ward for monitoring that is technically not equipped to deal with serious problems if they should arise suddenly(and these are more common in twin/triplet/multiple babies). The only exception to this might be private wing of an NHS teaching hospital. I have seen the one at St Mary's (in Paddington) only, not the others - I don't know about the ones at St Thomas's/University College Hospital/Kings College Hospital - and this is the ideal setup - the NICU is very close to the labour ward and private maternity rooms (yes, it's where Princes William and Harry were born) so the specialist care is very near should it be required (but of course one hopes not). The costs are about similar to the "celeb" ones, possibly a little less, because there are no celeb frills, although the rooms are very pleasant, clean and comfortable. I would expect that if you are living here (and grew up here) and your DH works here you would be considered resident and therefore you and your children are all entitled to free NHS care - only US tourists are not. In the same way that your DD would be entitled to a state school place (might not be the one you want but you'll get it, at least eventually).

OP, can I probe a bit and ask if you have Chinese roots - only reason I asked is because of the Mandarin classes you've mentioned. There are lots of Chinese language schools in London and its surrounds like Surrey and Essex run by Chinese teachers (mainly mainland Chinese with a few teachers from Southeast Asia) for children of overseas Chinese families from China/HK/SE Asia. They invariably take place on a Saturday morning to early afternoon, which is when a parent is able to bring their children in and may sometimes include dance or cultural activities as well if you wish; there are very few after school clubs doing the language - after school clubs tend to do French, Spanish and a handful offer German. If you want a list, you can PM me and I'll pass you a few links. The other alternative is to find community activities in areas with a large Chinese population - might involve some travelling after school, which could be a long day for your DD. None in the Notting Hill/Kensington/Hampstead area, as far as I know, though.

Also, can I check that your daughter will be 5 plus by 31 August and not 6 - if she is 6 plus on 31 August (ie she's 5 now but having her 6th birthday before or on 31 August), she will be going into year 2. If she is 5 on 31 Aug, she will be going into year 1.

After the information you've given, it may be that the American school is better for her to settle into. Many good independent schools here will expect her to have started school at 3 - we call it pre-school or nursery - where although it is mostly play, socialising and learning to use the toilet and eating outside of the home, they do start teaching......by the time they are 5+ or 6, although there are no "exams" they do expect the children to be a bit advanced with letters and reading. A small, easy going school will help her catch up, a popular private school might not. That's even considering the fact that no free schooling is provided automatically for all 3 year olds, only for some, with subsidised schooling available for others. Free education only starts at 4+ (ie Reception).

You might want to look up the Good Schools Guide - that's probably the best one for researching the private school options. With regards state schools, you can't choose so there's little point - the local education authority allocates you one and you just have to decide whether to send her there or decline the offer. A very small minority of pupils in very crowded boroughs can end up with no place but I doubt that this will apply to the areas you are thinking of staying in. They give a good description of what many think of the school (bearing in mind staff members change and of course the cohort of students matter too), and what the school tends to emphasise. Then it's a case of emailing or ringing the actual school and finding out 1) any places 2) do they assess for year 1 or 2 entry, and what are they looking for. You can buy the GSG via Amazon but their website does have some sections that are free to download to read. www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/

wow - K&T. That's a LOT of detailed information. Thank you so much.

As for delivering twins in London, not gonna happen. I'm 34 weeks already - and HUGE. No plane is going to let me anywhere near the boarding gate. I'm prepping to deliver at Stanford hospital here in the Bay Area, California, which has a superb level III NICU and every possible specialist down the corridor (twins arrive on average at 35 weeks which is next week - yikes, not even close to being ready). If there are any potential longer term complications with either twin then we'd probably stay in the US healthcare system rather than move countries. Don't want to add that into the mix.

And no Chinese heritage other than we moved to Beijing when DD was 1 and she managed to pick up Mandarin from her nanny and living in China. She is as blonde haired and blue eyed as they come. When asked she says "I am half English, half American and half Chinese" - clearly we have some work on fractions to do! She babbles away in Mandarin at us and we don't speak a word! It's her secret language with her and her school friends; we thought that it was such a unique skill (since me and DH tried to learn and can't even order two beers in a bar in Chinese) that when we returned to the US we thought we'd run with it and keep going. We'd potentially consider a Chinese au pair (but that means a bigger house with an extra bedroom - eek). And she just turned 5 so she's heading for yr 1 in Sept.

Yes, I didn't know/couldn't remember (if you said it) how far along you were; I don't really recommend transatlantic flights when one is expecting mutiples either although I hear of women who have done it.......

Oh, I see, she'll be fine with the English in school. My relations went to Ireland when their children had just started school, and within a month their 5 year old was counting and nattering Irish phrases like a local (good accent too), never having spoken it before other than one word or two. They have no experience of anything different, so your DD will just assume that every child will speak Chinese at home and switch to English at school! Do you mean she is not in a nursery school or pre kindergarten or preschool at the moment in the States? Then I'd pick a VERY relaxed school whether that is the American school or a British one (not sure there are any "relaxed schools" in central London - check the GSG!!) because the others will be going on about phonics, learning to read, writing the alphabet and counting....and more!

The other thing to mention also is that at her age, there are a few nurseries (ie creche/day care) that are accredited to teach "Early Years" (ie nursery, Reception) and sometimes year one or even year two. My neighbour's DS went to one of these for Reception - I remember feeling a twinge of envy as he could go in late at 10am, while we had to combat the school run/commuter traffic and the threat of a "late mark" in the attendance records (at 4!!) and hassles about whether we had remembered to bring the homework back, doing the writing practice correctly, etc. while his nursery had a very laid back attitude. My neighbours didn't mind the place being undemanding as they were about to move abroad so they didn't want him to start in a proper school. There is the Ofsted website which has a list of nurseries per area and whether any are accredited to teach Early Years/KS1. I'll see if I can find you the link. Of course, then they have to have a place available, which is the difficult part! But you know, at this age, they do catch up easily, it's not really that tough on the child - it's just a matter of being able to get into the school in the first place.

In St Johns Wood - Abercorn is likely to have a place and they are very international

Belsize Park has some lovely girls schools (St Christophers, Sarum Hall etc) but not sure how easy they would be to get into.

Good luck!!

Kipper, John and Lizzie's closed their maternity unit nearly 2 years ago and The Portland has a NICU which looks after babies from 30 weeks and a high dependency unit for mothers. It does all come at a hefty price but it exists.

I think you might want to start by considering what part of London you want to live in. The two big factors are where your DH will be working, how long/complicated a commute he is prepared to do, and what rent ceiling you will have.

Once you have worked out two or three areas for your home, then you can see what schools exist there (or an easy journey from there) and do more specific research (possibly via a consultant, online generally, and by asking here).

K&T - DD has been in some kind of nursery/pre-school since she was 2, always in Chinese (either in China or in the USA). Right now she's in Pre-Kindergarten in California, it just happens to be taught exclusively in Mandarin with 10% of their day in English.

She knows all her English letters and sounds but is actively resisting reading (probably cos it is attempted to being taught to her by her mother!) She can write all letters and some very simple words, definitely not sentences though. I'll take a google at the UK curriculum and see what would be expected of her on entering Year 1 to see how far behind she might be.

I'll take a look online at all the schools mentioned above and see which ones could be of interest before I contact them. And honestly it sounds a bit backward but we'd probably find the right school and then find a house not too far away. Having lived in London before, I have a reasonable idea of where I'd consider living with a family. DH needs to commute to Covent Garden so ideally Piccadilly, Central or Northern Lines. We'd like