Primary schools in Herts or Hillingdon - please help

[megkha]

Hello,

We are currently in the US and are likely to return to UK this summer. We will be house and job hunting once we are back and I am very worried about my boys education. My older son 5+ (August 2007) goes to Kindy or Reception here but according to the cutoff in UK he should have been in Year1 by now. Does that mean my son will be pushed to start Year2 when we return?

We would like to ideally settle down in Ickenham, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth as we both will be commuting to the city. Plus schools are great there, which is a number 1 for me. Our max budget is 450K. Is it true that all schools are over subscribed there and my boys will end up being pushed into any school in the area which has a vacancy? (forgot to mention my younger son Sep 2008 born will be starting Reception this year)

Would you suggest any other good neighbourhoods with good schools (not over subscribed ) and easy commute to the city? I don't think we can afford private education on top of the mortgage.

Please help!!

Many Thanks!!

[Waspie]

It's been a while since I lived in Harrow and Ruislip alemci so I'm sure you're correct about the Met service on the Watford branch now. I remember trying to go shopping by tube in Watford from my home in Ruislip was a bit of a 'mare as a teenager . When I lived in Ruislip I tended to use the Central line to get to Oxford Street which was slower but more direct. As a student I lived in central Harrow and got the fast Baker Street train to Euston Square which was very quick.

OP have you considered Pinner or Hatch End as options? Both are "naicer" areas than central Harrow or Ruislip.

[alemci]

I used to live there too Waspie:) 80's teenager. wonder if I knew you in another life. Watford branch is very good now. I know what you mean about getting to Watford as the station is near the park and nowhere near the town. Otherwise an expensive bus from Northwood.

Often DD's go from Watford main line to Hatch End and I pick them up from there.

Do you not think posh Ruislip is naice anymore with its wonderful high street. always see someone I know down there - scary.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

I lived in Ruislip from 1980 to 1991 so may have bumped into either or both of you...

[alemci]

It's one of those highly exciting places :)

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

From the point of view of a teenager, I think it may be up there in the ten dullest places to live. Worldwide.

[Waspie]

I couldn't strain the strain of the pace in Ruislip and had to move away

I don't recognise much of Ruislip high street now, although the bank where I used to plead for an overdraft is still there (as are my parents and a few old friends).

Now I'm out in the sticks I do appreciate the cheap tube fare and the ease with which I could get into London from Ruislip. My friends and I would just buy a travel card and pick a point on the tube map to go and explore. As you both point out - Ruislip isn't the most exciting place on earth for teenagers!

[alemci]

oh but don't forget the wonderful lido and the duckpond and the village sweet shop then you could go for a 'dos' down the highstreet.

[Waspie]

...and the youth discos at the Winston Churchill hall. Oooh they were bad!

We go to the lido sometimes when we visit the oldies - my son likes the little train . The lido actually seems better now than I remember.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

That's because it actually is better. As I recall, all we had were a few rusting bits of play apparatus. Now they have much better equipment and a whole splash zone thing going on.

But then I'm so old that I remember the old paddling pool in Warrender Park. I think I even remember the blue roofs (rooves) being built near Highgrove Pool, although I might be getting confused with my grandmother's memories (she moved to Ruislip in 1938).

Whenever I mention the improvements, DS1 finds it hilarious; he puts on a Yorkshire accent and starts talking about walking miles through the snow in bare feet.

[Waspie]

I think the lido got a tidy wodge of lottery money which it needed after years of neglect. I just wish Uxbridge outdoor pool could have been saved too.

My dad does the "I remember when this was all fields and the GI's would give me chocolate bars" thing . He was born in 1942 and has lived in various addresses in Ruislip since. My parents talk of when there was outdoor swimming at the lido but I don't remember that.

Although I can join in with "I queued round the car park to see Star Wars and Grease at the cinema in Ruislip" The cinema is now Iceland and has been for about 30 years I think [very old]

[dontknowwhat2callmyself]

Waspie - Uxbridge outdoor pool has been all refurbished (was done a couple of years ago)!

[dontknowwhat2callmyself]

Sorry OP I went completely off topic. Just to say Ickenham is a nice area and the two local primaries have good reputations but as you suspected are oversubscribed. It may be difficult to get a place unless you buy a house very very close to your choice of school which would push you up the waiting list.

[Wigeon]

I live in Watford. Pretty much all schools are over subscribed here. You have missed the admissions closing date for Reception (which was back in January), and as you need a Y2 place and a Reception place, you need to start ringing round schools to see which might have spaces in both years. Schools like Nascot Wood, which are very good and therefore very popular, will have a long waiting list already of people who already live very near but didn't get in. I suggest you call Herts Council School Admissions to find out how you do this without an address in the UK yet.

Here are the stats on admissions in 2011. You can see how close you have to live to each school - look at Rule 5, which is the rule you would probably be applying under (assuming your DC have no SEN or other medical needs, which would bump them up the priority list?).

This helps you find your nearest school (once you have a UK address) and the precise distance which Herts Council would use to measure it.

This is the guidance on In Year Admissions (which is you).

If your son is Y2 age, he will have to go into Y2. I don't know of any way in which you can change this, although probably worth starting a whole separate thread just on this - there are various experts on school admissions on these boards who will be able to advise you (look out for the posters called "phr47bridge", "admission" and "panelmember" in particular).

Re the commute - you need to work out how long it will take you to get to the specific part of London you / your DP will work in. I live in Watford, and the train is only 20 mins from Watford Junction to London Euston, but my whole commute takes (at least) an hour, because I have 2 tube journeys to take once in London, plus a 10 min walk.

Some good news is that Watford is pretty diverse - my DD is at primary in Watford and there is a significant minority of Pakistani, Eastern European and other ethnic minorities and nationalities.

[freetrait]

Yeah, your older son will be in Year 2. He may have a bit of catching up to do, but am sure he can do it quick and should be supported in a good school. We start reading and writing early in UK but it is slow really, with the idea that by the end of Year 2 they can do both .

Tricky for you with schools as you have missed the application deadline this year and the best schools tend to be oversubscribed. You can commute from Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire (might be cheaper?), Essex, Kent, all sorts really. There's a commuting website somewhere www.commutefrom.com/about.html, could be useful.

And yes, phone up the schools- ask them if they can support your elder son if he hasn't learnt any reading/writing yet. Good luck!

[Waspie]

dontknowwhat2callmyself - thank you for teling me that. I will have to visit this summer

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

I hope that none of you is poor Julie Bennett. She doesn't come across very well in the summary of the 'Ruislip Lido' page on Facebook. Fortunately, when you click on the actual page, the defamatory remarks disappear.

This link might or might not work...
www.facebook.com/pages/Ruislip-Lido/139171172773333?rf=126881834030568

[megkha]

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions.

We used to live in S Harrow before moving overseas. We used to like parts of Pinner but they were the ones we couldn't afford...We would like to buy a house in an area with good primary and secondary schools, affordable housing, not congested and easy commute to the city. For this reason, I thought Herts was the best choice.

However, it seems like finding a good state school will be a mission here. We are finding the move so challenging and depressing. I emailed Herts Admissions team 10 days back but no response : (

Top of that my son will be pushed to start Year 2.

Please can anyone else suggest good safe neighbourhoods with easy in-year schools admissions and good links to London?

[Wigeon]

I'm afraid that a good safe neighbourhood with easy in year schools admissions, affordable housing and good links to London almost certainly doesn't exist...You can probably get one of them, or two of them, but not all four. There is a huge pressure on school places in the south east. Everyone wants to live in a nice area with good schools and locations which are commutable to London are very desirable. These places have high property prices because everyone wants to live there (eg Harpenden, St Albans)! There are no "hidden gems" because people have discovered them all. Most good schools (not even excellent schools) are over-subscribed.

I would suggest you decide on where you want to live Commute From website, then ring round all possible schools to see if they might have two spaces for Reception and Year 2. Give Herts Admissions a call, rather than email.

We decided to compromise on area - we used to live in St Albans (excellent state schools, lovely market town with character, 20 mins on the train to London) but property there is v expensive. So we moved down the road to Watford - a much less nice area (but still safe and with plenty of very decent amenities), but schools are still decent, still 20 mins on the train to London, and property prices significantly cheaper than St Albans.

I think you just have to decide what's important to you - and possibly accept that your choice might be made for you, in that you just need to find a school which has two spaces. And to do that you need to get on the phone.

Do you have an idea of budget for buying a house, and what you expect to get for the money? Slightly obviously, £350k in St Albans might buy a 2 bed flat in the town centre right by the station, but a 3 bed house in the outskirts in a less desirable neighbourhood. So again, you just have to decide what you want to prioritise.

[freetrait]

Yes, I second phoning rather than e mailing for school places and also what Wigeon says about compromise. Decide on your longest commute time, what you prefer re neighbourhood. Think about Watford/Bushey, Northwood, Rickmansworth or Hemel or near there?

You might want to think about an area where the school population moves about a bit (can't think of the word for it)- ie where children are more likely to leave so that there will be a place for yours. People do move during the year, and in some areas more than others, then you might get yours into a really good school rather than one with lots of places- can see this is a risky strategy though.

[Wigeon]

Sorry, just re-read your OP and saw your budget is £450k. What do you expect for that? (number of bedrooms, size of garden etc). That will determine what area, and what part of what area...

[megkha]

Thank you again for your time and suggestions.

I called herts and hillingdon admissions today and they were v helpful. And they will first test to see if my son can start year2 or not. I am very pleased to hear this.

We would prefer a 3 ,bed semi or detached, if possible, with a manageable garden and a garage.

Did you mean kids turnover, any ideas what areas would they be? I was also assured i will most likely get a place near where i live so go to pick 4 choices. Also they could be from the neighboring boroughs.

[Wigeon]

Good to hear that Herts and Hillingdon were helpful .

I'm not sure which areas have higher turnover of children, and therefore more likelihood of places coming up. I think you just need to narrow down your search to two or three likely areas, then start phoning schools.

You are indeed most likely to get a place near to where you live in Herts - but unless you are careful that is going to be a place at a less good school. I cannot believe Herts Admissions can guarantee you two places at, say, Nascot Wood or Knutsford (two of the Ofsted "outstanding" schools in Watford). You would probably get a place at Beechfield or Berrygrove - not such good schools at all. Even if they are "near where you live"...

I think you just really need to start finding a school somewhere which has two places for your DC, and then plan where exactly you need to live. Then you'll be dealing in specifics, rather than all this theoretical stuff which we are all advising you about!

For your budget you would get a very decent sized house in the Watford area - could be detached, might be 4 bedroom not 3. In St Albans, you'd be more likely to get a 3 bed semi, or terraced, or possibly 4 bed if you were a bit further from the station. Prices are much higher if you are walking distance to the train station there (not so much the case in Watford). But you'd still be able to get a nice house.

[sittinginthesun]

Or a house in a nice bit of Croxley. Tried to paste a link, but not having much luck. If you look on Right Move and search for WD3, you can get a good idea.

Turnover in schools will show how often places come up, with people moving away for work etc.