Loch Ness monster, accessible good state schools and other myths?

[goingforbroke]

We have a one-off opportunity to relocate from London to pretty much anywhere we like in the UK in the coming year. The only real limitation is schooling for our two children (5 and 2). Ideally we would like them to go to a state school and ultimately to go to a (non-selective) secondary school that would give them a realistic chance of getting into Russell Group Uni (or better if they are up to it). Is there anywhere in the UK that offers such schooling opportunities without requiring fits of contortion the likes of which Houdini would have been proud? I concede that many families are able to achieve this goal but I suspect its not without (legitimately) "gaming" the system. What I mean by gaming is (1) moving, perhaps several times, to get into a particular catchment area; (2) "finding" religion to qualify for faith schools;(3) tutoring to help with entrance exams for selective state schools. I'm sure there are others which I haven't thought of too.

Is there anywhere still left on this island where you can arrive mid-year, get a place in a good primary school after which one can have a reasonable expectation of getting into a good secondary school, which will in turn is experienced at successfully getting pupils into good universities...or should I get back to brothers Grimm?

Incidently, I have no ideological axe to grind...purely driven by practicalities of my personal situation.

If you can afford it, move to Harrogate and look for a house close to Harrogate Grammar (which despite the name is non selective). It's been excellent for years (ditto St Aidan's, but that's faith based admissions).

Or might you consider Scotland, where you can be sure of a place in your catchment school?

Scotland.

and move to the Jordanhill area.

There are many areas where this is possible all four of my local secondary schools get children in every year to RG courses including medicine and veterinary.

Not Kent.

durham

Telford? Somewhere within 50 strides of Thomas Telford.

AuntieS thanks - I'll take a look at Harrogate. Don't know Yorkshire at all but this will give me the motivate to take a trip. Do you happen to know if the catchment area is ridiculously small? Also, I was not aware of Scotland's alternative approach to catchment schools - very useful to a family moving to the area.

Keith thanks for the tip on Jordanhill area.

Lonecat where are these fine establishments located?! You are lucky indeed. Are these all comps (i.e. non-selective)?

Justtoo - Yes, Kent seems to have the two extremes. Highly performing selectives or underperforming comps, with (apparently) not much in between.

IAmAPaleo thanks - will check it out.

Charles - thanks. We have that problem "50 strides" problem in spades here in London.

I live in Hertfordshire. The village school is rated Good by Ofsted, my 3 (bright) DC are happy and doing well. It's a C of E school but religion is way down on the list of criteria - basically if you live in the village you are highly likely to get a place. The local state secondaries are non selective and have good reputations.

The actual admissions footprint is much smaller than the formal 'catchment' but not ridiculously small. There are weirdities to do with how village children rank (and I've never quite understood those). But as Harrogate also has two excellent faith secondaries, not all parents are elbowing in the same direction. IYSWIM.

If you like north Yorkshire, Easingwold also has a very good school, and a number of the primaries in the nearby villages are good. And Ripon would be worth a look too.

More than 75% of undergrads at RG unis are from state schools, OP. I don't think comparisons with the Loch Ness monster are entirely justified...

Dorset

Amber yes, you are absolutely right. The majority of undergrads admitted each year are from state schools. But if you drill into the numbers further, the share from the non-selective segment of that category is much smaller. Cantab reports that 62% of UK candidates are from state schools ("Maintained"). However, only 26% of UK candidates are from comps, which I am using as a proxy for non-selective schools (not strictly correct, I concede). The other state schools fall into the following categories: Grammars, Sixth Form Colleges, Further Education, Tertiary College and Other. Of course, statistical analysis isn't helped by new categories (Academies) which contain a mix of selectives and non-selectives muddying the waters.

Scotland. East Renfrewshire.

Scotland East Dunbartonshire.
In Bearsden every school is good. Primary and Secondary.

West Berkshire A-level results for what Ofsted deem the least good school the least popular school locally has 100% of A-levels at A to C and 79% A to B.
All non-selective apart from living in the correct catchment. Sixth form performance of another school. The final school which only good 99.5% A* to C grades still got 4 pupils to Oxbridge.
Really you don't have to move very far to get excellent schools.

This shows that the vast majority of primaries are good it would be easy to move into catchment for a good primary and good secondary. There is quite a lot of movement in and out of the area so children come and go from local primaries.
I suspect mine is not the only area in the UK like this.

Winchester - and most of the rest of Hants. You might not get two in-year places in the same school, but all the schools in the city do a good job.

I'd agree Hants has some good options, especially around the Surrey/Berkshire borders

Dev

Sorry
Devon/Somerset/Dorset boarders. Great primaries like

Argh!
Like Kilmington or Shute, neither of which are religious, and for secondary there is Colyton Grammar, one of the best in the country, and Woodroffe state secondary, again one of the top and the latter non selective. Also Colyton not impossible to get into.
V near the sea, nice weather, decent house prices. I know you can get into primaries mid year that i mentioned if you buy/rent near by. I visited both schools, we are about to move there, and they are fantastic, as were the 2 secondaries.
Hth

Loads of places I am sure.

My DC went/go to a "good" infant and junior school and a "good" secondary as well. If you prefer, the next village down the road has an outstanding secondary. Students from both secondaries go to universities of various sorts including Oxford and Cambridge.

Not aware of anyone doing contortions/finding faith etc to get into any of those. DS2 in yr 6 - certainly space in his year FWIW tho maybe not in every other year in the school.

I live in an East Midlands city btw.

I live in rural Lancashire. My kids go to the local primary and comp. they are both C of E schools but with spare capacity so plenty of places for non churchgoers. My eldest goes to a Russell group university. We have never done any "gaming" as you describe it. Second child goes to a fantastic sixth form college (very slightly selective, 5 Bs for entry). They have loads of kids doing Oxbridge and medicine, Russell group Uni is pretty standard.

I suspect London has given you some misleading ideas about education in this country.

Living in London and a user of MN - that really is a fatally skewed viewpoint . We live in a place like you mention (but I'm not letting on where.....)

Places in all years at our village primary and rural secondary, which got people into Oxford last year.

This is despite the fact we are on the edge of the catchment for Gloucestershire grammars.