Where to move in London for secondary

[LondonSchoolsHelp]

Feel like this is a classic topic but haven’t found a recent one.

I’ve got a boy and girl, currently year 2 (summer born) and preschool (autumn born). We live in an area with lots of well-off families and private schools (which we can’t afford), a couple of super selective grammars (which are 95% Asian - we are white and I wouldn’t want the kids to be in such a small minority, even if they got in). As a result the local comp isn’t really a comp, results not great and there is a drugs problem.

Planning to move to the catchment of a good state school in the next couple of years. But where?

It’s very early to say but I don’t think DS would get a place in a super selective grammar - he is in the top handful in his class (and is summer born) but it doesn’t sound like this would be enough (or is it too early to tell at 6?). I’d be more confident about DD who is only in preschool but ahead of the game (typical girl). But I think really for safety we are looking for a good comprehensive.

I work near Liverpool Street and DH works in Victoria, though I am in the office 3-4 days a week and DH only 1-2. We’ve always lived East but I don’t think there are any areas near us that fit the bill.

Our house budget is probably £1.3-£1.4m if we were to move now…who knows in a couple of years.

I feel sad as love our current area and we have made so many friends here, but I can’t see things changing at the local school, even with the VAT increase. All the parents at our (excellent state) primary are just saving up for secondary.

So where should we go and when?

Name changed for this, we used to live in your area and moved. There were a few different reasons but secondary schools were the biggest factor. We moved to an area which is well-known for having high house prices and a lot of very good state secondaries (not sure if it’s been mentioned on here but it usually comes up on MN “where should I move for schools” threads).

It’s over three years since we moved now and I have a few reflections.

Firstly, we now have at least two (and maybe three) outstanding state secondary school options, and it takes so much pressure off. We no longer have to worry about whether to tutor for the 11+, or whether to save for private school fees, or what will happen if we miss a week of church attendance. I’ve come to take it for granted a little but when I read threads like this I remember the stress and uncertainty of feeling like there weren’t any secondary school options I was entirely happy with, and I’m glad we’ve left that behind.

I do have some regrets though. I miss the area you live in - we had some nice friends, I felt like there was a good community, I liked the easy access to central London. Where we live now, a lot of people have moved here for the schools and it feels a very cliched, affluent bubble - but I can’t criticise because I did the same thing as the rest of them 😁

As my children get older, I also wonder if I put a bit too much emphasis on schools when they were very young. No school is perfect, and the state schools around here still have their issues with drugs, bullying etc, despite being excellent on paper (and so do the private ones, for that matter). Some children have good experiences at average schools, and vice versa. There’s so much more to life as a young person than school and perhaps I didn’t fully appreciate this when they were little.

I also wonder if we could have tried harder to make the most of the schools nearby, either by getting really invested in the state secondary or by considering schools which were not in the immediate area but not too far away. We are churchgoers so probably could have played that card too (although I know this isn’t relevant to you).

Anyway, I’m in a generally introspective mood tonight so apologies for the ramble! In summary, I probably regret the move (but have come to terms with it), but DH doesn’t - which I think proves it’s a very personal decision and there’s no right answer. Good luck!

R

Quoted the wrong post, sorry.

If you are referring to Wanstead High, I think you're wrong about grammars and privates creaming off top pupils and about how representative it is of local area. Well over 80% of its intake is from the local primaries (olol, aldersbrook, nightingale, snaresbrook). Olol's year 6 children are always split between Wanstead High and Trinity. Only a handful go elsewhere. It is absolutely not 90% white, it is 50% white, 40% black/asian, 10% mix of other. So, racially, it is exactly where you say you would like to be. I'd also question that it has a drug problem (at least one that is any more pronounced than any other school). Drugs are in every school. There's a lot of local sneering directed at that school and it has always baffled me as, results wise, it's as good as Woodbridge and Trinity and at least as good as many schools mentioned on this thread. I only recently moved and hordes of kids from that school walked past my house every morning and afternoon. My home office looked out on the street and I never once saw any trouble. Never saw smoking, vaping, anything dodgy. Twice I heard someone swear. But every day it was just kids walking to and from school, no trouble at all. If I was moving for schools, I'd probably look at Harpenden for results, there seems to be lots of good schools there. I'd imagine it is pretty white and middle class though, whiter than Wanstead High I would think. If Wanstead High is too white (with only 50% white students) and Ilford County is too Asian, not sure what mix would work for you.

@padsi1975 I know lots of parents with kids at the school who have either taken them out, are in the process of doing so, or have younger kids they are planning to send elsewhere. For the intake the results are poor - eg both academic performance and progress are below lots of the Newham schools nearby where the demographic is much more deprived - and they have a bad track record with bullying and drugs (again I have direct evidence of this).

You’re entitled to your opinion of course but it isn’t going to encourage me to send my kids there. I didn’t want or need to spend time bashing the school or going into detail on this thread as I’ve already made my decision on this.

I also know lots of people with kids at the school and respectfully disagree. Their results are certainly not poor compared to Redbridge schools and lots of schools mentioned on the thread (the compare schools.gov.uk bears that out), there are certainly schools out there with better results (some schools mentioned on this thread). I personally would pick a different school to ANY Redbridge or Newham school if basing on results alone. But it is not 90% white as you claimed and saying it has a drugs and bullying problem on a public forum IS bashing the school. Unfairly so, at the very least you are wrong on the racial diversity claim. The fact that you know some parents of kids in a school with over a thousand pupils does not make you an expert on whether or not they have a bullying and/or drugs problem (over and above any other school). Absolutely every school in the country will have some kids who get bullied and their parents would no doubt feel like the school has a bullying problem (and share that belief with every friend). That doesn't make it true. There ARE better schools academically, that is a fact. The rest is opinion and it is unfair to the school to trash their reputation with claims of bullying, drugs problems and not being racially diverse enough (which is just not true, if you are wrong on that perhaps you are wrong on your other points). Good luck with your search, you have a household budget that gives you great options in terms of moving from Wanstead. Not everyone is so blessed.

I didnt name the school in my OP or later - you have gone out of your way to resurrect this thread, comment on my post, identify the school by name, and disagree with me, when that’s totally irrelevant to my question 🤷🏼‍♀️.

I haven’t claimed to be an expert, but I have said I’ve made my mind up.

OP- I think we are in a similar situation, although my 2 children are a little older. We are currently overseas but will be returning for secondary school and are currently contemplating London schools for boy/girl (for Y7
in 2028). We have a place on the very edge of a catchment (Charter North in Dulwich) but we wouldn’t have got in in recent years. So wondering about a move. I’ve taken out a Good Schools Guide subscription (for a month) which I’m finding a useful resource for mapping out good options that work with our commutes. Please PM if you’d like to compare notes! Like you, I also want to get the balance right between great school and commute time/actually seeing my kids who I happen to like!

Is charter North good?

East/North Dulwich, or Herne Hill. For the two Charter Schools, but also for fast trains to Victoria, London Bridge and Blackfriars/Farringdon. Local primaries are also almost universally excellent around there.

Just check the charter catchments as they are both quite small (approx 800-900m). They might get bigger as the birth rate declines, but it’s not a safe bet.

Yes, Charter North is excellent. Outperforms many of the local indies.