QE's or other York schools

[TCIslandGal]

Yes I have read all the threads on QE BUT I am still wondering if anyone here has kids attending now that could give an opinion?? My DS & I live abroad but want to come back for him to start yr 7 in 2023. We do not have a house in the UK so applying for state school is almost pointless as it has to be done so far in advance & we won't have a catchment. He is sporty & not overly academic & QE appeals to me as it caters for both in separate facilities. Any other suggestions for getting into a UK school while abroad ?? I am from York originally.

I don't want to say much, given the previous issues there have been with QE threads, but the school doesn't have a good name locally. Their marketing is amazing, obviously, but the very low fees tend to be if you sign up for years in advance. Consider very carefully, IMO.

@ElegantPuma Thank you. I have encountered one red flag so far as they advertise 100% sports scholarship but on reaching out admin said it was 15% BIG difference 😒. Trying to get out of the private school system is almost impossible.

Bootham may be a better fit (on the academic side), depends how sporty he is and what he wants to get out of it, ie very high std in team sports

Meaning QE would prob be better (out of those two) purely based on team sports

@stubiff Yes the sporting aspect is the attraction, specifically basketball. Bootham prices are totally out of my range as a single parent. I am also looking for schools where the population is a little more diverse....which is rare in York schools I know. My son is adopted & ethnic & is used to a primary with very mixed ethnicity.

In which case you may want to consider GSAL. Would be a bit more diverse than the York schools and is big so will havedecent teams. Most of Bootham football teams play the GSAL B team for example.

Although, just because a school seems more diverse doesn’t mean it is. Sometimes it’s the ethos of the school which makes it that way.

Ashville College in Harrogate? Sporty and big on basketball I believe and diverse cohort

@stubiff You are absolutely right about that of course.

@craggyrat Have not heard of that one, will check it out!

Getting into a North Yorkshire or York state secondary should not be a problem.

York- catchment is by road
North Yorkshire- variety but most state schools in North Yorks are either not full or have places come up- even in Harrogate.

I'd much rather opt for a state place in York or North Yorkshire than QE

@Changemyname18 Me too but I don't have an address for admission purposes....certainly not a year before we move....we live abroad now.

@TheHoptimist.....I live abroad and do not have an address as yet in the area and won't have one a year ahead as the LA authority requires.

I really would not go for QE, I don’t know anyone with kids still there, i do some teachers still there, so am not out of date with what is happening.
From your perspective the biggest thing i would worry about is that if you get a scholarship and the school is not a good fit then you have to pay back all of the value of the scholarship ( this is the only school i know that does this, and has meant some kids have had to stay when they really wanted to leave)
As you say you can’t afford Bootham fees i shall assume you are not super rich which would be even more of a good reason to go for state. As pp have said in year places come up at all the North Yorks/Yorks state schools, even the oversubscribed ones. I would just wait until you move and apply for a state place at that point.

[quote TCIslandGal]@TheHoptimist.....I live abroad and do not have an address as yet in the area and won't have one a year ahead as the LA authority requires.[/quote]
That isnt accurate

You move and get an address and then you apply
Lots of NYCC schools are not oversubscribed and so you would get a place. You dont have to apply a year in advance.

Lots of those that are have reasonable pupil movement

I can't help with York schools but you mention that your son is adopted. That would mean he is very high on the priority admission list for most state schools. Therefore you should be fine for an in- year place.

@QueenofBrickdon

I can't help with York schools but you mention that your son is adopted. That would mean he is very high on the priority admission list for most state schools. Therefore you should be fine for an in- year place.

This.

In fact I think that you can apply at the normal time but from abroad. This is from the council website:-

“All applications should be submitted to the Local Authority where you live at the time of application. If you are currently outside the UK but are moving to York, please apply to us. If you wish to apply for a school which is out of the area and not listed on ParentPortal, please call the school services team on 01904 551554 (option 2) or email [email protected] with the school details which you require and we will add them to the system to allow you to choose the required school.“

An ex looked after child would be top of the admissions so you may be able to apply for the school from wherever you live now, get in and then move to York. I guess phone them and ask.

As far as state schools go I would say that Fulford and Manor are probably the most popular with Huntington and Archies close behind. Followed by Jo Ro and Millthorpe. Vale and York High have historically been problematic but Vale seems to be improving fast.

I think what the op is trying to get across is that ‘normally’ you apply well ahead of time, which is true.
Op, you’d need to apply by end of Oct 2022, then people find out their allocated school on Mar 1st 2023.
You’d have similar timescales for Independent schools as well though.
As mentioned, best to contact the LA and understand what you’d need to do for applying from abroad, based on when you expect to arrive in the U.K.

I think everyone on here understands that @stubiff, but we are trying to help the OP, and calm her fears that she won’t get a place. She will, at any point in the year, and at a good school ( nearly all the York schools and one nearby are good, though maybe steer away from Barlby high)
If OP is short of funds then it is nonsensical to go for a scholarship at QE, a much much better education can be had for free, without the ties and obligations a scholarship there might bring.

Ones, not one