Secondary State School London

[FromIndia]

Hi. We are moving to London from India this August and will be looking for in year admission to Secondary State schools (year 9 for DD and year 7 for DS). I need to be in commuting distance from London and, as I’m a single mum, I need an area which is safe and where I can find after school care for my children. I understand that grammar schools are out of the question because we have missed all entrance exams and I cannot afford independent school fees so wanted to see if my chance of getting DD and DS into “good” or “outstanding” state schools is higher in Wimbledon or Barnett…. Accordingly, we will find a place to rent and apply to the LA. Or any other area…. My rent budget is about 2,500 pcm but could stretch it a bit. DD plays cello and DS plays cricket.

You won't find after school care for Y7 and Y9 children. It doesn't happen.

You talk about commuting from London as if London was one place, not a conglomeration of approximately 9 cities attached to each other.

befire you do anything else, look at commuting times and prices and draw a circle on a map of the area you could reach your work from i

True! Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant the City. I have to get to Liverpool St or in that general area every day.

Really? I’m moving from India and the idea that my 13 YO and 11 YO would be alone at home post school comes as a bit of a shock to me. I suppose I and they have a lot to learn!

I would check commute times from Wimbledon Op as that’s a long way away (commute may be ok tho, I’ve not lived in London lately). Is your older child going into yr 9 in September or yr 10 (ie yr 9 in August?) as this may make a difference.

Yy no after school care considered necessary for a 13yo.

If you can narrow down an area posters will be able to recommend schools but of course no guarantee that they will have spaces.

You can arrange care for them, you can pay a sitter who will supervise them.
Where do you plan to live?
State school places have been allocated for September. Could you pay for a private school?.

I would go up the line from Liverpool Street
Great schools in broxbourne
Bishops stortford

Sorry, I've missed where you said you can't afford independent. You can look at the schools in Barnet, once you're resident you can be put on the waiting list.

Then nearest you get to after school care for Secondary children is the school library being open for an hour or so, or a sports club or an orchestra sort of thing once a week. They generally take themselves to and from school, including by public transport.

www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables

This the official website for comparing school data... although it hasn't been updated since the 2019 exam season.

Good luck. Out of the normal admissions round, school applications are unfortunately a lottery.

I know someone whose daughter went to Rickards Lodge in Wimbledon. Looks like a nice girls school.
Some Wimbledon school pupils get to be Ball girls and boys at Wimbledon. Something to aim for if they’re sporty.

Yes, that is my understanding too…

If your Y9 child is currently in Y9 and would be going into Y10 in September, make sure you look for schools with a 2 year GCSE system not a 3 year one.

Some schools select options in Y8, so a child going in in Y10 will have missed a year of the syllabus.

Thank you for that insight. She’s 13 so I thought she will be going into Year 9 in September.

Op that depends when she is 14 - if it is before 31 August then she will go into yr 10

After-school clubs may alleviate some of your worries about the kids not being supervised at home. But yes, generally wrap-around care ends in Y6.

What about St Neots? It's about an hour from Liverpool Street, and near Cambridge too. Lovely town.

Thank you, that’s v helpful. DD will not be 14 before Aug 31 this year. So it’s Year 9 for sure.

Fortismere in Muswell Hill and APS at Alexander Park

Do they have spaces for September?

Unfortunately it seems unrealistic to expect to move here and get places for both kids immediately in good or outstanding schools. Surely all the places at such schools will be filled through the normal allocation process which has already happened.

Exactly. June is too late.

I’d look at the train line into Moorgate which goes through Barnet. You’d get a house for £2,500 pcm in Potters Bar which has Dame Alice Owen but whether you’d get in is a different matter….
also QE Girls and Boys in Barnet. Moorgate is a very short walk to Liverpool Street.

Look at London borough of Redbridge. Good state schools and easy tube access to Liverpool Street on the Central line.

Hi, don't limit yourself to London. Look at the train line from where you need to commute to and look at the stops. There are several lovely places with good schools. 2500 is good budget - you can get a good house depending on the area. While good areas in London won't get you much - like we were in muswell hill (recommended above), paying 2k for a tiny place.
It's really hard to narrow down the area since London is huge and good connectivity makes living at a lot of places very feasible.
As for child care, there will be plenty of after school clubs your kids could join. Children in secondary schools usually start commuting on their own including taking trains etc.
Perhaps make a different post with title something like - areas to live in within x minutes of commute from y. That will be helpful in finding new places.
We moved from India couple of years back and it can all be so daunting. All the best with your move!

FromIndia, most secondary school students don't have childcare, but I can understand why you might want it when your children are so new to the country. When you know where you're going to be living, and which schools the children have places at, you can arrange childcare by asking a local sixth form or college to put up an advert for after-school supervision. Or use an agency if you don't mind paying the fee and want the minder to be pre-vetted. Expect to pay at least £10 an hour (there is a labour shortage at the moment, so young people have a choice of part-time jobs).

Try phoning Graveny and Bolingbrook academy, both in Wandsworth borough

both are really good schools and you should be able to rent within your budget nearby (easier for Graveny)

Last year, they had a few in-year places from people moving out to the countryside so it’s worth a call to see what the situation is this year

both a v strong for sport and music and there is also a very very well regarded cricket club (Spencer) nearby