Where to Live?

[MumOfTwoMovingToUK]

We are moving to the UK and working in London. We are looking for recommendation for towns/counties surrounding London (max 90 minute travel time by train) that offer very good state secondary schools for boys and girls. Our children will be in year admissions. Thanks so much

Agree that you would be better looking on an SA-specific Facebook group, to get advice relevant to covering the gap from SA schools. The curriculum is very different in terms of content and delivery and the levels don't tie up at all.
It will also be difficult for your son, don't underestimate how much catching up he will need to do.
Will you be working?
In terms of where to live, there are plenty of nice, safe areas with good schools in every direction from London. Have you spent much time in the UK or do you know people who have already made the move?
Can your husband's employer provide access to an education consultant?

If she's bright, and you can get her into year 10 rather than year 11, she would probably be able to catch up. It's a real pity that you can't get a school place fixed until you are here, because if you knew where she was going in the January, a lot of schools may have distance learning materials for the autumn term that they used in 2020, and they might be able to supply some of that. If you can find a school that looks fairly certain to have places (there's unlikely to be much movement after September of year 10, so if they've got a few spaces then, you should be safe) then they might be helpful in providing something for the autumn term.

We lived in Woking, Surrey about 20 years ago and then in Edinburgh. Our children fortunately both have British passports. We are familiar with the UK but not when it comes to schooling and any activities related to the children. I am a Key Stage 1 teacher and will not work to start with so that I can help my children settle and catch up. KeyErro, is an education consultant contacted through a company?

Lanthanum, our ideal is for our children to be placed asap so that we can do distance learning with them. Schools are so oversubscribed though and already have waiting lists. My husband is moving at the end of October to find accommodation but it is so difficult to know where to rent so that we can have a good choice of schools who will be keen to keep her in Year 10. Year 10 is our first choice because she is also tiny for her age and not very mature for her age.

But you may well not have a choice of schools. It is pure chance whether there will be a space in y11 at any school of your choosing at the right time, let alone one which would accept her into y10. Your dh could move somewhere in October but there be no places locally at Christmas. The LA only has to offer you a place in y11, but that may be at a less good school or one a "reasonable" travel time away.

@MumOfTwoMovingToUK Year 11 in UK is a short year as that is when formal exams take place. If your DD starts in January she will be starting just after/during mock exams. Jan to March is learning final topics and from then on it is exam prep. Schooling for year 11s finishes in May and then children go on study leave only returning for exams and once these have finished (June) they have finished their secondary schooling.

Your DD would only gain entry to a school with vacancies and if none are available locally she could be sent to any school with a space. I doubt she would be able to start in Year 10. You need to speak to a specialist in education to get the correct information and best advice for your circumstances. As previously suggested track down an ex SA pat forum.

Would you consider an online school for your DD such as Kings Interhigh? It’s private but cheaper than most independent school. Your DD could possibly start year 10 in September while you are still in SA so your DD doesn’t miss the first term. Then you could look at local state school options for 6th form.

If she turns 15 in August she should go into y11, but you do may be able to apply for a place in y10 - each school should have a clause in their admissions policy about applying for places out of chronological age group - our school says it can be done in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the school governors.

If she's bright, she'll be fine starting in January of year 10 - you may need to use tutors to catch up or there are lots of online resources - she could use the months between now and then to study the main GCSE subjects on BBC Bitesize or Oak National Academy. Don't let the mumsnet doom-mongers put you off.

I live in Richmond Borough and all the schools here are good or outstanding. There are other boroughs with great schools too - I think someone started a similar thread a week or two ago, so maybe look out for that one.

Cambridge. Definitely cambridge. Good secondary school. Only 50mins by train straight to london kings cross

@Abcdefgh1234 But he works in Hammersmith so makes much more sense to be south.

This is really important. She could join in January which is traditionally mock exams for 2-3 weeks and then results etc. Feb / March would be final topics on GCSE curriculum - off for Easter then exam prep / revision lessons for a couple of weeks before study leave in May - so she wouldn’t be taught very much. Of course she will likely have covered the content already but she also will need specific GCSE grades to get through to the 6th form or the school or apply for a different college. So that might be an important consideration for you - do you only want schools that she can stay on for 6th form or are you happy for her to join for a term + exam term and then move on to a new college.