Moving to Virginia Water - gravel mine / schools

[LazyMumOfTwo]

My DH and I have plans to move into a bigger house (minimum four beds) and would be happy to purchase a two/three bed with potential for extension. He drove past Virginia Water recently and is now adamant that we should move there in the next 1.5 years.

Properties there seem expensive so I’m not sure what we can get with a 850k budget.

Gravel mine
I looked into it and discovered the proposal for a gravel mine but can’t seem to pinpoint where the exact location might be. (Trying to avoid it in case planning gets approved). It also looks like it has been some years since it was first proposed so maybe it will be called off..?

Would be grateful if anyone has more information on this.

Other areas to avoid
Are there any other parts of VW we should avoid as a family with two young children (3 and 1)?

Schools
DS will be starting reception in September 2026 and as I am hoping our next home will be our forever home, I would love some primary and secondary school recommendations.

We may consider going private for secondary but will most likely go with a state primary school for the kids in the meantime. We are not religious and would prefer co ed schools.

Thank you in advance! :)

You’d need to be applying for a reception school place relatively soon. You need to apply from a permanent address, so will you have moved in the next few months?

No. It will likely be an in year application

You’ll get no choice with an in year application OP as all the good schools will be full with a long waiting list. So you need to move now, rent next to you chosen school then buy.

Surrey school admissions is basically a blood sport I’m afraid

That actually did not cross my mind until now. Am going to have to reconsider our timeline!

It’s no bad thing to move and rent if you don’t know the area. Choose the school, rent nearby, buy at your leisure once your kid starts.

Waiting lists aren’t first come first serve. They go by the existing admissions criteria, so OP could become top of the list.

@SunnySideDeepDown only if she moves next door to the school!

Which would probably cost more
than £850k…

Or child has EHCP or a disability, or anything else on the criteria.

The EHCP would have to name the school, and they take months to put in place (if they are needed/approved at all)

Many schools do not have medical/social need as a criterion.

Many do though and EHCP was on the admissions criteria of our primary. Schools have different criteria, most don’t start with distance.

All I’m saying is there won’t necessarily be a long waiting list, it depends how they’d fair on the entry criteria.

We will not have any of the special criteria so it will likely be a case of distance.

Is it safe to assume that while we are on a waiting list for a new school, DS can continue attending the old school?

Yes, you can stay on the waiting list whilst attending another school. But places may take months or years to come up.

Thank you @SheilaFentiman . I guess that’s our only option as I cannot see us moving (renting or buying) in the next few months.

I will be looking more into Virginia Water generally in the meantime.

I’d make your DH explore as he’s the one wanting to move you all there from driving past 😂😂😂😂

IKR. 😂