Where did you move to from London for secondary?

[Tapticktoes]

Been in London 20 years. No family here except my own (dh and 2 kids, we are very much a nuclear family) Like large towns or city outskirts. Don't need to commute but need train links. Good secondary school that progress the vast majority to university.

Can anyone share their experiences and where?

St Albans. The state schools are all non selective and lots are outstanding.

[quote Tapticktoes]@NotCure172 DH is interested in Birmingham but I couldn't figure out schools. What will the options be?[/quote]
Grammars galore.

@SpikeySmooth

We considered moving during Y6 but a place came up at an excellent state secondary near us so we stayed. If I were to go "home" DD would be travelling up to an hour to the nearest "good" school.

My friend is in Bromley and she wants to move! According to her it's very polarised, there's an extremely academic boys grammar and so so girls, and OK boys comp and average girls comp with extremely tight distance - and travelling to Kent is way too far.

Sorry replied to wrong one. Darn phone

@DistrictCommissioner

Winchester? Westgate then Peter Symonds?

Thank you will look into it

St Albans if you want to be close to London. Excellent state schools and independent also.

@NotMyDayJob

Durham

For Durham Johnston? What's it like living in Durham for teens?

@SpikeySmooth whereabouts in London?

@3totheright4totheleft

St Albans. The state schools are all non selective and lots are outstanding.

I'm guessing Beaumont and Sandringham? Are there any differences because I think you can only go for one or other based on where house is and also it's a tight distance

What do you think of Harpenden vs St Albans?

Yes Harpenden is such a lovely town and 2 friends have moved there for secondary options

@districtcommissioner I suppose you have to be living there to take the entrance exams?

Birmingham has various grammar schools & there are nice areas on the outskirts with decent schools - Lichfield or Sutton Coldfield are nice enough.

@Tapticktoes I can’t comment on Birmingham but Solihull has Arden, Solihull School, Tudor Grange

Guildford. 3 of the main town states- county, George Abbott and St. Peter's- send a big majority chunk to university. Lovely town to grow up in.

Durham has plenty going on, though I've no idea how people would describe the night life for teens - mine didn't tend to stray outside chain restaurants and a games cafe

The Music Service is one of the least expensive-for-users in the country. Looking at some of the Music threads on here there are plenty of parents who would think it didn't offer the standard they're used to, but mine both got G8 (S1 in two instruments) and had fun in ensembles.

There are sports clubs. A highly-regarded gymnastics centre.

(and at least 2 secondary schools that would side-eye your assumption...)

@Tapticktoes
You don’t need to go far. Buckinghamshire has county wide grammars. Are your DC primary age right now? You would need to look at the Bucks web site for all the details but nearly all DC in the grammars go to university. But you need to take the 11 plus to get in.

In lots of areas which are reasonably close to London, you will find many primaries are full. Many preps are probably full too. Popular areas with good schools attract parents.

[quote Tapticktoes]@TheChemicalMother East London?[/quote]
South.

Dependent on catchment but either of the Charter schools, Dunraven, the Norwood school, Chestnut Grove, Graveney, Kingsdale, lots of the Wandsworth secondaries….

I wouldn’t move for grammars.

What if on the day your kid doesn’t pass? Or one does and one doesn’t? You don’t need to be in a grammar for a good education, their results simply reflect the selective cohort, not the quality of education. That can vary across all schools, selective or not.

Hampshire is reputed to have excellent comprehensive schools.

If York looks small to you, Ripon and Durham are even smaller.

@Tapticktoes yes you need to be in catchment for those 2 but the single sex schools have a much wider intake. Harpenden is nice but there is more for teenagers in St Albans

Watford...the grammar schools boys and girls .,fab transport links as well

@TheChemicalMother
What other schools are there where nearly all DC go to university? That’s what the OP asked for!

In Bucks there are very many higher achievers (100 plus at Sats) in the non grammar schools. 1/3 in some. Many of these DC go to university too. Therefore if you move to Bucks and choose the right town/village, you would get a grammar or a very good secondary school that gets better results than very many comprehensives. So it can be win win. Or move to somewhere like Thame with an excellent comp but within striking distance of a bucks grammar.

Bromley.
You have Bullers Wood for boys, which opened in 2018. I know if a few (fussy) parents with sons there who are extremely happy with the school.
You have Chilslehurst School for Girls which is also very good (and has a grammar stream). There is also Bullers Wood girls which seems very popular with parents.
Then you have the option for the grammars. I would advise against the grammars unless your child is very academic. The Bromley/Bexley grammars are very competitive and I know of very clever children who struggled at them.

We moved to Camden, but we have 2 girls. If we had a boy we'd probably have gone to Muswell Hill. Both have good comps, but with small catchments. I didn't want to risk moving for a grammar, my dc are bright but we moved quite a few years before secondary applications so it was hard to predict how well they'd do at 11+.

@TheChemicalMother
Please tell me about Hampshire schools as that’s where I’m based! I do know Winch has many options.

OP, I lived in Birmingham for 10 years and yes there are lots of grammar schools. You also have option of Solihull as already mentioned. I do think you need to live in the right area though and there does seem to be a postcode divide in Brum. I grew up in London only moving for career purposes and remember it being so diverse and sort of less of a divide than I saw in Brum. I’m now Hampshire based so quite different.