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!

Given the age of your son I would consider an area with a 3 tier system (e.g. Buntingford). That will mean he will have to spend Year 8 in whichever school has space, but you will be in a good position to get a good school for Year 9 if you choose your location carefully.

Bear in mind this year group is an exceptionally large cohort - I am in Hertfordshire and many schools had to create an extra 15 places to accommodate the current year 7. So it's a very bad year to hope for an in-year place in a good school.

They are goodish schools but they are the secondary schools in the borough with spaces. You need to familiarise yourself with school data using "compare the performance" on the gov.uk website.

Also bear in mind, dc change school again for 6th form to study A levels for 2 years to go to uni but you need to be resident in the UK for 3 continuous years to be eligible for a home status place at a U.K. university. In other words you need to move your ds to the U.K. in 2024/25 so he has time to get to grips with the gcse curriculum and then move onto a levels and live here for more than 3 years to go to uni here without paying international fees.

Personally I would look for cheaper housing and investigate a private school as a back up for 4 years of his education.

@FraterculaArctica not sure I understand exactly why we would have better chance from year 9? Can you please give a bit more details on this? 😀

@tennissquare is 6th form year 11 and 12? Is that when kids apply again to the school and that is you can get better chance for a better school?

Are there any independent schools decent in price? 😅

Catchments don't exist in many LA and won't be relevant to an In Year application but would for a waiting list. You typically list 3 preferences and if there is a space at one of those you are offered it, if not they will offer another school with a vacancy. At secondary this can be some distance away or in a neighbouring LA area. LA rules on those moving will vary but for most you cannot apply until you have a UK address and are close to moving as you need to take up the place quickly,

Gcses are taken in year 11 and sixth form is year 12/13. You can move for sixth form but many stay put,

A three tier system has middle schools which may include year 8 and transfer to secondary for year 9, so you would be applying with all others for year 9 entry.

@Slubulino , very briefly 6th form admissions run along the lines of:

As long as your dc achieves basic grades he automatically stays on - ie Orleans Park

The school doesn't have a sixth form and you move to another school or a 6th form college - it depends on the grades you are predicted and the subjects you want to study re where you apply, this is the case for Hampton High.

Some counties ie Hampshire - no state schools have 6th forms and everyone moves to sixth form colleges such as Farnborough College or Peter Symonds.

Additionally some areas of the U.K. like Bedfordshire have a different system I am not familiar with!

Orpington BR6 post code area (not BR5). There is a fast train to London - less than 20 minutes to London Bridge and very good state schools. You can easily find a rental house within your budget.

For example this one is in a nice village area called Farnborough:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142138349#/?channel=RES_LET

Quick bus journey or walk to Orpington Station. A walk to Darrick Wood School or a bus journey to Charles Darwin School. Both are really good schools.

Phone the schools to ask if they have places.

As someone above has said - Orpington may be a good bet. Or if you can get a place in Bromley there are lots of good schools and often places become free each year. Take a look at Bullers Wood for Boys - the nearer you are to the school the higher up the waiting list for the next available space you would be.

Way too early if op is moving in the summer.

No harm in phoning now. They can tell you how many places they have now and whether the places normally get taken or not.

Looking at places with a three tier system is very wise and might help you narrow your choice for the next step. Otherwise you are really at the mercy of the LA and they will allocate wherever they have space. In areas which are undersubscribed this is fine and you might get a preferred school... but in a high birthrate year it is highly unlikely and a risky strategy (if you really can't afford private).

An option could be moving to Windsor as a three tier system and this school for year 9:

https://www.twbs.co.uk

Very close to London too, quite like Richmond in some ways.

Maybe not what you're looking for, but have you looked at the Swedish school in London?

Was just coming on to say Windsor!!!

Ideal from your criteria!
Windsor Boys school a great option-with outstanding sport and music.

@MrsMitford3 awesome that the school also has support for music. My kid plays drums, classical guitar and electric base. 😅💪

Thank you @Grimbelina , I am bookmarking it.

@Aigh I did look at Swedish school but I want my kid to fully integrate in the new country. 😅 Also is about £14000 😅.

Winchester is expensive but an hour on train from London Waterloo. 3 excellent state senior schools, so you would be 'safe' with any of them. Also a very lovely place to bring up a family.

By Richmond Academy do you mean Richmond Park Academy?

I would argue that Twickenham School would be the one most likely to have an in year place first!

@Meredusoleil , yes sorry I agree Twickenham school would be top of the list for places and I meant RPA.

TN22 postcode, 3 good secondary schools in the area, Uckfield, Heathfield and Beacon Crowborough. Slow train to London from Uckfield, but lots do commute from here.
Lots of lovely villages, low crime rate, 30 mins to the sea.

@tennissquare@Meredusoleil I see the school has a good rating https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/143420

but the results are lower compared with other schools in the area https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/143420/twickenham-school/secondary

Yes - in three tier areas (much less common than they used to be) schools are structured age 4-9, 9-13, 13-18, so everyone is applying for places for the 13+ move in a single admissions round, and it is therefore not just down to which schools have places. Factors such as distance from home and feeder middle school would be likely most important in your chances of getting a place at your preferred Upper school (13-18), but at least you'd have some control over these.

Have a look at this, to give you an idea of how hard/easy it might be to get a place at the Richmond secondary schools.