which areas of Greater London have most top state schools

[cuhk]

We are relocating to areas near to London and would like to know which areas in Greater London have most top/outstanding state schools to choose from, in order to increase in-year admission offer chances. Our kids are going for in-year admission to Year 3 and 5. We appreciate any advice. Thank you very much.

Easiest to do it by birth dates.

November borns currently in Y5 were born Nov 2008. If he was born Nov 2009 he will be going into Y5 in Sept. Hope someone will shout if that's wrong!

We are planning to move in 2 years time (or a bit earlier), but will probably purchase property 1 year earlier (that means soon), as we need 1 year council tax record for state school application (am I right?) Some in-year admission application forms ask for 12-month council tax record.

My elder one (born Nov 2011, will be 8 in Nov this year) is now doing Year 3 here (Our school abroad here intake students born Jan-Dec in each year). So if two years later (current plan), he will go to the UK after finishing Year 5 here (abroad). Will he be repeating Year 5 in that Sept in the UK? Since the UK has Sept of previous yeartoAug of current year intake each year? Thank you for advice.

Where are you? Will it definitely be a repeat of year 5 if following a different curriculum? For example we have a reception year in England so year 1 is really the second year of school.

Good and outstanding are a bit meaningless.

A school in a v deprived area can be outstanding and get excellent results (and be a great school) but Im guessing that's not what you're looking for?

Lack of poor people? Foreign people!?

"Results" at sats in year 6 is also a bit meaningless with secondary schools tending to test in other ways. Some schools drill for the test and get "results" but at the expense of other curriculum areas.

At year 6 id be more concerned about finding a good secondary school and just using the local school near that for a year.

With that birth date your eldest would go into year 5, yes.

Depending on the area, school spaces often open up in year 3 as some kids head off to private at 7+. So you will find schools that are heavily over subscribed for Reception with places higher up. Also in bulge years, after the initial rush, there are often not enough new arrivals to fill the spaces left across an extra class by natural moves. In our area there was no such thing as a ‘bulge year’ across the area; instead the schools took it in turn to bulge to accommodate extra kids when needed. So you could find that you have a bigger choice than you expect.

We are currently in hk doing an international school following the PYP curriculum. It’s the primary curriculum under the IB curriculum. We do the last year of kindergarten at 4-5 years old. We start year 1 at 5 years old, year 2 at 6 years old and year 3 at 7 years old.

Bromley is very good, also easy to commute into central London.

It's a complicated way round to think of it.

I think you're right though. A child born Nov 2011 is currently in Y2 here. He will start Y3 in Sept 2019 and Y5 in Sept 2021. If your youngest is YR (1st Sept 2013 to 31 Aug 2014 I think) then here that is a really full year. If they would be going into Y3 when you move, that might help a bit because some schools have separate infant and junior schools, and if you are here early enough you might be able to get them in in the general admission round to a junior school (Y3 entry). That would then bump your eldest up the list as a sibling. However that would require you having an address here well before summer 2021 - the main admission round closes in Jan and then they take late entries after that. This doesn't apply to schools that are "through primaries" (YR-Y6). To complicate things further, some areas have middle schools which are a different system again.

Theyre moving in 2 years so will be going into year 5.

Dont worry about "repeating a year." Our year 1 starts at 4, and he will have covered different topics so coming into the right year for his age will be fine, its just a year name!

Goodluck with the move.

If you are looking for high achieving secondary schools how about Buckinghamshire. It is a fully selective county at secondary level and all the grammar schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. Many of the non grammar schools called upper schools are not so good though. Lots of people commute into Central London from Bucks.

Thank you very much for all the advice on areas, schools and information about joining the year 3 general admission round.

But will those schools starting from year 3 take all their own infant school children and leave no space for outsiders?

Thank you again.

To get into an oversubscribed school you really need to target the school and live almost on top of it so you ago straight to the top of the waiting list. There are excellent schools all over London (and not all 'Outstanding') so you might be better to work out where you want to live, then the 'best' local school and then get as close to it as you can...

Re general admission round, I'm afraid it probably varies by area so you'd need to research the specific LEA.

However our area has pretty simple and common rules. Here, being in catchment ranks above being at the infant school in the admissions criteria. So children at the infant school can and do miss out on places in the junior school, to children who have moved in closer. Sometimes junior schools take slightly more children per class which mitigates that to some extent. Not all areas have defined catchments so there's lots of scope for variation, but I would definitely be looking to enter the general admission round for Y3 if you can. It can only help. And getting one child in makes so much difference to getting the next one in if you are living very close to the school.

Attaché, which area are u in?

I would like to throw sheen into the mix. Not as expensive as Richmond or Kew but lots of excellent schools.

Dulwich would fit the bill, but it’s pretty expensive

If you have a DC in Y5 you should be looking at where to live for the best secondary, as that's a bit more cut throat admissions wise, at least around here. That is to say, we have about 5 well thought of primary schools within a mile radius, all of which are pretty interchangeable, But the catchment areas are smaller for the most sought after secondary, and the next desirable one.

They will put your children in with children of the same age, not curriculum based. So Sept 1 2008 - Aug 31 2009 are currently in Y5 and will be in Y6 next year.

And state schools don't have a Y3 intake so it would just be filling any spaces they have because they weren't originally taken or because students have left. (Or school is quite well regarded but has expanded recently so it does have one or two spots per year. This may be the case with other "super" schools, as I think they call the schools with 3 or more forms - ie 3 groups of 30 / per year)

State schools here have a yr 3 intake. Infants and juniors.... it that not usual?

And state schools don't have a Y3 intake

About 50% of schools in our area do. 2 and 3 form entry state schools.

Appreciate some area have a middle school system which is different but infant & junior is pretty mainstream for state, isn't it?

I'm not really equipped to cope with the issues of in year entry, but objectively muswell hill and crouch end have great state school primaries and secondaries and are great family village areas to live. Great from baby to teenage. But scarey house prices. And transport into town is slower - but tons of parents do it.

Thank you very much for all advice on more places to consider.

About year 3 general admission, I found an example, Crofton junior school (outstanding by ofsted in 2019) in Orpington Kent Bromley. It has 700 something students and its infant school has 500 something students. Does it mean Crofton Junior school will admit 200 something outsiders in the year 3 general admission round?

Thank you very much for your advice again.

I suspect those figures are for the whole school not a year group.

@cuhk I used to live and teach in Orpington if you want to pm me I can give you some recommendations and ones to avoid!

Muswell Hill has several outstanding primary schools, two outstanding secondaries and is accessible for the Barnet and Enfield grammar schools.