Moving from Canada - secondary schools HELP!

[heymamabear]

Hi! My family is moving back to the UK from Vancouver in Canada. The children will be 11 and 13 - so one will be starting in secondary school (year 7) and the older child will start in year 9.

Has anyone experienced applying for schools from overseas?
The well-regarded state schools warn that they are over subscribed and because our address at the time of application is in Canada, this puts us in the bottom priority level for a place at the school (we're not in catchment yet and it's thousands of miles between school and our address).

We have missed the deadline for grammar schools. We haven't missed independent school application deadlines, however I'm concerned my children are not well prepared to sit an entrance exam (no tutoring and it's a very different education system in Canada, which also started a year behind the UK)

Another concern is that I will get my younger child a place in a school on allocation day next March, but that school will say they don't have space for my older child. I'm told we can't apply for the older child until next June?! How do I get both children into the same school?!!!

Where are you moving to in the uk? You can either contact private schools or wait until you arrive and contact local authorities with your uk address. It's not unusual to have your dc at different schools so that shouldn't be an issue. Not all private schools have difficult entrance exams, they use the test to work out where your dc would sit in their school.

Hi OP - are you moving to England as there are different systems in UK?

Also I assume a grammar school area? Don't know much about that I am afraid but there must be some kind of process for in-year applications. others may advise.

Are you looking for private or state - it's not clear? If private - bear in mind it will cost about £15-20k per year per child. Be assured that the vast vast majority of children in England attend state non-selective comprehensives and do just fine.

When are you coming to England (I am assuming England)? If it is before Oct 31 and younger DC is 11 after Aug 31 this year, then they will be placed in yr 6 in a primary and you are correct, you can apply for a state school and should get in to your nearest/catchment school. If your younger DC will be going in to yr 7 (ie they are already 11) then it is an in-year application, which is what it will be for your older child.

The Local Authority (LA) will offer your child(ren) a space at a secondary school; it may not be the one you prefer, as it will be one with spaces. You should accept that place; if it is more than three miles away the LA will provide and pay for transport. Meanwhile, go on the waiting lists of preferred schools and hope that someone leaves.

WRT getting your DC into the same school - not really an issue. Most secondary age children make their own way to school and some families choose different secondary schools for their DC for all kinds of reasons.

Can you say roughly where you are moving to (for grammar advice)? Also clarify when and exactly what year the DC will be in? People can give you better advice then.

Apologies btw if lots of this info is known to you, as it may well be.

Independent schools are used to pupils from overseas sitting entrance tests and not having followed same curriculum. Some will also have a year 9 entry point so both dc could sit for same ones. You may have to accept that the dc will not be allocated the same school, especially in the state system, and face a journey from home. If so you can appeal but the process will delay starting even if successful. When do you plan to move to and where?

For state schools you may need to get one in and then use sibling priority to get the other in. (This wouldn't work for a grammar school though). You can also use your Canadian adddress to get places at any state school which isn't oversubscribed.

If you post a general area you plan to move to (preferably in the thread title) then local people will be able to give you inside knowledge. For example they may be able to tell you about which schools are not oversubscribed but which are nevertheless still good schools. There is an example in my area of a very undersubscribed school that has underperformed historically but is now good. It has been waiting a long time to get the Ofsted badge to prove it is good (due imminently) but locals have known it for a while.

Also, when are you moving?

Hi everyone! Just waking up in Canada to all of your wonderful replies - thank you!

We won’t be moving until next summer so it will be a Sept 2022 entry into Year 7 & 9.
We’re considering several areas - Cheltenham, north Cotswolds, Stratford mainly, but possibly Bath.

Hearing about these places having great schools was a big draw - but now I’m concerned that because we’ll be in Canada at the time of applying we won’t get into the “good” state schools. We had already missed the deadline for grammar schools for 2022 entry and although there is a late test, we were warned the spaces are usually filled by that time from on-time applicants.

I’m surprised to hear that many siblings attend different secondary schools so I would love to know a bit more… do they generally take school buses or make their way independently?

@heymamabear , good to know your timeline and location. Yes siblings attend different secondaries as many schools are single sex and yes the dc get there by public transport or school bus, parents don't take their children to secondary school unless you are living in a very remote area.
I'm not familiar with the areas you mention but best of luck and you sound very organised.

Thank you @Skatingpark97 😊

Something else worth mentioning ... state school waiting lists are ordered in accordance with the admissions criteria (published on the school website), not first come first served. So its very common for a late applicant to go straight to the top of the waiting list, e.g. by renting a property very close to the school if distance is the main criterion. In the summer there may still be some waiting list movement. You can join as many waiting lists as you want.

Thank you @habitcat That’s really good to know!

Bath doesn't have any grammar schools and secondary schools are good.
There are also several independent schools that would be likely to have space.

I was in the same situation as you, but not from Canada.

The only solution was to go privately. Independent schools are not at all bothered where you'll be living.

I booked private school places a year in advance to give everyone in our family peace of mind.

I understand this might not be an option for you.

If you can be flexible as to where you live (sounds like you can) then you might want to look at a non grammar area, especially as you have missed the deadline for tests and think your DC might not pass anyway. Do you have family connections or work ties to those areas?

Most areas don't have grammar schools so the secondaries cater for different abilities well.

If you are actually moving in sept 2022, I don't think you will gain anything by applying (from Canada) in Oct this year, as you will only be offered a school that has spaces because people don't choose it. I know which school that would be in my town.

I think my best advice would be to choose to live somewhere in catchment of a good school that is perhaps undersubscribed, as habitcat suggests. I could suggest some near me but I am not near your suggested area.

And yes, 11yos normally make their own way to school. In fact that's not unusual in yes 5 and 6 tbh.

I can’t talk much about local state schools but there are some great independent schools in that geography which may have vacancies for a 13 year old. In Bath have a look at King Edward’s. In Cheltenham, maybe consider a day place at Cheltenham College where the entry point is actually 13 so your DC would not be joining an established group. If you move towards Stratford, I think you may struggle more for an independent school place. Warwick School (Boys) for example tend to only have a limited number of places at 13. There will be other independent schools with places but they may tend to be smaller or less academic. Good luck with your move.

Thank you all for the great advice. I’ve started looking into independent schools and will look at those recommendations.

If you're looking in the Cheltenham area, I would recommend Hereford Cathedral School - a lovely, medium-sized, gentle co-ed school that's quite affordable. Some of my friends have children there and rave about it. The county is also cheaper than others but absolutely gorgeous.

Hey, are situations are similar. I just sent you a PM