Wimbledon vs. Dulwich

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Hello all!

American here - we have a potential move coming up to the London area, with 3 kids. My husband isn't on a typical expat contract, so independent schools really aren't in the question.

I have researched and understand about the deadlines to apply and moving from overseas, I really don't see how we can meet any of them, at any point, whether we moved in summer or mid-year, with the exception of the youngest and meeting a reception deadline.

We are looking at the Wimbledon area (near Southfields station) and the Dulwich area. Both seem to have loads of good and outstanding state schools. My question is - surely the kids can get into one of them regardless of when we move, right? I think I read a stat that 95% of the schools in Wandsworth are good/outstanding?

We can't decide if it's better to do a move right after Christmas or in the summer. If we move at Christmas, we can apply for reception for our youngest by the deadline time and the older two (Year 4 and Year 6) would just get what they get? Or we can move in the summer and we'd have a Reception, Year 5 and Year 7 (starting secondary).

I know all parents think this, but they are bright, friendly kids, so I'm not too too terribly concerned about them, but I am a little bit, since it's a big change all around.

My husband can't move first and apply for secondary for my oldest can he? I think I read somewhere that the kids have to be present to apply?

Thoughts?

OP, unless you become so convinced that one specific school is so fantastic that location becomes almost irrelevant, I think the first decision is between inner (Wandsworth, Dulwich) vs outer (Sutton, St Albans) London.

I'd prefer the shorter commute of inner London, and the convenience of getting to zone 1 more quickly (even at weekends) but these things are so subjective.

Maybe the lifestyle in outer London is more similar to that in Texas (bigger houses, less population density, etc)? Not really sure.

Also, especially if you are not white but possibly also if you are, you might want to consider the diversity of each area and school. I know a couple of non-white families who didn't want to send their kids to schools in outer London because they wanted more diversity.

Also, how likely is the husband to change job? Maybe not much because of the visa? Inner London can be more 'future-proof' in the sense that it might be easier to commute to another location if he gets a job in another part of the city.

SouthLondonDaddy, honestly... St Albans is not outer London, it’s a town (well, technically a city) in the commuter belt. Might suit someone who wants to be in a cute English town and not London. As far as I know, trains into central London take 19(?) minutes so commuting wherever is easy enough.

Outer suburbs (zones 5-6) are indeed very different in feel to zones 2-3. Many larger houses on bigger plots, super leafy, loads of golf courses (and in Sutton there’s more tennis clubs than corner shops too) and a lot less busy. For example, you can rock up at a playground, soft play, swimming pool or climbing wall and it’s never too busy to use. Some stations will have fewer trains but others have excellent trainsport links. It’s possibly a little less diverse than inner boroughs but not bad at all. I’m not British and find it really nice - in our street we’ve got many British families but also a good number from continental Europe, Korea, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan as well as a couple of black families so a lovely diverse mix.

Tbh, the biggest downside to moving to outer burbs is probably finding a house to rent. Vast majority of houses are bought by families who come to raise their families here so they buy and stay put for 20+ years. I know of only 1 rental in my road (of about 100 houses). The upside is a strong community: our road has a busy WhatsApp group and neighbours take turns to invite everyone round for coffee, Christmas parties etc. When we first moved in, neighbours came round with cards, home-made jams and offers of help etc.

Anyway, I did live in zone 2 for a very long time too and can see some upsides of that as well ;)

Yes I follow Abroadpurpose on Instagram and have read some blog posts - but typical of Americans moving over, they end up in private/independent schools and that’s just not in the cards. My husband wouldn’t be on a typical 2-3 year contract and back home, it would be move over indefinitely, with 2 years being a minimum if one doesn’t want to repay moving costs.

So here’s my question. If my husband moved over before the school deadlines, could he apply for schools for the kids and then we move them over when their school is out in the spring (or homeschool them until it’s time to start school in the UK?)

St Albans and Harpenden do have excellent schools as far as non-selective state options go. Might be a good choice if you’d rather bring your children up in a cute English town rather than London itself. IMO, the downsides are expensive commute (and physically far from central London even if the trains are super quick), and it’s also an expensive place to live - more so than many quality places in London.

In terms of the admissions question, it is quite technical so might be worth starting another thread as there are some admission experts on here. I think it might not be entirely necessary as long as you have an address here and the children’s passports.

OP, do you think you’ll fly over beforehand to double check you like the area where you’d like to apply?

Yes, I'm certain we will do a scout trip. We also have the luxury of having lived in London before (prior to kids) so we have ideas, though it's been many years, so I know things have changed.

I know this is an old thread, but out of curiosity where did you end up? We are very much looking between similar areas - East Duwlich, Wimbledon and Harpenden for similar reasons (good state schoos/commute) so I thought I ask.