Danes Hill and other private primary schools in Surrey

[lavendarmist]

Hi. We are a South Korean family relocating to UK in August, due to my husband's work. The decision was made somewhat suddenly so we have not had a lot of time to prepare. His office is in Chertsey, Surrey, so we are considering Kingston, Wimbledon, New Malden as areas to live, but it really depends on which school that we can get into.

We have 1 boy who'll be in Year 4 in Sept., so we need to find a private primary school that still has a place open. He is good at sports, especially at football (an aspiring football player), so we're looking for a school that is strong in sports as well as having good facilities. English is a concern, as it is not his native language and his current English level may be about Year 1-2 at most..(?)

We expect to live in the UK for 2 years and then move back to Korea, so academic achievement or secondary enrollment is less of a concern. A school with a diverse range of activities and a friendly atmosphere towards foreign students would be fine. Tuition will be covered by husband's company, so we are mainly considering private/prep schools that have a low entrance barrier (non-selective).

We've applied to Danes Hill, which we are waiting for a Teams interview, but I feel like I may have to look into other options, because the house we're considering currently is in Kingston which is 30-40 min drive to Danes Hill. Some other recommendations were Ewell Castle School, Claremont Fan Court, St.George's College, Hall School Wimbledon, but I'm not sure whether they will have the availability at this point.

Any insight & advice into our school situation would be greatly appreciated!
Greatly looking forward to our new UK life :)
Thanks in advance

https://www.locrating.com/school_catchment_areas.aspx?lat=51.392296&lng=-0.5038294 this might help your school search - what I would say is that 30 to 40 mins commute to Danes Hill from Kingston might be overly optimistic (Esher can get very busy).

Given that you are coming over for a short period of time I would look for schools that are either walking distance to the house or that have good afterschool childcare and holiday clubs. If you are too far from the school you are unlikely to be able to do playdates and won't be able to become part of the school community which may mean that you feel isolated.

HTH and that your move goes well.

You could consider Feltonfleet as it's nearer Chertsey but they may be full. Otherwise yes go for a school near a house you like. The traffic through Esher is heavy in the morning.
Another option in surbiton high boys prep but from year 4 many of the preps are focusing on the entrance exams for secondary schools.

Your list is correct that Claremont Fan and Ewell castle will have less focus on entrance exams as they are all through schools.

Thank you for the heads up on the traffic! The house we're considering at the moment is in Kingston, so we're searching info on the nearby prep schools. The closest ones are Rokeby (3 min), Shrewsbury House(12 min), Ewell (14 min), Feltonfleet(17 min), Claremont Fan Court (20 min) - drive time according to Google Maps. We are inquiring on availability for each school but in the meantime any reviews on these schools will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

@lavendarmist , come back for feedback when you have the offer of the place as some on your list may be full or want your dc to pass an exam before being offered a place.

Hi OP is he open to any flexi boarding? That might open up your options a bit. Lots of good preps in Surrey / Berks that he might not want to commute to every day, but if he was happy to board one or two nights a week once he's settled, it might make them workable too.

I presume you are already aware of the strong Korean community in New Malden.

Local private schools would be Rokeby or else look towards Wimbledon (eg Kings etc) or Shrewsbury House. There will be school minibuses as an option, assuming finance is not an issue.

There are also excellent state schools locally to consider!

Try also Milbourne Lodge in Esher

I don’t know much about those schools but I do know that John Terry’s kids went to Dane’s Hill. My sons played football against both his children. Terry looked on grumpily from the touchline - his kids lost both matches!

Where did you end up?
Rokeby is lovely.

So is Ewell Castle.