Has anyone managed to get into a top school after homeEd?

[pinkducklings]

Me and dh just lost our jobs, can only hope it's not for a very long time but school fees are having to go out the window immediately. This will most likely be our last term.

We never had any childcare so I worked pt. I had a good setup, I doubt I'll get that back now as was super flexible, so either I go ft and somehow get childcare or I home Ed and be sahm something I'm happy with.

Our plan is sort our finances out, homeschool and save for secondary.
Is it even possible to achieve a top secondary without being at school? Or perhaps we could return to prep for the later years first. Not an option to keep dc in school and also moving areas so not a simple task of putting them in the local school come September. Dc already been to a few schools due to job relocation as well so I'm feeling awful enough another change of education is coming their way (another reason for potential HEd) dc are age 7&6 year 2&1.

I'm worried we'll be judged out the door by secondary admissions.

You wouldn’t get into a small local school near me. Parents love them and they are always full. Larger town schools might not be. That doesn’t make them poor schools but the middle classes love the smaller rural schools. Especially the c of e ones who prioritise church goers. It’s a club you cannot break into just by turning up!

It’s easier to get into a school when you are entering mid year, and OP can just homeschool till a place pops up. I don’t see why it should be so difficult?

It is difficult, believe me. She wants two places. Schools might have waiting lists. Other people move as well. Some parents don’t move because they really want a certain school and remain committed to it. Thee is thread after thread on MN where parents need to move to an area but cannot get a place at the schools they want. I could name 10 schools where they simply don’t have vacancies. If DC have a “statement” or are looked after or adopted, then they take priority as well. It could be a long wait.

I realise that Covid-19 has scuppered your current plans, but multiple schools by Year 2, then a plan to home school for a few years followed by plan to send them to boarding prep school sounds a bit ... destabilising?

What careers are you in and where would you like to live? Funding 2 through a top tier private school while renting in London will be hard.
You say this term will have to be the last of private due to job losses - what happens if one or both of you lose jobs part way through the private secondary?

Be careful that you are not chasing something impossible.

But presumably OP can find out before she moves how long it’s likely to take to get into a local school? She’s happy to HE for years so a waiting list isn’t really a problem. People DO move while their children are in school. They do it quite a lot. It isn’t anything like the scrabble to get a place before Reception.

Try the village schools around oxford. There are lots of excellent village state schools with places. A good whack of the kids go on to private secondary at 11.

@5zeds it's actually quite difficult to find out re waiting lists in state schools. We went through it before put dds into this school we did research state schools hence my belief we'll end up home Ed. Some schools won't even speak to you until your postcode is in the catchment area already.

@Boswello could you pm me any school names? Or even areas? I would happily move to oxford. Thanks

Here you just phone the school and ask.

It's not so hard outside london. Most schools will tell you and advertise their places in the local newsletter. The one school that sticks out for me is The Buckland Primary school. Absolutely gorgeous village and has bus service into oxford. The school performs well and has a lovely head. I know they had some places. A good chunk of their intake will go to private secondaries. There's a few others in that same area as well. If you want close to didcot for an easy london commute I'd look at the school in Harwell.

Hit send too soon. Goring and Streatley both have primary schools that are well thought of and Goring has a train station. Goring/Streatley look like they popped out of a storybook. The train goes into reading and then on to london or when it finally opens you could transfer into crossrail. I know Goring has places last September. Goring also is on the joint bus route for Abingdon Senior and St Helens and St Katherines (private secondaries). Lots of kids from the village go to both those schools for secondary. If you have boys Abingdon has nearly a 50% intake from state at 11+.

Thank you very much @Boswello I will contact those schools tomorrow.

It's all very doable. If you end up in a place where quite a few kids will be on the same flight path as yours it makes it easier. Oxfordshire is definitely one of those places. Living in London warps your view of what it's like to get a school place. I'd focus on finding a place for your eldest at a school you're happy with. That will put your younger child at the top of the list for a place. You might need to home Ed the younger one for a bit while you wait for a place but it sounds like you're willing to do that. Having to home ed all through primary is a huge undertaking and I'd only recommend it if you really want to home Ed not because you think you can't find a suitable primary. A solid village primary with a tutor to fill gaps before they become holes will work just fine.

@Boswello thanks that's exactly my thinking. I want my dds to go to a school where the general cohort will be on the same page.

If I can't achieve that with a school I'm willing to do whatever I need to to ensure my dds get a good education.

School of course I imagine would be the better option than homeschool but if we homeEd we came to the conclusion we could move anywhere (cheap) and homeEd via an online system supplemented by visits to homeEd groups etc.

I think I've unintentionally made out on this thread that because we've lost our jobs we've lost everything. We haven't, but if incomes don't recover I would rather save our assets for senior school than use it all on prep.

I think that's wise plan. For girls you'll have a huge amount of choice for senior school including grammars in reading if you choose Goring. Some of the girls school have attached preps and you could always move them early if finances changed. SHSK, Headington and oxford High would be the place to start for bright girls. They have a much wider intake than the london schools and do just as well if not better.

Here's some info about Radley funding 11plus at a prep school which is on offer for children at state schools.

www.radley.org.uk/userfiles/rcmvc/Images/Headers/02-Admissions/Funded-Places-Scholarships/Header-11-and-13-Funded-Places.jpg
I’m sure there must be other schools who don’t start till Year 9 that would offer these sorts of schemes.