Moving to London In July. Any chance of getting kids into school

[Abdinhk]

Hello, we are considering moving to London from Asia, but won't be able to make the move until July. Assuming we could find a flat in a catchment area of a good secondary school, would there be any chance of getting kids into school that late in the game? Or am I going to have to be prepared to look for a private school.

We don't know what neighborhood we'd choose, though I've heard good things about Muswell Hill. Would anyone have any recommendations of other areas with Outstanding ranked secondary schools that would be less than an hour from Bank or LIverpool Street.

Yes, there's loads of last-minute movement especially for secondary schools - just be very certain about catchments and get your application in as soon as the rental contract is signed. And keep calling the council to check thereafter. Muswell Hill area is indeed very good for schools.

Admission areas only matter when children apply for Year 7 and the deadline is a few months before they start.

Your children will therefore be treated as mid-year admissions. When you move to a particular borough, a school place will be found for you somewhere in that borough depending on spaces available. Living 100m from a particular school might not make a difference.

The outstanding rating is given to about 4% of secondary schools with more than half getting the 'good' rating. Being rated 'outstanding' doesn't mean the school isn't a bit rough for example. A lot of 'good' schools will be much higher attaining than 'outstanding'. So while Ofsted reports are useful, they are only a piece of the puzzle.

Thanks so much for the quick replies. It's really appreciated.

Would you have any recommendations of other areas with good secondary schools that would be a reasonable commute to Bank/Liverpool Street. I'd really like to keep it under an hour.

I really don't know London well and find this all very daunting. I'd really appreciate any advice you can share. Thanks again.

You could consider the Hayes or Langley Park secondary schools, very well thought of and the local area has a train directly to Cannon Street (near Bank) in about 40 minutes.

You really need to look at Ofsted reports and then google individual schools. They vary a lot by specialisms and ethos. Also whether boys or girls or mixed. My daughter went to an excellent all girls school in Walthamstow which has a fast train, under 20 mins, into Liverpool St.

What sort of area are you after and what’s the budget? I live in Sutton which has excellent state schools. Trains go into City Thameslink. It’s a very green suburban area so is particularly worth recommending if you’re after tree-lined roads, big detached houses and lots of greenery/proximity to the countryside.
There are also many good state schools in other areas of outer London. Closer in and secondary schools tend to have a real mixture of kids and tend to be a bit rough.

If you’ve got the budget for a few paying school, there will be good options in many locations but it’ll be a case of finding one with spaces and then a house.