looking for secondary school

[worrymum324]

Hi urgent help!
My husband just jot a job offer in London and we are moving the whole family there. We will probably move into High Barnet area as the property price seems still affordable. We are in urgent need to find some good state schools, or as a last resort, good private school for my son who is going to year 9 the coming summer. We seem to be in a circular situation. That is, our application may not be considered because we have not come and settle down with a living address, but we won't be able to decide which property to rent or buy unless we know a school nearby will be able to admit our child. Any ideas how to apply at such a short notice?

First can you actually afford private school fees in London, with all the extras?

Second there is a huge pressure on places in London, children in London (especially of secondary age) can travel quite some distance to school, especially as they have free transport. So looking for somewhere close to your sons school may not be realistic.

I would suggest you find somewhere you like, with an easy commute to your husbands work, and good transport links. If there are schools you like close that is great, but you may or may not be able to get your children in.

Then look at local schools, be ready to appeal for ones you really like. Apply to the LA when you arrive, see what they offer you, and go and look it might be okay. You can appeal for schools you prefer. You can also look at schools further away that you might like, and if they have a vacancy apply straight away.

There is movement at most schools in London, which is hopeful. Oh and you could apply for schools there now, and then change details when you arrive - but if you are offered a place, you would have to accept it (and he would have to start) within a couple of weeks.

The circular situation you describe is just how it works. Find a home with excellent public transport links (easy walk to a tube stop and near bus routes that head in a variety of directions). Apply once you have moved. Be prepared to home school (could you afford private tutors to help with that?) as a temporary measure until a place comes up at a school with an acceptable commute and of reasonable quality.

Thanks for all the warm-hearted advice and information. I wish to know something about private/independent schools, which may turn out to be our last resort. Is it too late now to apply and get my son admitted into Mill Hill High School, to start in this September as a year 9 student? Is it a good school? Does everyone have to be tested on French and Latin? Thanks in advance for your kindness.

In our local area of Petts Wood (London Borough of Bromley) we have excellent travel into central London in just 25 mins. There are some good secondaries in both private and state sectors. DD attends an all girls school so that won't be much help to you but popular boys independents nearby are Eltham college and Dulwich. Friends who wanted to go via the state route and moved into the area often find a place at a less popular independent like co-ed Farringtons and wait for a place at preferred school. A new all boys free school is opening near us in September called Bullers Wood (not to be confused with existing long established girls school of same name). Darrick wood is ofsted outstanding and is highly sought aftet but has a tiny catchment of about 0.9 of a mile. We are also near enough to the kent and bexley grammars which suit the brighter children. Most permit in-year entrance tests. Good luck!

I have friends who live in Barnet and the schools that they've mentioned are Merchant Taylor's and St Columba's. Then there's Mill Hill, Haberdashers and Aldenham which I think is very expensive. I don't know much about state schools but have heard of Queen Eluzabeth's Boys (and there is a girls' QE2).

thanks! I'll browse Bromley area. I've already got some disheartening replies from Mill Hill (both private and state) saying that they are full, and a long waiting list, etc. Mill Hill is in fact very expensive, not really on my top list. But when I heard they are full, it seems everywhere is full. There is a new school near East Finchley, Archer Academy - is it good? If we manage to live within the tiny catchment of some sought after school, what is the chance for in year transfer? Do we have to wait for like years to get in?
Thanks for all the kind help! really valuable information for us!

If we manage to live within the tiny catchment of some sought after school, what is the chance for in year transfer?

If it's sought after with a tiny catchment it will obviously be full initially. However, there is always a lot of churn in London and families do have to up sticks and move elsewhere. So long as it is at least 4-form entry (120 places each year) there's a decent chance that a place will come free in September. You'd have to be top of the waiting list to get it, meaning living right next to the school (if you move to a position close to the school you are ahead of those who live further away even if they have been on the waiting list for a year) and even then you could be beaten to the top spot if someone with special educational needs has an official statement saying they need that school. There is an appeals process you can use to force a school to take an additional pupil despite being full, but you need to have really compelling reasons. E.g. "My son is a grade 8 oboeist en route to becoming a professional musician and this is the only school in commutable distance that has a school orchestra an the facilities to nurture this talent". You would never win an appeal on the basis of "this is an excellent school and we only want our son to go to an excellent school, an average one is not good enough for us."

Do not under any circumstances consider moving to one home that is to be your proper family home whilst renting a small flat in the right catchment area for the purpose of school applications. This is considered to be fraud and is illegal.

St columbas is st Albans & a good boys private school. It would be a bus ride away. If you want to be north London, I would either move slightly further in, or to ,Hertfordshire. You will have more realistic school choice.

There is an appeals process you can use to force a school to take an additional pupil despite being full, but you need to have really compelling reasons. E.g. "My son is a grade 8 oboeist en route to becoming a professional musician and this is the only school in commutable distance that has a school orchestra an the facilities to nurture this talent". You would never win an appeal on the basis of "this is an excellent school and we only want our son to go to an excellent school, an average one is not good enough for us."
Sorry but this isn't absolutely true.

You don't have to need a really compelling reason just to prove that the harm done to the present pupils of having one more pupil in the classroom is less than the harm done to your son of not having a school place there.

grade 8 oboeist this might well be seen as irrelevant regardless of the school orchestra. However, my son wants a career as a professional photographer, and already has a portfolio - and only this school offers GCSE Photography - might be good grounds.
If you are claiming any medical or social grounds eg. "my son has a condition so he cannot travel alone on publi transport" you need the medical support letters to say "in my opinion as Harry cannot travel unaccompanied only X school is suitable" not "Mrs Harry says X school is suitable".

Admittedly you won't win on "this is an excellent school" grounds or "this school has better exam results".

If you do decide to appeal, come back and ask questions as there is a lot of knowledge on MN.

You will not have to wait years for a school place, the LA is obliged to offer you one in a "reasonable" amount of time. But this doesn't have to be at a school you chose, and doesn't have to be in the same borough. If it is over 3 miles away they do have to provide transport, but this is covered by the free transport children get in London.
You may never get a place at your favourite school, there could be no movement from your chosen year groups. Or when there is movement someone may have leap frogged you up the waiting list (which gives priority on the same grounds as priority is given for year 7 entry).

The issue with a lot of the private schools is that their entrance process starts in Yr6 or 7 for Yr9 entry (13+). So they will already have made their offers for Sept and will have waiting lists. You can try to see if they will accept your son as a late entrant but exams will be an issue. Schools like Mill Hill and Merchant Taylors mentioned above have their entrance exams in Jan (Yr8) for entry into Yr9 in Sept.