moving to UK for job in London - where to live, 3 kids...

[milenalee]

Hello,

We are US citizens who have three children who have been attending the local German speaking Swiss schools for the last two and half years. My husband found a job he loves in London and so we must move...

Our kids are 9 years old in 3rd grade which I think is 4th class, 10 almost 11 in 5th grade (6th class?), and 12 in 6th grade.

We don't have a place yet. I would like to use state schools but we could sell our house in Seattle and use private schools. Perhaps we should for the girls and perhaps a girls' school would be better. But it's not a must of course.

What I don't want to do is move them around a lot. It's already tough for them to move and start a new school. I don't want to have to move them again once they do start a new school, unless it's the natural progression and all the kids are new.

My son has something called auditory processing disorder and is somewhat dyslexic. His education needs are very different from his sisters but he is also clearly in elementary school whereas they are already in secondary. At least his needs narrow down the pool of schools to consider.

Where would you choose to live if you had three children these ages? Generally I like to walk places but do not need to live in a city, rather hate crowded cityness. My husband would rather not commute more than 45 minutes to an hour each way.

It will be at least two months before my husband can start working. He has to get the visa first. So even if we rent a place early we cannot apply to local schools? If he is resident and we are still waiting for the kids to finish their year can we then apply?

Thanks so much for any advice.

Just off the top of my head, we rented a 3/4bedroom farm house in a small village outside Cambridge (30 minute bike ride, 20minute bus ride/10 minute car ride) to the town centre,the rent 10years ago was under 1000 pcm. The nearest train station was a 10 minute bike ride. Looking at rightmove it looks like the general rental on that area of cambridge is 700-1500 pcm for a 3-4 bed property, might be worth looking at the annual train prices. There are village stations with trains directly into Liverpool street. It can be just over an hour but it is direct. I would also say a 4 bedroom house in Essex and an annual train ticket would be within the 3000 budget. London is out at that budget. It is probably about an average of 4-5000 for a 3 bed in most of London.

I have to disagree with tomandizzymum. We are renting a 3 bed house in a very nice area of SW London (Wandsworth) with good schools and transport links for under 2K pm. Unless you're really looking at top end, 4-5K pm is a lot to pay for rent, and 3K should be fine (although 4 bed houses are few and far between).

You could start with this website and google the schools in areas you're interested in? It will show schools and distance from each house if you tick the appropriate box:-

www.rightmove.co.uk/

The OFSTED website is good for giving you an idea of what the schools are like:-

www.ofsted.gov.uk

You could also look at each individual school website (but take with a pinch of salt) or the good schools guide (which you have to pay for) will also give some insight but mainly deals with private schools.

If you like facts and figures, the DFES website can be useful for finding more about schools too:-

www.education.gov.uk

Good luck!

If I were you, OP, I would definitely consider renting in Cambridge near the station. The commute by train into Liverpool Street is less than an hour.

Cambridge is a really good small city, very easy to get around by bike, fantastic facilities for kids, and great schools. Also, because of the university, schools are very used to having children who have been educated in other countries.

The Sunday Times yesterday named Newnham in Cambridge the best place to live in Britain. It's about a 10 minute bike ride from Newnham to Cambridge station.

This thread is becoming like a best town competition. ha ha... But work near Liverpool St station is easily covered via waterloo (via waterloo and city line). 1 hour from esher(most southwestish within greater london) to work. Personally less expats in SW is better for me as rents in this area is inflated by so many expats!!!

Here is a possible scenario for you:

Live in Ingatestone in Essex, in this house:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-33447195.html

It is £2,650/month, has four bedrooms, is less than half a mile walk from the train station. Trains into Liverpool Street take less than 30 minutes. A 12 month season ticket would cost £3,320. www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares/season-tickets/season-ticket-calculator

Meanwhile your DDs can attend the AngloEuropean School. It is just around the corner from your house. The school gives priority based on distance and your children speaking a second European language and having a link to the culture. aesessex.co.uk

The nearest state primary for your son, an easy walk, would be: www.ingatestonefryerning.essex.sch.uk/home

The problem with this idea, or any idea, is that there is a lack of school places in both the state and the private sector. Compounding the problem is that none of your children will be entering school in a starting year. So you will be relying on the odd space becoming available. For children aged 10/11 who have just applied for high school, year 7, next year, only a 2/3rd in London got their first choice. And 6% got no school at all! That means there are thousands of families in greater London with no school. Madness.

So, whatever you do, I would call the schools you are considering directly. Not always easy, but worth it. Some secretaries are nicer than others, but be persistent. Having some idea what you are up against asap will help.

Good luck!

LittleFluffyMoo you're very very lucky, we rented out our property near Wandsworth and were advised to expect 300 per bedroom per week. It entered a bidding war and went for more as there is a lot of competition for places in that area. I think 3000 for most, especially a 4 bedroom would be unrealistic in London.

OP I told you you'd get thousands of suggestions. I thought they'd be in London, but they are rapidly spreading!!

Look at the towns of Brentwood, Shenfield, Ingatestone - (Essex). Quick into Liverpool Street on the train (20-30 mins). Excellent primary and secondary schools including the Anglo-European Secondary School in Ingatestone which has a lot of international students.

Essex suggestions eminently sensible. The other places are nice (south and west) and yes, you can commute into Waterloo and get the W'loo & City line, but given that the OP can pick anywhere, it makes sense to pick the simplest commute without so many changes/opportunities for stress and delays. There's plenty of nice places on the train line or central line that would take her DH direct to Liverpool St and offer a nice standard of living. Schools will be tricky everywhere given that they'll be in-year applications, but wherever they are, they will get a place. Good luck OP, and best to plan for worst case scenario in terms of travel, not optimistic timings for tubing across the city.

I agree with pinkdelight, the schools will be difficult where ever you go, but you'll cope. It's silly not to move some place with a sensible commute when you have a completely clean slate.

I think Ingatestone because of the AngloEuropean school is a good bet for your family, but if you prefer to be on the proper tube line, here is an example that is a third of a mile from the Woodford tube station. About 20 minutes to Liverpool street.

4 bedrooms at £2,500/month. Not bad really.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-33784011.html

Hello again,
It seems each place is a bit different about applying to schools. In Cambridge they let you apply six weeks before you actually are in place. In other places they let you apply as soon as you have a rental agreement. And in some places you have to actually be there. People have been saying it won't help to come in June but I'm not so sure.

And basically all the outstanding and lots of the good schools everywhere within commuting distance to London have 100 or more kids on the waiting list for 7th class. It's a much different situation if you don't have to work in London....

thanks!

It's worth asking the Local Authorities what the turnover of school places is like. There may be lots of people on the waiting list, but there might be lots of places which come up each year.

Cambridge has a lot of turnover of school places because lots of children are here from other countries whilst their parents are workbg for three years at the university. So in-year school places are always coming up at the end of the summer.
That might also be true for some of the other places mentioned on here.

I have too many places to consider. Basically we've eliminated London because the cost of living is too high and it's too hard to get housing we can afford. This leaves:

Bishops Stortford, Saffron Walden, Cambridge, and Tunbridge Wells for sure

But then Colchester, Petts Woods or Chistlehurts, Thames Ditton (very little for rent, cross town tube?), Brentwood, Ingatestone....???

I am going to visit places next week Sunday to thursday. What can I cut out?

???

Thanks so much for all your help.

OP, the waiting list isn't in time order. If you move nearer the school than someone else on the list, you will go in higher up.

Also, many on there will settle in other schools but not always take their names off.

Thames Ditton is lovely but I don't think the trains are fast or frequent.

Try and come straight into Liverpool street . When the work moves, it's an easy walk to bank x

Cut Thames Ditton, it is completely the opposite end of London to all the others.

Yonic is right, when you arrive somewhere you will enter the waiting list based on their criteria. Generally if you live closest to the school you will enter the waiting list at a higher level.

It takes over an hour to get from Cambridge station to Liverpool Street. It takes 29 minutes to get from Ingatestone to Liverpool Street. I personally think Saffron Walden, Cambridge and Tunbridge Wells are too far from Liverpool Street to be first choices. Same with Colchester. Look at Brentwood (35 min), Ingatestone (30 min), and Bishopstotford (40 min.) They all fit in to one day's looking around because they are relatively close to each other. Call the AngloEuropean school and ask for a tour. It's one of those free state schools that people fit tooth and claw to get into and because of your situation you might get an advantageous spot on the waiting list.

Anglo European has a waitlist of 180 and only took 68....

By the way, Bishops Stortford also has an Anglo-European school (Hockerill).

Yes, but it's not the size of the waitlist that matter, but where you are likely to be ranked on that list.

You will find this problem at every school you consider. Generally the best way to jump the queue is to rent a house as near as possible to your preferred school. Because distance from school is the only criteria that you can control that will make a difference. Once one child is in a school, the trailing sibling will then be granted preference. At any of these Anglo-European schools you will full-fill an additional criteria of language and culture which may help some too. So Hockerill sounds good too.

The house I linked to as an example in Ingatestone is 0.1 of a mile from the AngloEuropean school. That's the sort of distance you should aim for, whichever town/school you chose.

If it is a private school the wait list may well be in time order.

If it is private, I would expect it to be in order of performance on the entrance test if the school is selective.

I would go Cambridge or Essex. Cambridge has a direct line into Liverpool St Station, it's a lovely place to live with lots of green space and plenty of schools including private and state (need to pick your schools carefully but there are good options). Try Newnham.

Brighton is lovely but it is not at all green and the commute would be painful.

Second the advice to move earlier.

Alternatively (thinking of Cambridge villages), you find somewhere to live within easy reach of Whittlesford Parkway station (on the Liverpool St. line from Cambridge) and send your kids to Sawston Village College (state secondary school) or Cambridge International School (private, international, senior school in Little Abington, junior school in Cherry Hinton).