Where to begin

[mflores]

I am moving to the London area from the U.S. late August with my 11 yr. old son and I have no idea where to begin researching the education system. We have not settled accommodation so that does make things difficult in looking for a school. Might anyone be able to offer advice as to how the schools and sytem is set up? My son completed 5th grade and I understand that means he will be moving into secondary school? Can anyone suggests any websites that can help me get started? Thank you in advance.

Thanks misstruchball for clarifying. Its a beautiful part of the world around there we took the children to Whipsnade a couple of weeks ago and drove around the area.

Where can I find information on train and tube routes? I come from a city with very limited public transport so I am trying to get my head around the transportation network over there. Unfortunately my university doesn't provide family accommodation so that is why I am having to look in the public sector. I have tried sites like rightmove but as I am coming over as a student wholly dependent on student loans I have had a hard time. I am looking at sites like gumtree and getting better feedback from private landlords but still having no luck as I think I may be looking too early as we don't intend to be there until late August or early September depending when visas come through. When exactly does the school term begin?

For train and tube routes, try www.commutefrom.com/. Note outside of London's tube zone 6 prices for commuting are much higher (but then as a student you may be able to travel 'off-peak' - normally after 09:30.

School terms normally start first week of September.

Also have a look at www.tfl.gov.uk

That is the website for transport for london which covers all the public transport in London.

Note - driving into central London is not an option. You would be hit by the daily congestion charge plus parking is a nightmare / impossibility.

In the London Borough of Westminster term starts on Thursday 6th September 2012

If it's just you and your son I recommend keeping your commuting time and costs down and living as close and convenient to the Wallace Collection as possible. Massively better for you both if you don't have a long journey back to where you live and where he is going to school. That might see you living in Clerkenwell, Islington, Hackney, or over to the West eg Shepherds Bush. My point is don't dismiss London living. Typically areas in London can be very mixed ie there are more affordable bits of areas. Also, areas like Hackney shouldn't be dismissed because there are a few new schools which may be worth considering eg Bridge Academy, Mossbourne. Even Haggerston takes boys as well now. Your son would certainly see a slice of London life.

Thanks for the transportation links. As it will just be my son and I the idea of being as close and convenient to the Wallace Collection as possible is ideal however, as a student dependent on loans and what part time work I can get that may not be possible given the price of accommodation. My budget is £1250 per month for accommodation and from what I gather that doesn't seem like I can get much in that price range close to the Wallace.

Also, are uniforms required at all schools? Do the schools recommend their own uniform suppliers?

There is no blanket answer: each school sets its own uniform policy. However, there has been a crackdown recently on over-rigid policies (eg you have to have the blazer made of angel hair that is only stocked by Harrods - they were worried about hidden discrimination against poorer families) and schools are supposed to have two suppliers, to ensure competition. Most schools do a variant of plain shirt/blouse with dark (black or grey)trousers/skirt, which are stocked in the main high street shops. If you ask nicely the school will probably have some of the 'identifiers' (eg school tie or logo'd jumpers) in lost property for you to borrow until you get yourself soted.

sorted

I'm pretty sure that all state schools would give you a little bit of leeway on uniform under the circumstances - you'd have to have it within a week or two, but not necessarily on the day.

Are you religious? It's a big question - roughly 1/3 of state schools in London select by religious observance. If so then you'll want to talk to your local priest before you leave about writing a letter confirming your attendance at your local church, and filling in a form. Some religious schools will let you in even without a form from your priest if you live right next door, some won't.

And does your DS have any disabilities or other special educational needs?

I'm pretty sure that all state schools would give you a little bit of leeway on uniform under the circumstances - you'd have to have it within a week or two, but not necessarily on the day.

Are you religious? It's a big question - roughly 1/3 of state schools in London select by religious observance. If so then you'll want to talk to your local priest before you leave about writing a letter confirming your attendance at your local church, and filling in a form. Some religious schools will let you in even without a form from your priest if you live right next door, some won't.

And does your DS have any disabilities or other special educational needs?

Oops, sorry for double post.

We are not religious. How will that effect school possibilities? My son does not have any disabilities or special education needs.

If you're not religious then, crudely speaking, many state schools in London will be unavailable to you (between a quarter and a third, but they tend to be smaller schools). Only looking at the specific rules for each school will tell you for sure which is which, but any school with a Saint in its name has a strong chance of having religion-based entry criteria, although you may be able to get in if you live very close (or if it's an unpopular school which can't fill its places with religious pupils). Just something you need to bear in mind.

For secondary school level I don't see any disadvantage - if you are Catholic with sons and very good attendance head straight for the London Oratory where Tony Blair's sons went or Cardinal Vaughan but can't think of any outstanding boys or mixed schools which are Church of England. You could try the Foxtons website www.foxtons.co.uk/ which allows you to search all areas of London for rentals and has a school search as well - use it for research but it is not necessarily a recommendation to use Foxtons as an estate agent. Hackney and Hoxton are pretty trendy and arty so you might want to start a search there. Bridge Academy and Mossbourne could be considered. I personally loathed City of London Academy Hackney whereas I know someone who was much impressed by the 'traditional' virtues - that just goes to show it is quite difficult to judge without seeing a school in person. When you narrow down an area I do suggest posting questions about specific schools.

The normal annual cycle is that parents apply in the autumn (fall) for school places, the LEA (local edcation authority) think about it and then announce the allocations on March 1st to start the folowing September. The LEA has the power: parents may ask for a preference for a certain school but they cannot demand. Parents often work years in advance to tip the scales in their favour (getting a house in the right street, regular church attendance, tutoring etc)

Although it is a nice idea to try to pick & choose your school, you have to be realistic. All the popular schools will have filled up six months ago, you are only just over a month away from the new term and the LEA will be slow to react because we are in the height of the holiday season.

I think your best bet might be to work contrarywise. Instead of asking "which school do I want" and trying to make it happen, it might be best to ask a more mundane "which schools still have spaces" and work from there.

You might want to take a look at what year 7 is doing on the national curriculum website. The children in year 7 may be the same age as your son, but they will have had one more year of schooling than him. It might be worthwhile spending some time this summer catching up.

There are usually spaces somewhere in the LEA for children who turn up somewhere suddenly, but they will tend not to be spaces at the nicest schools. So much cannot be figured out until you decide where to live.

It would seem that it would be best to wait until the Olympics have passed to look for accommodation as I have no set date when we will be arriving since that depends on the visa process. I am having no luck at the present so I will give it a couple of weeks. At the rate this is going it doesn't look like we will be in the country until early September.

Senua your suggestion to think about "which schools still have spaces available" and go from there is a good idea. Is there any way that I can find this out? Would the education authority or some other entity be able to offer any guidance? Or will it be impossible to even start until I have narrowed down a location?

Also, what is the link to national curriculum website so that I may look to see where year 7 is currently? I am sure my son will be behind so I know I will probably need to find a tutor for him.