Just moved to Richmond, please help!

[nevareka]

Dear Mums,
Thank you for reading my post. Please help.
My husband just got a job in London and we moved from US few months ago. Our son needs to go to secondary school next year.
I started to look for the school and so far just founded Tiffin that I hear is hard to get in. Can you please list the schools that you know is good in the area? My son has no problem to commute. Private is an option too, although our financial status is not the best and we prefer public.
Thank you so much. I have no idea what to do.
NR

hello

I don't have much info although I am local, my little girl is only 5

Tiffin is indeed a good school but the area is not known for an abundance of very good secondary state schools (not public that means private here)

there are however a few private options

also it is probably best that you also post in the 'Local' board as I am sure I have seen a few conversations there on the subject, best of luck

Grey Court
Richmond Academy (formerly Shene)
Orleans
Christs

Depends where you are in Richmond. State schools in Richmond at secondary level are generally perceived as not the best- however, Grey Court is very much on the up.

Call the school admissions people at Richmond council (look up number in their website). They will let you know the information about feeder schools and catchment areas in Richmond and which school your son is likely to get in to. You can't choose your state school unfortunately you can list your preference but there are criteria.

he must be at school now so I assume you can talk to the other mums at his school.

Not sure if you have missed the deadlines for all the private schools you may have for some and not others - there are a huge number in the area as many run school coaches. Good Schools Guide gives a list.

State secondary seen as poor in the borough and a huge percentage send their kids to private.

We're in Richmond and there are lots of schools, especially if you don't mind commuting/paying! The first thing to be aware of is that for state schools (except Tiffin, see below), whether you get in is based on how near the school you live. For private schools, it's whether you pass the entrance exam and can pay! (But obviously for both, they have to have a place free).

State (free) schools:
Teddington and Orleans Park are probably the best, closely followed by Greycourt and Christ's (but you have to be CofE or live very close to that one). My state pick, if i was moving to the Richmond area but could choose where I lived, would be to buy somewhere near to Teddington School, which has just been rebuilt and is meant to be fab. (but property doesn't come cheap around there). Tiffin is a state school, but it is what's known as a "grammar" - it is highly selective academically, I can't over-estimate how hard it is to get in to (1 in 10 who apply get in, but if you have a very bright child, maybe worth calling them - I wouldn't imagine they have many places for late entry though).

Private (fee-paying) schools:
Kingston Grammar and Hampton are pretty near (fairly academic but worth a try), then there are lots of slightly less academic ones going into Surrey, but if you don't mind a commute, they're definitely worth a look - Halliford, St James' (Ashford), Reed's and I think there are lots more. The Good Schools Guide (a book or I think online) will point you in the right direction. I suppose if you're looking for somewhere very academic, you could commute into London to Latymer, St Paul's, Westminster...out of my league!

Hope that helps!

Are you already living in the area? State secondaries are always in great demand, so you usually get a place at the one closest.

If you are thinking of private, the deadlines for applications will be soon, you need to check. Actually the deadlines for the state applications must also be soon!

Um, surely the best source of this information is the school your son is at now - or is he homeschooled/boarding?

Ask to speak with your son's form teacher, and sound out other parents in tehe playground.

Can I add in a dumb question - if you get a high enough mark in Tiffin 11+ exam is that all the place is based on, or is distance from the school (or anything else for that matter) still a factor? A bit confused about this over grammar schools after seeing the short bbc2 series on secondary schools in Birmingham.

Tiffin has no distance criteria. Admission is just down to the mark in the exam. And the exam is only VR and NVR.

Thanks animula, that's really helpful

Tiffin is extra ordinarily hard to get into, and a child needs not only to be in about the top 2% but also very practiced in the exam itself. Both mine failed, one by a very large margin, yet both are doing well at supposedly academic independent schools.

You will need to move fast for both state and private as entry deadlines will be soon.

1. Buy a copy of, or subscribe to, the good schools guide and read all the entries for schools near where you plan to live.
2. Find the post code for a street you might want to live in and then use TfL's journey planner to find the actual journey time to each school. London in the morning is traffic clogged and the length of public transport journey depend on transport links not distance.)
3. Consider living near a Tube station as this will give you good access to London schools. For example the Harrodian run a bus from Hammersmith, and Latymer Upper is opposite a tube station. Colet Court is a longish walk from Hammersmith. Ealing schools eg St Benedicts, might also be possible. Some Independant schools may run buses from Richmond.
4. Be realistic about your child. Even if they are very bright would they thrive in a very academic environment. Mixed or single sex? Do they have strong non academic interests eg sport or music.
5. You need then to contact Richmond Council for state entry though they will probably insist you are resident before you apply, and the admissions officers for the relevant Independent schools. Deadlines are approaching fast. Be prepared to pay out a lot of cheques. Also be warned that many of these schools are pretty swamped with up to 10 applications for every place. Though this is partly because children will each do around 3-5 tests.
6. You have missed a large part of the open day season, and may find it difficult to get an individual tour. You will need to be in London for the Independent school tests. Dates will be on websites.

11+ is a good time to transfer and tests at this point are not based on knowledge but VR and non-VR. You need to practice a little. There is quite a big different between what state and Prep school pupils will have covered when they enter an Independent school at 11. In many of the Independent schools around Richmond the majority will come from the state sector, which means that no prior knowledge of French or Latin will be assumed.

Good luck.

Hi. what school is he in now (if any) because Richmond has a link school system . so preference is given to pupils at a link primary. This means that for the better (on paper) schools it is very hard to get a place unless you are at a link school if you are going in at 11. The official closing date for state secondary schools is 30/10/10 . but Richmond have sais they would like applications by 22/10/10 if possible. Tiffins Open evening is 11/10/10 (dates written English way!)

hello
we move from US last year to Richmond I have a son same age and a d 13 if you need advice contact me
[email protected]

If you mean next year as in September 11 be aware that the exams for entry into both tiffin and the private sector are almost over. Hope you mean 2012!

We live in the area too, and are going through a similar process. Just wanted to add that if all the above sounds extremely daunting, it is. Also to UK parents by the way, but they usually have a number of years to gather info. However, in case you plan moving back to the US, you might not have to worry as much. A lot about 'the right school' in the UK has to do with getting into 'the right' university and 'the right network'. If you plan to move on before that I believe you can relax a bit, as there are many good quality schools in the area really.

Beg to differ. Think you'll find that secondary education in Richmond is more to do with avoiding the poor state secondaries that are an insult to the great state primaries and all those primary teachers who strive to get our kids off on a good footing. Universities and networks? LOL Believe me, I and my fellow year six parents aren't looking much beyond march 1st (when all the secondary offers come out) just now. And I say that as someone sat in yet another cafe outside yet another 11plus exam.

All Richmond Borough parents need to be aware that the council is looking to make some significant changes to Secondary Schools over the coming years, which could impact existing schools, so check out the thread: "New Secondaries for Richmond Borough" and join the debate. The council will hopefully listen to parents' views, but we can only engage in the process if we know what's going on.