Need help - overwhelmed with secondary school application

[KKB7714]

Hello.

This is my first post on mumsnet. I have read a few threads and glad I joined this forum!

I am a mum of 2 boys; my elder son will be going to secondary school next year. We are relatively new to the UK and hence quite clueless and overwhelmed with the process of finding good secondary state schools for my son.

A little background :

1. we currently live in Kingston, but are willing to consider moving to get into a good school.
2. my son is giving the grammar school exams for Sutton and Tiffins. Pressure got to him and he is not very confident, hence the lookout for secondary schools.
3. from initial research done, I understand Hollyfield will be our primary option. Read very few and mixed reviews on the school. Would like to put The Kingston Academy and Grey Court in my list, however, our current location is too far from the school.
4. We cannot move houses now - I know it is very tight. I made the mistake of focusing on preparing my son for the Grammar school exam and let exploring other schools slip.

I would appreciate any advice/inputs on
a) Is it an option to consider moving houses in Feb/Mar next year and then apply for in-year admission in desired school?
b) Any suggestions on other schools in the area which are good in academics, behaviour management and extra curricular activities?
c) if we were to consider moving out of Kingston, which borough/area would you recommend which would offer a wide choice of good secondary schools for boys and connectivity to London (DH goes into office 2-3 days a week).
Thank you!

If the school is undersubscribed you’d get in anyway regardless of where you live, so you wouldn’t need to move. If you don’t get in, then an in year application will depend on there being spaces. If there aren’t spaces you can go on the waiting list - if distance is an oversubscription criteria then moving closer will mean you go higher up the waiting list, but wouldn’t guarantee you a space.

You can also appeal for any school you don’t get into, though this is by no means guaranteed. There are lots of past threads with very good advice about secondary appeals.

Also worth bearing in mind that there’s a lot of movement in school places in London. Even if you don’t get your preferred school at the start of Y7, you may well get it later in the year or in Y8. Not ideal I know as you’d rather start at the school you intend to stay at but just wanted to say don’t despair if you don’t get the school you want initially.

I’m SW London and have seen a lot of families moving out of London and the UK due to Brexit, Covid etc. Also know a couple of people who didn’t get Greycourt initially but got it in Y8 - so I would say if you moved into a new area your chances of an in-year place aren’t bad. Probably worth calling any schools you’re interested in too to see if they can confirm that.

I would aim to move before next Sep if possible as there continues to be a lot of movement locally up until school starts. Many schools in this area carry massive waiting lists even into year 8 and 9 so if you do move for a particular school get as close as you can. Have friends with kids and Hollyfield and some who have left now and all have been happy with it including a very musical family and a very academic family. Good luck.

@KKB7714 you can move at any time of the year. When you move closer to your preferred schools your priority will go up (you will need to tell the local authority when you exchange contracts - Grey Court is in Richmond Borough rather than Kingston but they have the same admissions team so you should only need to make one call). If that happens before March 1st (National Offer Day) then your new address will be taken into account in the first wave of offers. If not, then there is usually a second wave of offers about 4 weeks later (once all the acceptances have been processed), and subsequent smaller waves, triggering more waiting list movement. Each wave is smaller than the last until eventually it will just be occasional places over the summer (and maybe the first couple of weeks of September too). The movement is caused by families accepting higher preference offers or deciding to go private or move house. The numbers going private in Richmond are big, but they don't always get their first choice private school, or else aren't sure if they can afford the fees, so hang onto their state offers as long as they need to before deciding which way to jump.

Regarding where to move, obviously it depends on what you can afford. If your budget is generous then there are parts of Teddington that are sometimes in catchment for Grey Court. Teddington School is very popular - it's been through a downturn recently but will probably get Good at its next Ofsted inspection. You might also be in catchment for Turing House School which is very good. And its easy to get to Tiffin from Teddington too, if the exam goes well.

p.s. In case its not obvious, your position on the waiting lists will go up when you move closer to your preferred schools. The closer the better.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond to my message and for your feedback.

I was wondering whether one has to explain a move for an in-year application? Is it enough to say we wanted to relocate to be considered for in-year application or are there other grounds that are given importance/priority in consideration of the application?

@KKB7714

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond to my message and for your feedback.

I was wondering whether one has to explain a move for an in-year application? Is it enough to say we wanted to relocate to be considered for in-year application or are there other grounds that are given importance/priority in consideration of the application?

Yes, it is enough to say you've moved. In fact you don't need to give a reason at all - some people just want to change schools so go on the waiting list and wait for a place to come up.

Waiting lists are prioritised using the oversubscription criteria set out in the school's admissions policy, which will be published on the school's website.

Thank you myndbynd.