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.

If you're a single mum with a full time job in the City, and with kids at that age - between available after school care and actually old enough to be independent, I'd actually try to stay in London and on public transport networks - find out about tube, train and buses - for your kids as well as you. It will make it easier for them to get around and take part in after school activities, musical or sport, than living in a very car dependent Home Counties town or outer London suburb.

You're unlikely to get them places at the most oversubscribed state schools at this point - but for example in my borough all secondaries and most primaries are now rated at least Good - but there are huge differences between the east and west of the borough in who lives there, which schools have sixth forms etc (A level/post 16 provision), and so there is a gap between schools' intake.

Yes, I’ve realised this. It doesn’t make sense to move out of London to a car dependent area especially if I have to commute to work. Thanks for the top tip.

There are no after school care options for secondary school age children who also typically make their own way to and from school as well using public transport in London. As others have mentioned kids can do extracurricular activities but that's not child care.

Most outstanding schools will be full for year 7. You'll probably have more luck further up the school as pupils do leave but year 7 is an admission year so its unlikely to get a place except at an undersubscribed school.

I'd focus your search first on your commute and housing budget and then ring the local authority about spaces in the borough for a few different locations that work.

Good luck

Try Brentwood or Shenfield. On the Elizabeth line. Fast trains into l’pool st London (under 25th a from Shenfield), everything in walking distance, great schools, catchment area for grammars, lots of cricket clubs in walking distance. Safe for your kids to walk about after school. You might strike lucky with a casual place for a grammar in Chelmsford or Southend (buses and trains go to all of them from Brentwood/Shenfield) but also very likely to get places for both children at one of the good secondaries.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/124973771#/?channel=RES_LET

this house is a 5 min walk to Shenfield station. 10 min walk into Brentwood. All of the major schools within walking distance. You’ll find two cricket clubs nearby and cello lessons won’t be difficult either.

Most outstanding schools will be full for year 7. You'll probably have more luck further up the school as pupils do leave but year 7 is an admission year so its unlikely to get a place except at an undersubscribed school.

Although children don't always turn up and if there is a sibling priority/ on doorstep OP would leapfrog over others on the waiting list.

@Unexpecteddrivinginstructor Yes, that's always possible though I wouldn't call it likely. It would be a safer plan to find a school you find acceptable that isn't oversubscribed as your base case and then try for a popular school by going on the waiting list and seeing what happens. Just assuming someone won't turn up with no other acceptable alternatives would be a huge risk.

Hi OP, given that you are applying at this time of year, you can ask the school admissions team at the local authority who run the state school that you apply to, about the likelihood of your kids getting in to the school that you want.

They can tell you, for example how many kids are already on the waiting list for oversubscribed secondary schools. How many places were given to waiting list kids this time last year, etc. If you want to, you can also stay on the waiting list for an oversubscribed school once your kids have started at a school elsewhere, if a place doesn’t turn up for them in your first choice school by the start of school in September.

It’s really worth posting for advice on here as there are a lot of very knowledgeable posters about school admissions (I’m not one of them unfortunately!)

I do agree with other posters that being in London might suit you better- another advantage is that there is quite a lot of ‘churn’ of London school places, compared to the commuter towns which may have a relatively less mobile residential population than London. So your preferred school choice in London might be more likely to come up with a place from the waiting list for your child. And London is also an awesome city to live in! Good luck with your move.

Also, many areas of London have, even ones that aren't particularly wealthy like mine, have schools with good Ofsted ratings. Everyone might not be very middle class, but there are no sink schools. And my partner and I are white and born here, but I can't imagine living in a less diverse area than my bit of north London (often described as the most diverse postcode in the country but I'm sure I've seen other boroughs make the same claim....) I like the idea that most students at our school will be able to see teachers who maybe look a little bit like them or at least some of their family members - we are in an area with a lot of quite mixed families too.

We’re Indian and while I work in the City and would call myself quite middle class I would prefer if my son was in a school with children who looked like him and had teachers who looked like him.

I have heard horror stories of Secondary schools in North London (where I used to live a decade ago) so I’m quite put off by that area. I’m looking at SW London but it seems to be much less diverse….

That’s my plan. To find rental in a safe area in SW London and then call the LA. It’s going to be so chaotic to move countries, find a
home, settle him in a new school and start work but hopefully ultimately fulfilling. No one loves London as much as an immigrant such as me!

Thanks

As another poster said, you really should consider Redbridge, particularly the Gants Hill or Barkingside area, it is very diverse (largest minority probably Pakistani heritage) 20 mins away from Liverpool Street on the central line. Valentine's High is excellent, Beal is also very good.

Indian friends of mine sent their children to Graveney and they both did very well. I also know someone who has taught there recently. Whether you could get a place is another matter but worth asking.

Graveney, like any other popular / Good / Outstanding school (in fact any state school) will keep it’s waiting list in strict order of the admissions criteria. Essentially, distance. It will have a long waiting list, best chance: rent right on the doorstep. (There is a lot of temporary rental going in for Graveney places. I know 3 families that have done it in recent years)

Thanks, it’s a fabulous school. I am looking into it but need to get a sense of their SEN support before I move forward. If it’s partly selective then they may not have much.

graveny has absolutely first class SEN provision…

but with all due respect, you really need to get moving

in 6 weeks since you started this thread, you haven’t done much/any research on schools, let alone gone through the admissions process, or even worked out which area you want to be in

If you really want to have a school place in a few weeks, let alone have somewhere to live, you need to prioritise this

Im not sure you’re fully prepared for how competitive the market is for rentals and schools…

I’m still in India. Due to my visa I cannot enter the UK till mid-August. Once I enter only then can I rent and only thereafter contact the LA for schools. I’ve done loads of research and have reached out to multiple schools all of whom have said the same thing - get an address and contact the LA. So there is not much I can do while sitting in India. I fully appreciate how competitive everything is but, given how DC have missed every entrance test, my best chance lies in finding a rental place on a good school’s doorstep and keeping my fingers crossed. I’m doing that!

Graveney, like any other popular / Good / Outstanding school (in fact any state school) will keep it’s waiting list in strict order of the admissions criteria. Essentially, distance. It will have a long waiting list, best chance: rent right on the doorstep. (There is a lot of temporary rental going in for Graveney places. I know 3 families that have done it in recent years) I'm really not sure how likely you would be to get places at Graveney even from the WL. I have friends whose DC remained on the WL for the duration of their secondary school career (up to end of KS4), and they never rose higher than about 600! Go figure!

Places do still come up at Grammar. It might be worth going on the waiting list and then if a space comes up they call all the children on the waiting list in for tests and the best performing child gets the place. The super selective grammars take children from a wide area so you could live close to your preferred non-selective and just keep the grammar option as a possibility.

Ofsted may help re. Sen provision. However you are still under a misapprehension that you will get a wide choice. Realistically you may get offered one with places close to wherever you settle but most will have waiting lists, and these will often be the "better" ones.

OP

Don't just go by the Ofsted report, actually look at the schools and get a feel for them. You want the right school for your child, and that might not be both of them in the same school.

Schools that look fantastic in reports may not be that good for an individual child.

Also think about what YOU want in the local area. DO you play sports or have hobbies?

London is diverse but there are pockets of groups of people, one of my friends described Southall as 'like a someone knocked a bit of India off and dropped it in Southall.

Would you prefer to be in an area with sweet centres and some Indian culture? Do you have a faith? If so is it important to be near a place of worship?

I’ve thought about it and have looked into Southhall and also Wembley and Hounslow but they are not for me. When I lived in London (over a decade ago) I loved Russel Square and Kings X (much before the glam make over), Bermondsey and South Bank, and Shoreditch (again before it was cool) and Hackney. Of course now that I am returning with DC, I am exploring other parts of London (at least online for now)! I need accessibility to The City (where I will be working), somewhere safe for a single mum and with good schools. A diverse borough and relatively easy access to Indian groceries would be a plus.

I’m aware I will probably have litte or no choice.

You need to start doing some virtual viewings, register with agents to get a better feel of areas

I don’t think you realise how competitive it all is and how long it will take when you land if you haven’t made a start on this before you get here…