Move from Hendon to St Albans - Schools? Private and State

[blahnikbetti]

So I am possibly looking at a move from NW London to St Albans. Children at the moment in year 3 and reception at a nearby private school and very happy BUT I need a financial B plan for September 2019.
There are no state schools I would want them to go to round here but having been to St Albans a few times, it is definitely somewhere I could see myself living and I have heard the schools are excellent. I have 2 boys and both very sporty.

My question is where are the good primary schools in St Albans and when would I need to think of applying for Sept 2019. I know that I would have to be in the catchment area and would be looking to rent initially. Also Catholic schools could be included ( both boys go with my parents, although haven't had them baptised yet - was going to let them decide....but.......!)

anyone?... :-)

There are many excellent state schools in St Albans but they are all heavily oversubscribed so you would have to be on the doorstep of whichever you target to be at the top of the waiting lists for incidental places. You may find you get a place for one initially but not the other.

These are some of those well thought of: Maple, Fleetville, St Peters, Albans City school and for catholic St Alban and St Stephens. Plenty more also I'm sure.

Would would be an in year application points as you have mission the main admission cycles so would be reliant on where there are places and as such you may not have much of a choice (and you may not get them places at the same school). Apply via the local authority once you have a local address and go from there.

That's a bit of a wake up call - I'm going to be incredibly lucky to get them both in :-(
Finally are there any villages just outside St Albans that have a good primary school? Thanks for your help :-)

Marshalswick part of St Albans is nice. There are very good schools in the area, Skyswood, wheatfields and there's a catholic primary in the area which often has spaces.
Spaces often pop up here and there in St Albans due to a lot of movement.

I think I am going to call the schools you mentioned and have a chat with them, especially to find out their catchment areas! Thanks for your help, it's quite daunting when you are staring from scratch.

If you go for the villages you can end up in a black hole for secondaries I am told. Harpenden? Good primaries and secondaries ...

Google herts school admissions in year admissions for the current vacancies. You need to get somewhere to live then apply for a school. Then it's generally done on distance with preference given to siblings and those for who Are nearest. Having 2 is going to be tricky unless you choose a less popular schools. (You'll see which those are one the list. They have lots of vacancies.)

St Columba’s is a Catholic boys Independent- good pastoral care, great sport and not a hot house (tends to be a back up choice for boys who don’t get into St Albans School). Has both prep and senior school. Could be a good stop gap if you get one into a great state school and you need somewhere to wait out until a sibling place comes up for the other.

Thanks I will look in to both of these options :-)