Moving to London with 4-Year-Old – Need Advice on Schools and Neighbourhoods

[nedp18]

Hi everyone,

My family and I are relocating to London from Paris in April 2025, and we’re starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with planning. We have a 4-year-old daughter who will be starting reception in September. We’re keen to place her in a state school, but we won’t have our exact address until February/March. This has made it tricky to figure out where to settle, and we’re unsure how the in-year application process will work for us.

We’re looking for a 3-bedroom small house with a garden or terrace and are currently considering the following areas: Highgate, Dulwich, Walthamstow, Woodford, and Wanstead. However, we’ve heard that with in-year applications, there’s a risk of not securing a place at a nearby school, which is adding to the stress.

Has anyone experienced something similar or can offer advice? Are these areas good for families, and what are the schools like? How likely is it that we’ll get a school that’s far away, and is there anything we can do to make the process easier?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated! 😊

Thank you in advance!

Op the fact you mention those areas but don’t mention budget is… concerning!

That’s a very varied selection of areas. Can you say a bit more about how you chose them?

I would call the relevant councils and ask them to talk you through it all. They should be able to let you know the procedure. In-year application lcan be tricky and it will really depend on the individual school. You could look into schools that have spaces now just to get a sense of which ones might be worth thinking about? Obviously doesn’t guarantee they will have a space next year.

our budget is up to 4k a month, we will be working at city of london, and we would like to be close from king cross this is how we came up with these areas.

Dulwich is nowhere near King's Cross and it is not a good journey between them.

dulwich?

OP get a map of london out and circle the area that you’re considering

id be surprised if dulwich is included in that

For King's Cross, you'd be better off considering Islington / angel / Caledonian Road and areas around there. There are places with gardens available but obviously budget will have to flex, which is why I mention Caledonian Road too

Some of those areas will have very sought-after schools so I would assume you won't manage to get an in-year place for the most popular schools. The deadline for admissions is 15 January so is there any chance you can shift the move any earlier (eg by securing a rental and moving one parent there a little earlier)?

When is your daughter's birthday? If between April and August, would it be worth deferring a year if possible so you can apply from an address you're established in?

My daughter is born 10 september 2020. my budget is quiet flexible but I will then forget about Dulwich as didn’t see that commiting to king cross is not easy.

I will see if I can move earlier than march. thanks all for your answers, it is really hard for me to navigate this move to london with schooling and housing at the same time and not familiar at all with the british system.

Look around the Hampstead Garden Suburb side of East Finchley. Nice area, nice schools and you can go directly south on the Northern line.

OP, given the drop in birth rate, people moving out of London due to the cost of living, Brexit etc there are are quite a few very good primary schools in North/NW London that were not full in Reception this year, though I’m not sure about other years - definitely best to call the school to check. For example, Tetherdown Primary in East Finchley (on the northern line) had spaces in Reception. East Finchley would give you easy access to Muswell Hill which has a lot of very good primary schools (though there’s no tube station in Muswell Hill) so you would have more options.

Dulwich is fine if get the right location. You want to be close to either Herne Hill or West Dulwich (one stop and change at Herne Hill) and your commute to Kings Cross is very easy/quick (Thameslink).

The benefit in choosing Dulwich verse those other locations is an amazing area to bring up young kids. We are based in central London and spend most of our time is Dulwich as there's so much to do there.

I can comment on Walthamstow, Woodford, Wanstead. Your budget seems realistic. There are definitely a lot of good state primaries in these areas but you will need to do your research, as I learned that the definition of a good school can vary wildly between different families. If you go on the council websites for Waltham Forest / Redbridge you will find a pdf with last year admission stats. There were a few schools with places still available even after late applications as it’s a relatively low birth year. Obviously it won’t be exactly the same this year but it will give you an idea.
Commute wise it’s very easy to get to the City on the Central Line but it is very overcrowded and often runs with delays so it can still be stressful. Victoria line is quick to get to Kings Cross from Walthamstow. As these are big areas that you are considering you will need to check the transport options for the specific areas you will narrow down.

Is your daughter a French speaker? Will you be looking at the Lycee in Kensington for future schooling ? There are bi-lingual French English primary schools aound some of which feed in to the Lycee, others that do not. There is a big French speaking community in the Clapham/Battersea area. Good commute to KX via Northern and/or Victoria lines.

One possible state school which usually has places is Shaftesbury Park School which has a bilingual section. Catchment is mixed - some families v well off, others not so much. Ideal at infant/primary level.

Wix is another bilingual option but over subscribed.

my daughter is french speaker yes, so thank you I will check also bilingual options.