moving back - advice pls

[refizade]

We have been living in Dubai for the past 10 years and are looking to move back to the uk in june.
We have 3 boys who will be going into year 4, 5 and 10 as well as a 2 year old girl.
We are considering Woking (hook heath looks lovely!)
any advice on primary schools and secondary schools? We would consider independent or state schools but prefer co-ed.
So far friends have recommended Halstead, RGS and Pyreford Primary.
Any thoughts?
thx in advance!
:)

I don't know Woking so can't help you. There are lots of knowlesdgable people here who can help you with in year admissions though. Just to check - when did your 4 year old turn 4?

Do you mean school years 4, 5 and 10 or that is their ages?

Will assume you mean school years.

Woking has a lot of independent prep schools for the younger two, check.out the ISIS website or search 'independent prep schools in Woking'

You could have a problem if your eldest is school year 10 as its GCSE year, RGS state if I remember correctly that they don't accept entry to Year 10 , but their admissions are really helpful.

Senior schools in Woking area you have William Perkins (state)
Woking High (state, but not that popular), Reeds (private, run a bus from Woking) not sure what the availibility of places would be like.

Oops - meant Winston Churchill School not William Perks!

yes, school years, not ages.

Year 11 is the GCSE year not year 10. Course usually starts in year 10 but some schools will start some of the GCSE work in year 9. If looking at independent schools you would be looking for an occasional place, where someone has left but they do come up, same goes for popular state schools

Hi again
thanks for all the info so far :)
still trying to work out if woking is best are for us...
does anyone know about Fulbrook School? I understand its a state secondary, mixed and rated good by ofsted.
How often does ofsted inspect a school?
Coulld a good school become outstanding in 2 years?
Am worried about moving and relying on independent schooling for next 2 years in case finances then force us to chose state schools just when the boys have to enter secondary!
Also what happens if u rent in a catchment area of a good primary and later move?
thanks again

also wat is woking PRU?

any other recommendations other than RGS for Guildford? They only occasionally take pupils into year 10, so cant assume my oldest will go there

I don't think you will get into Fullbrook from Hook Heath. I would phone around all the State schools (St John the Baptist is the closest (? apart from maybe Gordon's) and great but you will be very lucky to get in there).
There are a shortage of private places for boys year 10 in that area - I would try St Georges, Weybridge; Reeds; maybe the Haslemere/Hindhead schools; Salesian, Farnborough? Or maybe schools towards London?

A PRU is a Pupil Referral Unit, increasingly called "short stay schools" and they are for pupils who have been permanently excluded or otherwise cannot cope because of behavioural issues with mainstream schools. (So not of interest to you.)

Your address for application for school is where you are when the application is made. If you move after the deadline it doesn't matter.

It is different for an in year application. But once you are offered a place they can't take it back if you filled he criteria at the time. However if it is a popular school make sure you have evidence that th moves are genuine and not just to get in.

For instance, a friend moved back to London and stayed with her brother while they looked for a place to rent. They're it clear to the very popular secondary that this was temporary but the council said that was the address they would take. Their son started in Y9 at the school, they moved within three months out of the catchment but close enough for him to stay at the school. The admissions officer was fine with this as they had made it very clear what their situation was and backed up with lots of evidence. This is a school that checks all addresses carefully and had been known to remove pupils when it was found that they had rented purely to get in the school.

thanks so much. All of this is very helpful (and confusing at time!) We do like the look of Hook Heath but are no way decided. Def not a PRU then...
What about Philip Southcote and Freemantles? They're both rated good...
Love the sound of Pyrford Primary and willing to move there if we stand a chance to get in (as we have 3 younger ones and only one senior school kid but what's the area like (eg Pyrford Village etc)

Isn't Freemantles a special school for children with Autism?