Can I apply for secondary school for daughter from short term housing?

[highflyer99]

Hi,
Can you help with advice please. Planning to move to London this summer 2018 (from the US), after the schools are already closed. I know we need an address before we can apply to a school, yet we don't want to commit to an address until we can find a decent school with an open spot for a year 9.We're thinking of looking for a 1-2month rental so we're not stuck in case we are only offered a poor school. Is this the best approach? We'll only be in London 1 year then returning home, and it's supposed to be an adventure, but right now is feeling incredibly daunting.

I don't think the state schools near Hampstead are particularly good and afaik, there are NO state secondaries actually IN Hampstead itself.

Thanks for the heads up about the tennis at Wimbledon. I’d better avoid that time if I can.
We need furnished because we’ll be arriving with 1 suitcase apiece and that’s it. Too expensive to try to bring over more from the states.
Well at this point I appreciate everyone’s helping me gather information. I’m trying to trust that it’ll all work out since I can’t rrslly force it. I’ll just get on the school lists once we move and like posters have pointed out to me- it’s only 1 year!

How about Bromley? You have a variation of good schools, they may be full but there is normally some movement.

Langley Girls
Hayes Secondary
Chiselhurst School for Girls
Bullers Wood (Secondary Girls)

You have transport links to Charing Cross and Cannon Street and from some stations to Victoria.

I know a neighbour had his fairly huge 3bed semi on the market for £2k unfurnished, so furnished 2bed may be in your price bracket.

Thanks reluctantbrit. I'll check out Bromley and the schools
Davros - suprised to hear there aren't good secondary schools around Hampstead. I thought that was supposed to be a good school area. Where do you think is good?

Hampstead is good for independent schools. There is a cluster of state schools in Dartmouth Park - William Ellis (boys), Parliament Hill, La Sainte Union (catholic) and Acland Burley in Tuffnel Park (mixed views) but you probably wouldn't get in from Hampstead. All I can think of from Hampstead would be UCL Academy (mixed views again) and a bit of a distance, Haverstock (far reaches downhill towards Camden Town) and Hampstead (complete misnomer, far reaches on the other side of West Hampstead). Hampstead itself is a bit of a desert when it comes to state education, both primary (unless you're willing to go to a faith school) and secondary