Looking for a school

[TheCreator101]

hi all, can anyone advice me on a good school for my soon to be 10 year old turning 11 in july 2020 looking in the Altrincham area. We will be moving to the UK in Jan 2020 and need some serious advice. thanks in advance

Are you looking for state (free) or private (££).

Assuming state, your son would be in y6 this year, so moving in Jan 2020 you are looking for:
a) A primary school to move into for 6 months and to take SATs.
b) A secondary school to start Sept 2020

The deadline for secondary school applications is 31sdt October 2019 and you can't apply from abroad. So any application you make once here will be classed as 'late application' and will be considered after all 'on time' applications. What that means is that places at all the most sought after schools will likely be full and you will get whatever is left over.
On the positive side however, as you will get an application in before allocations day (can't remember when March/April) then once waiting lists move you may well get in to your preferred school via waiting list if you live close enough to it.

No advice whatsoever on actual schools. (I don't even know where Altringham is.)

Repost with the area in the title for specific advice

Unless you are a military family and then you can apply from abroad and you will be given preferential places.

Further to the general information Teen gave, Altrincham is in Trafford, which is a grammar school area.

That means that children in the area take an exam at the start of the year before they start secondary school and, depending on how well they do, they will either get a place in a grammar school or a non-grammar school. As you'd expect the brighter children tend to go to grammar schools, and so the range of ability at non-grammars tends to be less. If you're looking for a state school (if you're looking at private, ignore all the above) then your child will miss taking the 11+ which means they won't be eligible for a grammar school place. I imagine there is a system for people who move into the area after the usual exams have been sat, but you'd have to find that out.

If you are looking at private, you'll find that many children actually travel to Manchester/Cheshire schools.

But as per PP, I'd suggest reposting with "Altrincham" in the title so you get some sensible local knowledge (I lived in the north west as a child, so all my knowledge is 20+ years out of date!)

Yes to the above. We put a transfer application in June for September 'in year' having been told incorrectly in March it would be processed at the end of the Summer term as a late application. They will not process until you are actually landed on the tarmac back in the UK and even then it can only be processed in school time not holidays, 5-20 days pending other transfer applications.
For us it turned out fine...I put 1st 2nd place options down and we got our local school but ours was not over subscribed and it was not a reception or a year 7 placement.
So you won't necessarily be able to rely on postcode and may have two weeks of homeschooling even if places are available just so you know (for me it was fine as I needed that time for transition).
Altrincham Grammar Schools for Girls and Boys are the best but highly competitive to get into (and single sex obv) Loreto and St.Ambrose similarly oversubscribed.
Lymm high school also has a good rep, that's about 7 miles away from Altrincham. Will also be tough to get places but it's not my LEA, you need someone local. Feeder primaries for Lymm would include other places like Grappenhall. Maybe a thread with Anyone from Altrincham? then your request.

No...but Manchester Storm ice hockey team play out of Altrincham.

And yes to the exam entry...no idea how they handle transfers from abroad but unless you are tied to Altrincham, that might be a deal-breaker for you as the entrance exams for Sept 2020 entry were taken last month.
They apparently do do later exams but after 1st March 2020.

Good area for schools.
You need to ring Trafford school admissions urgently. They will advise you of cut off date address wise.. Might be worth renting slightly earlier to have correct address.
Your problem is timing! Your child is in Yr 6 and needs to pick a school for next year. I'm told its a bulge year. Deadline is end of October or you are a late entry and the really good schools are therefore going to be incredibly difficult for you.
The grammars have also recently had there entrance exams so you've missed that too.
Have a think about what you want for your child... Private, single sex, religious etc as that will affect the options and where you should buy/rent.

Oh and St ambrose ( Catholic boys) says it isn't accepting late applications on Yr 7 admissions page...

If you are Catholic BTH is a possible (mixed, not grammar) ... You need to get your baptised Catholic child into a local Catholic school.. See their website for list of schools

Trafford Council school admissions page has a guide for 2020 applications which shows you application numbers and who got in previously catagory wise
Can't advise on private sorry...

Oh and there isn't one exam in Trafford... Its not an 11+ style... Some grammes have combined to do 1 test and mark/emphasis on different parts... So could pass for none, 1, 2 or all... But others have own exams... Alt boys and Catholic grammes for exampke

What % go to grammar in this area?
Perhaps someone could let the OP know as it may well be that her DS isn't in that %. Perhaps also advise on the non-grammar schools? Are they good for the pupils that go there?

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk

That's where the stats on schools are. You'll have missed the exams and aaplication deadlines so, as above, get in touch with Trafford.

Thank you everyone your advice has been very helpful. We havent yet rented a place as this is a company transfer with work based in manchester area and they are giving us an option of where to live. Trying to kill many birds with one stone here buy finding the best school and then working backwards to the area to rent in. I have another kid turning 7 in feb 2020 and currently in Gr R. Our academic year ends Dec 2019. I guess I have to contact Trafford council to see how we make this work for both kids. Open to area suggestions for good schools for girls and for new families settling in. Thanks again in advance.

So your youngest will be in year 2.

Trafford has some of the best results in the country. In general its spoilt school wise and therefore schools that would be seen as great in other areas are just average here. Trafford was (not sure if still stands) the only area outside London in top 10 for ks2 results (OP that's the test they do at end of primary school (year 6)) ...some of that is as a result of level of tutoring that goes on for grammars.

Grammer %isn't huge but what I would say is there isn't a huge proportion of mixed, non selective non religious schools.... Where I grew up most were but here there isn't as many.

You need to put where you can afford into the equation as well... As you will see from the Trafford guidance on website some schools have a tight entrance area... So some schools might be out as prices just to high...
Have you looked at the school info on rightmove for houses you like and can afford?
The Manchester evening news also does a real school guide that's updated every year... Its on the Web.. You put in the school name and it scores school on a whole range of items... Attendance, progress etc and gives you ofsted results. etc. It also gives rank for that year in country and previous 2 years... Can't take too literally but can see if going significantly up or down...

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk › ...
Every secondary school in Greater Manchester ranked and rated - search ...

Hope this works...

Trying again...
<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/secondary-school-ratings-greater-manchester-16538352.amp&ved=2ahUKEwi3j5fZsfvkAhWfQEEAHQ66Bs8QFjABegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw3yYflrL5xX6Alg8hJU-ua1&ampcf=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/secondary-school-ratings-greater-manchester-16538352.amp&ved=2ahUKEwi3j5fZsfvkAhWfQEEAHQ66Bs8QFjABegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw3yYflrL5xX6Alg8hJU-ua1&ampcf=1

www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/schools/school-admissions/docs/2020/2020-Guidance-Notes.pdf

www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/schools/school-admissions/docs/2020/2020-transferring-to-secondary-schools-prospectus.pdf

Last link is 127 pages as has each school detailed... Hope it helps...

If it is a company transfer and they are paying for private as it is a secondment then probably Didsbury to live and Manchester High School for Girls to study. If state school but they are paying for accommodation then Didsbury and Parrs Wood secondary.
It all comes down to how far your DH will commute. Cheshire and Knutsford were all swanky wag at one point and Cheadle was nice.
Heaton Moor and Heaton Mersey were nice.
(I am not in Manchester anymore so you might want to repost wrt nice catchment areas).

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/parenting/best-worst-high-schools-manchester-15728613

Some of the schools on the worst list were not wonderful over a decade ago. Others are probably being unfairly judged on the progress 8 stats. Put it this way, my DD's future secondary is on the worst list and I am not overly concerned as I know the area and school well and a lot can change in two years.

Thank u...ur amazing