Help! Moving from California... Where to live with three kids?

[SaturdaySunday]

We will be moving to London from California this July/August. Have a ds (15) will need secondary school, dd (5) need primary school and ds2 (2) home with me for now. Cannot afford independent schools so need to live somewhere with good state schools and reasonable chance of getting in.

Our criteria for schools: no uniforms, smaller size, ethnically diverse, great teachers and happy kids.

We can afford up to 2500 for 3 bedroom. DH will be working in Shoreditch (Garden Walk) and up to 40 minute commute okay, less is better. Want village-like feeling, safe, and access to great parks.

Our shortlist for now is: Greenwich, Islington, Canonbury. Any info on primary or secondary schools in these areas? Or other areas we should consider?

A lot to ask, I know! Thanks for any tips and thoughts you might have... This is an exciting move for us but very daunting digging through all the school and neighborhood info. Other similar threads I have seen are a few years old and assuming things might have changed. Thank you!

[Barbabeau]

Fairlawn and Horniman primary schools in Forest Hill don't require uniforms. State secondary schools nearby do I believe. Should be within a 40 minute commute for your DH by using the Overground line.

Loads of parks nearby and a nature reserve.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

My parents lived in SF for fifteen years, and I spent six weeks there every summer. I think that you'll easily find a similar atmosphere/ethos in many parts of London and the South East of the UK.

In fact, I would even say that SF and London are culturally closer than SF and some parts of the US!

So I don't think there'll be much of a culture shock for your children. The climate might take some getting used to, but at least they'll be arriving in what passes for our summer.

[ArabellaBeaumaris]

I think you should post in secondary education about your eldest. UK schools don't let you repeat years - he will have to enter y11 with his age cohort.

How long do you expect to be here? If he is possibly attending university in the UK his gcse grades will matter.

[californiaburrito]

Hmmmmm..... It's a tough one, isn't it? If I can be so bold as to comment on your shortlist- Islington is very nice, lots of stuff going on and very near the center, but probably not the best value for money. Greenwich has some good outdoor space but can be very touristy. There are a fair few Americans living in the area, which may or may not be a good thing. Canonbury I don't know enough about to really comment.

I think you could also consider Stoke Newington or Victoria Park. In south London on the overground there are a few choices which have a more suburban feel.

The schools issue is really difficult though. Have you spoken to anyone at one of your shortlisted local authorities? As you have probably guessed by now it's not quite as simple as it can be in the US.

[narmada]

Some further education(FE) colleges take younger pupils (from 14) for GCSEs or vocational (skills) qualifications. They might be an option for your DS and might mean he could start his GCSEs anew when he arrived, rather than just rocking up halfway through a course.

Most schools in London are ethnically diverse, so I don't think you will have many worries on that front.

Re. getting a place in Y1, your choices in London are likely to be constrained. The local authority (local government) will have to find you a school place BUT it may not be in a school of your choosing nor necessarily one that is very near to your house. Primary school classes are limited by law to 30 in each class (with some rare exceptions).

[SaturdaySunday]

this is all very helpful, thank you.

[valbona]

I second Stoke Newington and Victoria Park. They'd be perfect for you.

[my2bundles]

In the Uk its not possible to enter a school in the year above or below (repeat a grade) unless your child has a reason eg on the autistic spectrum etc. Even then it is difficult and you need lenghy input from education phycologists/paediatrion/school SENCO etc even then it is rare it will be granted. Usually more intervention in put in place to ensure they stay within their peer group.

[HormonalHousewife]

Gosh thats really tricky for your eldest. we moved 400 miles across the UK with a DD who was moving into year 10. Its quite a difficult time and I feel your pain, the internet is great but nothing beats being on the ground to get a feel for a place. Anyway, I'm happy to say she adapted and is working hard now for her exams over the next few weeks. She was definitely at a disadvantage for a term or two.

I know this sounds really tough, but could your daughter stay with grandparents or family to continue their education for another year ?
I would imagine starting a levels or a vocational course at a sixth form college might be an easier transition.

[ReallyTired]

Have you considered living outside London. You could rent a nice house in Kings Langley for less than £2500 and maybe use the money saved to send your son to the Steiner School. Kings Langley has a fast train service to London and you could rent one of these houses.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Kings-Langley.html?sortType=1&minBedrooms=3

Private schools have far more flexiblity than state schools and would happily let a child repeat a year.

British state schools nearly all have a uniform and are not in the least bit hippy.

[BigBongTheory]

Could you possibly send DS private for two years? It might be the best option because then he'd start bat year 10.

[narmada]

But nor are private schools particularly well regulated. Steiner education is sometimes based on some rather odd principles. Gnomes? Anthroposophy anyone?!? That particular one might be fabuloso but then again it mightn't.

Living outside london's a good idea though. It's what lots of families end up doing.

[lljkk]

That's funny, I am thinking of moving from UK to SoCal (back where I grew up).
A big reason is the ridiculous academic inflexibility of the English secondary school system.
I don't know London that well so afraid I can't help with specifics.

I suspect you will find the culture shock H U G E. I half wonder if your son could study for a distance learning GED equivalent.

[KandyBarr]

The Northcote Road and surrounding streets in Clapham certainly have the feel you are looking for, and the small, friendly Honeywell primary on Honeywell Rd doesn't have a uniform.

But you will need to move right next door (not a few streets away) and join the waiting list until a place comes up. Straight through commute from Clapham Junction to Shoreditch via Overground line.

I would urge flexibility on the uniform thing - you're limiting your options hugely and it really doesn't signal much here. There are plenty of relaxed, friendly, diverse primaries with uniforms. Belleville School, a few streets away from Honeywell, for example.

[printpress]

My DH is from SF and I lived in the US for quite awhile, so I think I get what you're after. I also was looking to move neighbourhoods here before DS started Reception and looked at quite a few primaries in Central/East/North London. I think Crouch End/Muswell Hill might fit the bill in terms of having a primary and secondary that are fairly 'progressive' (Coleridge and Fortismere) and while not being next door to Shoreditch, it's not too far and you could get a decent place for £2500. Also they're big schools so you'd have a better chance of getting in when a spot opens up. Crouch End is very villagey.

Sorry KandyBarr but Clapham is the antithesis of Northern California. But yes, many, many schools here have uniform and if you use that as too much of a factor you'll really limit yourself. I know very little about secondaries -- it's not too hard to find a good primary in London but my understanding is it's a lot harder with secondaries but Fortismere is very popular.

[FairPhyllis]

An international school might be a better solution for your DS even if it means paying fees - he'd be able to just get a high school diploma as he would in the US and not have to worry about fitting into the public exam schedule.

[ljny]

Are you and DH both American or is either of you British? Do you have any familiarity with the UK education system?

FairP I doubt the op could afford a one-bedroom flat that would get her son into Fortismere.

I do know of a Cornwall secondary that once placed a similar US student in year 10. It's unlikely in London - first step, I'd get your DH to ask every (decent) secondary head when he visits.

It's hard enough to change schools between year 10 and 11. I'm sorry, but entering year 11 from a US school could be disastrous.

How long are you staying? If he gets low grades in his GCSEs - likely as he'll only do half the course - that will determine which courses he's allowed to take for A-level - which, in turn, determines where he goes to university.

Is he now finishing 10th or 11th grade?

If he's studious - there may be a state IB secondary somewhere in the travel-to-London area? (clutching at straws here).

[KandyBarr]

printpress Trying to find SF in London is a pointless task. But the OP asked for a village feel, which the Northcote Rd area has in spades, and a straightforward commute to Shoredich (I don't mean Clapham Oldtown, which is a mile and a half away from Northccote).

If it were me I'd go for Blackheath, but it's an awkward commute to Shoreditch.

[jamtoast12]

I also think its going to be a bad move for your eldest. He is likely to be well disadvantaged by the move. It's also worth finding out if he's a similar level educationally as likewise age in UK. When I was at uni, we had US students over for one year in our class. They were studying the same stuff as us in their 3rd year, that we were doing in our first year. The syllabus is so different I expect so he may already be going into school a year or 2 lower than what our learners would be.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

I would agree with jamtoast. My mother has worked extensively in both education systems for forty years (approximately fifteen years in the US and twenty-five in the UK). DS1 is in Y8. When friends from the US ask what grade equivalent that is, she says that it is seventh grade in terms of age, but ninth grade in terms of content.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

I went to school in Michigan for a year when I was 5. I had just finished Reception in the UK. I was put into a second grade class and we did the equivalent of Y1 work.

[Artichook]

I transferred to US high school at the end of Y11 after getting 11 GCSEs at grades A and B. I did transfer to a very good Californian school so maybe it wasn't typical but I would say the work at 11th grade was harder than my GCSES coursework. This was especially true for maths and sciences. I totally don't buy into the English belief that our education system is better than the US and our kids are ahead. It's not my experience at all.

I do however agree that any child from any country will struggle to join the UK system halfway through the GCSE syllabus. I'd look at sending the eldest to one of the US schools in Lindon and move to a good area for primaries for the youngest.

[sashh]

Look at FE colleges for your eldest. College is normally 16-18 but can cover 14 -adult.

Lots of kids will be repeating GCSEs and doing vocational courses as well as A Levels at FE colleges

GCSEs are roughly equivalent to a US HS diploma, unless he is taking AP classes he will not cope with A Levels YET, and the yet is important.

Are you moving permanently? If so then spending 3 years in an FE college, 1 doing some GCSEs and 2 doing A Levels will make him eligible for UK/EU student finance if he chooses to go to uni here.

If he returns to the US for college then each A Level subject (normal to take 3 or 4) will exempt him from the 101 classes at (US) college.

[lljkk]

SatudayS

This is what I would do:
Bring your 15yo over & stick him in a school with generally good rep. At same time look for PSAT exam in London & sign him up for that. School will offer him a timetable of English, math, 2-3 units of science and 2-4 GCSE options. The options can be completed within year 11 here. He probably can't complete the science-Eng-Math programme in one year, they will be cultural experiences at this point. But in January he can sign up for some IGCSE exams in Eng-Math-Sci choices in April-May time (I would budget £160 for each of these). So he should get to August with a minimum of 5 GCSEs with min. marks like BBCCC which is enough (regardless of what most MNers might say) to get into many, maybe most 6th form colleges, including ones that send pupils to the most elite Universities.

Plan on SAT exams in Autumn 2014 (in London). He can choose 4x A2 exams like everyone else and work towards good marks in them in summer 2015.

If he wants US university he obviously won't have much GPA history but good SAT results and personal statement will trump that, as you well know. University Funding in England is extremely generous for residents, but I am not sure whether he'll qualify, something else to weigh up. For entry to English universities, If he does well at A-level his GCSEs hardly matter unless he wants to study something like law/Medicine/Vet science or at Oxbridge.

Be careful with GCSE options, missing an option terribly limits some choices in future! Like he must do PE at GCSE to get onto PE at A-level. This early specialisation is one of things I hate about European education systems.

ps: you haven't said whether he was redshirted, how long you'll live in UK, whether or where he even wants to attend University. These colour your decisions, too.

[Minoan]

I agree with dyslexicdespot and barbabeau and if you could afford private school for a couple of years, look into Dulwich College for DS1