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.

Thank you! I have been all over zoopla. I start with houses I can afford then end up looking at castles or barns in Scotland 🤦🏽‍♀️. I have registered with agents and have appointments to view properties in my budget the week I land. I know it’s going to be mad and chaotic. It’s lovely to have this community to bounce ideas off and to talk me down from the ledge….

Good luck with your move- sounds exciting and I’m sure your family will love the adventure. Like everyone has said, the good schools will be full but if you can rent a house as close as possible to a school then you should eventually get a place. Maybe set up a few searches and see what comes on the market? Have you looked at Chiswick School? It’s got a really good reputation locally and Chiswick is a lovely area to live although not the quickest to get to the city. Ealing Fields is also a great school in Ealing/Northfields. This is another nice, family area you could look at. All the best

It's a shame you probably won't even look at an area like mine, just up the road from Hackney with good public transport links, free bus travel in London for kids over 11 with a card which is valid through secondary school to September after GCSEs, although a real pain and £11 or something every time they lose it (grrrrr!), lots of families from India and everywhere else in the world, quite a lot of middle class professionals and people with doctorates, a mixture of gentrification and poverty, mixed ability schools but the possibility for kids with social capital which you clearly have to do very well, good public, kids who grow up learning and playing with kids from all sorts of backgrounds.

I can understand why you worry about safety, I do all the time, but I'm not sure kids in any schools can be assumed to be "safe" - schools with good paper GCSE results in middle class areas may be relying on intake, they also have serious issues around drugs and crime.

I don't expect you to look here but you could do worse, I think.

I'm not a single mum but my mum was a single parent from 0--7 with me and from 12 and 15 with my brother and sister when our dads both left her for someone else. And there are lots here. If I am widowed or split with my partner it would be much better here than in a lot of areas - I have heard a bit about being a single mother in rural Suffolk and in Amersham.

Gidea Park is worth a look, there's Royal Liberty for boys and Frances Bardsley for girls, both very well regarded. There's Havering Music School for instrument tuition and ensembeles and a couple of cricket clubs.

You'd get a nice 3-4 bed house for your budget and it's a good, safe area with lots of amenities and green spaces.

A short hop on the train to Liverpool Street and it's in London zone 6 so not too expensive a commute.

I think you'd like living in Dulwich and you could try to rent near the Charter North Dulwich. It will be very oversubscribed so its definitely a waitlist situation. You can commute to the City on the City Thameslink trains from Herne Hill Station.

With a £2500 rental budget dulwich and close enough to graveney to get to top of the list are unlikely

All the best with your move to London, OP. I hope you find decent schools for your DC too.

I can imagine it would be easier to be single in a mixed neighbourhood rather than where everyone is the same expects conformity.

Adding it to my list of areas to wander in! Thank you!

I am not sure I would call Gidea Park diverse though. Maybe I’m completely wrong but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were more racist incidents there than you’d get in other places mentioned. I’ve lived in some truly dodgy places such as murder mile when it still was and I’ve still never been more frightened than I did in the Romford surroundings.

I am all for the PP who mentioned Gants Hill and being close to Valentines School. Nice area. More diverse than GP. You’d get Indian Groceries and Bagels and all sorts. Nice houses, nice community, and on the Central Line. Lots of green space.

Yes, I see what you mean. I sent my ex to investigate GP and he thought it was a bit scary and he’s 6 foot and not easily rattled…. Will ask him to now head off for a survey of Gants Hill.

Nearly all decent state schools in London will have a waiting list for an In Year admission, but they’re not prioritised on the basis of how long you’ve been on the list. They’re on the standard admission criteria, basically:

• “looked after children”,
• named school for SEN in ECHP
• then if you have a sibling at the school already, then
• distance from the school.

So you need to decide on a school then rent a property VERY near to it. How near varies on the school and the waiting list of course but I’d be thinking within a third of a mile. You then leapfrog everyone on the list who lives further away.

I don’t agree with going to any school with a space personally, I’d target one you think looks right for your kids.

There’s a lot of movement in London schools with people coming and going. Once you decide on an area, Google the Local Authority information pack for Admissions/In Year Admissions.

Also - we organised after school childcare in Y7, paid someone to be at home for DS after school.

Sorry - and another thing! We’ve done an In Year admission and an offer was made 2 days after term started in September. Basically some children just don’t turn up after the summer holidays and haven’t told the school they were moving away over summer, so the school rings the waiting list.

So as soon as you get an address/tenancy agreement submit the school application. You’ll need another proof of address as well (eg. Council Tax) so check what your Local Authority requires and organise that supporting evidence as a priority.

Thank you! That’s my plan. I’m selecting schools and I will find a home within a 10 min walk of the school I like. I need to make sure it’s not a selective school or at least that it is partially non-selective. Despite the scares I’m quite optimistic that something will work out. At least in England and at least in this respect it’s all fair and clear.

Yes, as previous posters have said, worst case scenario is that you have to take a place at an undersubscribed school further away then wait for a place at your chosen school.

Good luck.

I’d second the recommendation of Charter North and Herne Hill/Dulwich if you can move very close (under 10 mins walk - I’d aim for 5!). There are always a couple of kids who don’t turn up at the start of term and if you’re living really close you’ll be at/pretty close to the top of the waiting list. You could also put your child on the waiting list for Charter East and for Kingsdale (which is a lottery based admissions system) which would be nearby. Elm Green in Tulse Hill might be an option too.