Relocation: help needed to find a good secondary school

[Slubulino]

Hello there!

We are relocating from Sweden to UK with a 12y old boy. Please help suggest small towns, villages around London or London neighbourhoods that I should look at when moving that will give the best chance for my 12y old boy to enter in a good sencodary school.

Is it worth paying a relocation consultant to help with the school registrations and appeal?

Thank you!

Are you thinking of private secondary or state?

When moving to London, housing budget often determines where you can live.

Whats your budget and private or state? Do you need to commute for work and where to?

At 12 (Year 7/8?) you are dependant on finding a school with an "In Year" vacancy, so very much a lottery at the time. If year 7 (turning 13 after September 1st 2024) those children will only just have started and there may still be a waiting list. Where do you need to be near for work or socially? Budget/home requirements may limit areas too.

Yeh @Slubulino i echo others. For a suggestion to be of any use, we really need to know your budget for renting or buying.

Also Yy are you looking for private, so fee paying, schools, or state (free)? It might be more straightforward to find a place at a private school (tho probs not a super popular London one) but there’s no point people suggesting schools until we know. For context, a private school for secondary will cost upwards of £15-20k a year.

Thank you for your quick responses!

Buget: £3000
The kid turns 12y in February so I think he will be in year 8?
I don't need to commute to work so I can be 1h from London.
I am looking for state school (not private ... way to expensive :()

Is that a monthly rental budget or a typo? I think your son will be in year 7 if you were to move to the Uk before the end of this academic year in July.

Yes, we can go for up to £3000 monthly for our rent. Of course we would love to find lower if possible. I could see a lot of nice places between £2000 - £2500. I will edit and put £2500 because now I realise is also a council tax that is aded 😥

We plan to move in August so my son will go in year 8.

I think realistically is £2500 monthly because there is also the council tax that I need to factor in. 😅

I’m in Fleet, North Hampshire, it has two well regarded secondary schools, also there are other nearby secondaries that are good too. It’s about an hour from London by train and although not cheap to live here, it’s not massively expensive for the south east either, and it’s fairly pleasant.

Im sure there are other places that will also give you what you’re looking for too

If you are aiming for a U.K. state school I'm not sure a relocation person can help because getting a space is dependent on the postcode of the house you rent and if the school has space when you apply.
Is there a reason you are moving to the U.K. (to help with suggesting an area) and is your ds familiar with uk culture / language etc? Ie a more diverse area may make relocation easier.

Yes, he would be in year 8 for sept 2024.

In terms of state secondary schools, it very much depends on which schools have space in that year group. You can ask to be put on the waiting lists for any school in your area that you would like to wait for, and in the meantime your child will be offered a place at one of the schools that have space.

Ware, Hertford and Hitchin are all really nice historic towns north of London but easily reachable on the train.

As is St Albans, but you will probably find you get less house for your money because it's deemed more desirable.

Children change schools at age 11 in this country, so it will be a matter of where has vacant place for your son, not so much a free choice for you. You'll need to speak to the local council to find out which state schools have places available but they won't allocate you one until you're actually living here. Private (or independent) schools are a little different - some switch over at age 11 and some age 13. You might find you have more choice if you can afford to pay.

Best of luck with the move!

@tennissquare I am moving to UK because of my company. 70% of my team is there compared with 30% in Sweden. I will however not need to be in office every day as I work in IT and we work from home most of the days now.

My son is fluent in English (actually prefers it over Swedish). My son is quite advanced in his academics. He is in a very good school here so I am trying not to mess things up for him. And yes we are familiar with the UK culture.

What happens if none of the schools that are in the catchment area of your address have a vacant place? For example can I move in St Albans or in Richmond and get a place in another council?

Towns with a commuter train service to London will usually be more expensive to rent in. If you don't need to go into London often/ever then considering somewhere that does not have a commuter service could be better value for money. Of course if your circumstances change then it might not be ideal.

Do you have idea about parts of the Uk around London that you like? Anywhere you've been that appealed to you?

It depends on how much you want to spend on buying or renting a house.

The schools in Harpenden (St George’s, Roundwood, St John laws) are very good, but the house prices are very expensive.

Easy commute to London.

Kent is a grammar school area so that’s another consideration.

Surrey is another county that may be worth considering.

There will likely be at least one school in the whole local authority that has space, but it will likely be the least popular school in the area.

You can also apply for a place at any state school that has space, even if it in a different local authority.

Schools tend to have catchment areas. Look at their admission information for details. Sometimes they do accept out if area pupils, but there has to be a reason. Some offer scholarships in music, sport etc which may have a wider catchment.

@fedupandstuck so that is what I am after then. An area where all the schools are good (not outstanding, but good) so that we end up in a decent one 😥

@Slubulino , I live local to Richmond, if you move to Richmond/ twickenham / teddington your ds will probably be offered Richmond Academy or Hampton High as these are the schools more likely to have space. You could move right next door to Orleans Park school and wait years to get a place. In year 8 you are dependent on someone leaving and being top of the waiting list on the day the space is offered.

Catchment is really only relevant for applying at the start of year 7, not for an in-year application. Other than determining your position on the waiting list, if there is one.

I guess my question is: will I always get a place in a school that is in my catchment area? Sorry for asking this again.😓

@tennissquare and how are Richmond Academy or Hampton High?

If there care no spaces they won't give you a place (you can appeal).
In year 7 they will allocate you somewhere with spaces which can be a long way away. I'm not sure what happens with in year applications, but hopefully someone else will reply. You can apply to any school (for example you could be just over the border from one county to the next).
It's best to pick an area, then look at the schools, otherwise there's just too much choice. Just don't choose an area where there are no good schools! You'll get more useful advice on here is you are targeting a particular area.
All schools have their admission criteria on their websites. This will tell you how they allocate places for in year applications (there should also be information on the local authority websites under school admissions).