Moving from US with 6yo, where to live?

[americexit]

Hello Mumsnet, first post here.

My husband's company is moving the family (of 4, two kids 6 and 2) to London sometime in January. We are currently in downtown Washington, DC. and sending our 6yo to a local public (state) school. DH will be working near St. Paul's Cathedral.

We can not afford private schools, so are looking for some good state schools to help us narrow down our search. We have a few expat friends in the Nottinghill area, but none of them have school-age kids. We'd like to live near them though, and be relatively close to Central London. We can afford around 3000/month rent for a 2-3 bedroom.

So...where should we live?
What schools should we research?
What should our strategy be to try and secure a good spot?
We are open to home-schooling as a short-term option.
What else should I know?

TIA

You have 4 months though OP - you can get him reading in that time.

Could you speak to his current teachers and explain how important it is for him to be reading by Christmas? They might give you some extra help.

I think you will need to home school in the short term.