Move to London and Secondary/Primary Education

[CalmRubyReader]

Hi
I have a bunch of questions and I hope you guys help me reach a decision.
We are moving to UK in October( it can be delayed until Jan) from South Korea.
I am not used to the UK education system, and ai need some information about areas to live in.
I have two kids turning 14 and 10.

Can you please guide me about good schools and which areas should I look for?.
I prioritize safety as well since I will be living alone with my kids and move to a new country new place is definitely stressing me out. I have to travel on certain days to central London for my job. Otherwise its okay. I heard about zone 4 is cheaper and better. Or Even outside London but it so overwhelming and sometimes there is some contradictory information on google.

I would say my budget can be 2200 for apartment/ house( and I don't even know if it is okay or not: I just read a post about council tax so I don't know about that either, I will look into it. I just got a job offer and ai HAVE to move so its pretty much confirmed).

could guys please give me some pointers on which ares will be safer for single mum and with great schools?

also in year admission is difficult???

please help out.

thank you very much

Focus on New Malden that has a Korean population and is near London so you can easily commute. It's going to be a big adjustment for your dc so focus on finding a community they are familiar with. The schools in new Malden are good.

When does your older child turn 14? Do you mean before you move, or crucially before Aug 31?

If so they would be going into year 10 in Sept, which is the start of GCSE work leading up to important public exams in year 11. If that’s the case, I would prioritise an early move as you don’t want to miss much year 10. Also option subjects might be limited.

If you mean they turn 14 in Oct, or after you move, then they would go into year 9 do not such an issue, tho yr 9 is usually when they choose options.

Mo idea how good your budget is sorry.

New Malden is a very good suggestion. If you check out a property website such as rightmove.co.uk, it will give you an idea of property prices. You should be able to find a 2 or even 3 bed in your price range.

Council tax is a charge made by each local authority on residents. It pays for local services such as bin collections. It is based on the value of the property. As an idea, we pay around £180 a month here in SE London on a 3-bed. It does vary quite a bit from authority to authority though. Once you move into a property, you can register with the local authority. They will send you a bill and you pay monthly.

In terms of schooling, your 10 YO will be going into either Yr5 or Yr6 (which is the final year) of primary. This is actually quite a good time to be joining a school. It will give them enough time to settle into the UK school system and make some friends - some of whom may then go on with them to secondary. Birth rates are dropping quite dramatically in the UK. In London now, there are spaces in primary schools across year groups that would not have been the case several years ago. So you may get lucky.

Your 14 YO is more of a problem. Depending on when they were born, they will be going into Yr9 or Yr10 of secondary school. The vast majority of schools start GCSE subjects from the start of Yr10. (The school year starts in September here.) GCSEs are a set of exams all students take at the end of Yr11. It's normal to take around 8 to 10 subjects. Maths, English and Science are compulsory. Then they can chose eg history, French etc.

If they will be going into Yr9 then this will give them time to settle into the school and 'find their feet' before choosing their subjects. If they're going into Yr10, I would say it's vital to come over to the UK as soon as you can so they miss less of the curriculum.

You won't be able to apply for schools until you have a UK address (unless you're a diplomat or work in the armed services I think). So that can be difficult. Once you have moved though, contact the council about school places. The council must find your DC school places. Be aware though that the schools you will be offered will be the ones with places - they may not be the schools you may 'want'. You can also contact schools directly to ask about waiting lists. You can also go on the waiting list for several schools at once. You can even move your DC if a place at a 'better' school becomes available.

There are some very helpful and knowledgeable posters on this board so hopefully there will be people who will be able to answer any specific questions you have.

As an aside, I have lived in London all my life. One of the great things about the city is that it is very multicultural. DC tend to have friends from many countries around the world and schools are very used to supporting pupils who join in-year. I'm not sure what your DC's English is like but again, schools in London are very used to supporting students who don't have English as a first language.

Good luck!

I recommend Sutton (not very far from New Malden). Also has a large Korean population. In-year transfers can be difficult and it will be most problematic for your older child as schools have already asked kids to choose GCSE options in year 9, so I think your child may not get their first choice of options. However, there are not many options at this stage (most GCSEs are compulsory - maths English etc).

I recommend Sutton because its really unlikely you will get the most popular schools anywhere - they are full. However, all Sutton's secondary schools do quite well (all at or above the national average - the borough is well known for that) and they will have to find you a space somewhere not too far away. It won't be the best or most popular school, but it should be reasonable.

Sutton also has well regarded primary schools for your younger kid and I would rent near the Avenue primary school (because its the biggest primary school around - and that increases your chance of getting an in-year place - lots of kids move in and out the area).

If you rent there I think you might get offered Overton secondary school for your oldest which is less popular but has many kids performing well in the top sets. Friends kids have been there and rate it well enough.

Sutton is also one of the cheapest London boroughs so you will find reasonable places for your budget I think.

I've seen a lot of Asians in Sutton, and they have Harris Academy focused on STEM there and accomodation is rather cheap.

Sutton is a good call, but has grammar schools which are very sought after. You do get a lot of people moving into the area around year 5(to sit the grammar school exam) or year 6 (after passing) which puts pressure on school places in those years. I don't know if that's something you're interested in for your younger child, but the exam is sat early in year 6 so may already be too late if they're going into year 6. For the older child you can sit for a mid year place but they rarely come up. As previous posters have said even if you don't get the grammar schools most schools in Sutton are good.
Harris academy has a tiny catchment, last year no one got in unless they had siblings there or lived on the doorstep. Personally I don't like Harris, they're one of these super strict schools with little flexibility, but it suits some kids. Overton Grange has a reputation of being the 'dumping ground' school for children who don't get anywhere else, but I have friends whose children are doing very well there.

@suttonmum10 As Harris Sutton is a new school older years may still have spaces. Locrating says it's at 81% capacity, though info can be not up to date. And I don't think catchment is that tiny, maybe in the radius of 1 km, but the OP can check it for herself.

I have to travel on certain days to central London for my job.

Where in central London are you travelling to - as in what's the nearest tube/train station?

You need to work out public transport links.

Both Sutton and New Malden have good public transport links however they both go to different mainline stations. You need to ensure you live walking distance from a station at the Sutton/New Malden end and that you then don't have a complex/long journey to get into the office.

The 10 year old will need someone to look after him on the days you go into the office after school until he's at least 11 and used to being in the UK. He will need to go somewhere in the the school holidays when you aren't working at home until he's at secondary school. (You may want to send him anyway.) Lots of primary schools have after school clubs and there will be schools in the area that have holiday clubs. Some close at 5.30pm and others close at 6pm. While his older brother can watch him, its unfair on both to do that regularly and for long periods.

I doubt Harris Academy will have space in that year group - its very popular. Maybe Overton, Stanley Park, Carshalton Boys or Girls are more likely?

Apart from superselective Tiffin and two Catholic schools all other schools in New Malden area are average.

One will be turning 15 next June and the other is turning 11 in April. Their English is good and I think they can adjust well but I am not sure if the UK schools need a test for entrance or what.
May I know some information about GCSE?

Your 14 year old is going into year 10. GCSEs are 2 year courses and sat at the end of year 11, so years 10-11. I think it would be ideal to get here asap so your older child can be taught as much of the ~2 years as possible (some schools start at the end of year 9, so might have already done a term). Most GCSEs are compulsory (English, Maths etc) but there are some options that kids select in year 9. If you are unlucky, the most popular options might be already full and your child might have a more limited choice for these, but there is not much you can do about this other than talk to the schools. Most children are pushed to complete a foreign language at GCSE (usually Spanish or French) which might be a challenge if your child has not started this yet - in the UK they would have started in year 7.

Your younger child is going into year 6. If you can arrive and have an address before the end of October (I would advise this is possible) you will be able to select your preferred secondary schools for them (based on address typically) rather than just be allocated one, as would happen for your older child. Sutton does have an 11 plus exam. The grammars are very oversubscribed but its not too late to enter your youngest as I think that closes in July or early August. It sits in early September, though I think you might be able to sit from abroad (not sure of this). Most other non-grammar schools are allocated based on distance though.

Yes agree with @Ermintrudewasinnocent - you need to move here as soon as you can as your older child should be starting the two-year (usually) GCSE course in September.

GCSEs are key exams sat in the summer of year 11 so when students are 16 or almost 16 (if summer born like your DC). They are the building blocks of education in the UK and support with post-16 options like A levels - which then lead to a place at university, if wanted, or a job or apprenticeship. If you look there are a number of threads on this board where parents are sharing experiences from this year. The exams are sat from May-June of year 11 and have just finished this week (or last week for many).

Typically a student takes 8-9 subjects:
maths
Eng literature and language (2)
science (either combined science (2) or single chem, physics, biol (3))
often history or geography
often an MFL (French, Spanish, German)
A choice of 2-3-4 others such as DT, art, music, drama, RE, PE, computing and sometimes other options.

They are graded 1-9; a 4 is regarded as a pass at level 2. Typically a student would need 5-6 GCSEs grade 5 or above to go to sixth form and take A levels.

If you arrive in Oct of year 11, your DC will be at a disadvantage. You will have to take whatever school place is available and they will probably not get much choice of their options. Also they will have missed some of the course. Is there any way you can get here before the summer or at least at the start of Sept, which is the new school year in UK?

It is a really tricky time to move your eldest. Year 10 is the beginning of gcse courses with exams taken in May/June year 11. Some schools will not take mid year in year 10. If you can arrive for September this year that might work out better. Alternatively some independent(fee paying) schools may allow them to start in year 9 but 13+ assessment dates have passed and offers been made so it will be random where might consider them. There may be some places available if the current political uncertainty over vat on fees makes offer holders change their minds. In the state stem your options on school choice and year group on entry will be more limited. Find an address and speak to the local authority.

And if your younger is 10 in September they would enter year 6, last year of primary school and need to apply for a secondary school place in the state system by end of October,

Most state schools have no academic entrance test.

Thank you very much for this information. Honestly speaking I am overwhelmed. Here the school year is From March to January. I have to move as soon as possible but considering some factors ( my official commitments here) the earliest I can move is December or January next year).
Now I am worried about both of the kids.
I will ask to push the dates but I think, the earliest would be end of December.
I am thankful for your responses and and the information. I will search through google to find out more about GCSE. I can try working with my kid so that she is a bit prepared. Its like a whole year jump for her including the system change. But I also dont want to loose an year either.

Do I search like popular schools in an area or how do I try to find out? Seems like I am going in circles with the location and schools.

is there any intake ir in year admission in Feb or march possible????

You really, really need to try and get her into school for begining of September 2024 for the start of Year 10 if you possibly can. Starting in January of Year 10 will be highly unusual and she will very much 'stick out' because of that. She will also have to catch up on missed coursework, as well as getting to grips with new country, new school. I think that would be a lot.

Maybe ok if she is very academic or if the Korean education system is ahead of UK? Or you can pay for a tutor?

You can join mid year assuming there is space but the academic year runs from September to July, so any pupil joining mid year will inevitably miss what has previously been taught. As I mentioned your eldest starting mid year 9 might be an option in the private sector, then taking year 10 and 11 to cover gcse syllabus, but you would need to find a place and be able to fund it. It is really tricky to self teach gcse subjects such as English literature, particularly without knowing the specific exam board , its syllabus and texts or modules selected by the school. The order in which topics are taught for each subject and options within the syllabi will vary for each school.

Yes you can join a school mid-year and of course that happens a lot. But as others say, there is no official entry point to start the year over then - you just start in the middle.

People move house and of course students end up changing schools. But most avoid it in the middle of GCSE for the reasons we have noted here. People I know who have moved a secondary-aged child have gone to some lengths to make sure the move either happens in year 8 or start of year 9 (so aged 12/13) or moved for sixth form (so aged 16, post GCSEs).

GCSEs are really important for someone living in and working in England and as a firm foundation for future learning.

So ideally your DD would start in year 10 in September. Most state (free) schools will not want to take her out of year group so will not let her go into year 9 in January. Could you afford private school (about £15k a year at least) as a private school might be able to place her in year 9, where she would be the oldest but as a June born, not by much. Very unlikely in state tho.

If you have any other questions about GCSEs do ask - there's lots of helpful knowledgable posters on here. Best of luck.

This is for year 7 I think but gives some idea which schools might have places in Sutton and surrounding areas. Secondary schools with possible vacancies or short waiting lists - Sutton Council.

This link shows no places in year 9 but the council would have to offer you a space somewhere: Secondary schools with possible vacancies or short waiting lists - Sutton Council

Email or phone the schools or council to discuss (officially, you are supposed to contact the council but the schools can be helpful if they have spaces).

I agree - if starting in year 10 you really want to get there asap so as not to disadvantage your child, and the school year starts in September. Sorry I know this is stressful.

It would likely be easier for your younger child as birth rates peaked about 2009-2012 in the UK and after that fell (so more spaces are available for younger kids, but years 7-11 are a very tight).

Good luck!

As I said in my previous post, once you move and have a UK address, your local authority HAS to find your DC school places. The schools will be where ever has places. These may not be the 'best' schools in the area but you may get lucky.

The school may be some distance away from where you're living (if it's very far, your DC might be entitled to transport but the Yr10 will certainly be expected to travel independently and London transport is pretty good/reliable).

Once you're here, you can also go on the wait list for whichever schools you like the look of. The council (or the school) will then tell you what number you are on the waitlist.
Your choice will be to: send them to whatever school the council has given you and then move them if/when they get offered a place at a 'better' school.
Or you could home ed them if you aren't happy with the schools they have been offered until a place comes up on the waitlist. However this is a big risk as some schools may not have much movement and you could be waiting years. Also, moving a Yr10/11 student isn't really recommended unless you really have to due to different exam boards teaching different topics.

Usually, the closer you live to a school, the better the chance you have of getting in (there are some exceptions). So eg if you found an amazing secondary school you will have a better chance of getting in if you rent somewhere nearby. But! Everyone is aware of this so you often find rental properties near very desirable schools are very expensive.

Also, the local authority only has a legal duty to offer your DC a school place. If you turn that down, they have no obligation to offer you another one so they will have discharged their duty and it will be up to you to provide them with an education.

It really isn't ideal for your YR10 DD to miss the first term but, it does happen. People move all the time in London and schools are used to dealing with it. As others have said, it may be that she's quite 'advanced' educationally anyway so for maths and science she may have already covered the curriculum. With things like English Literature, she will have missed the first set text but you could look at getting her tutors to help her with this. The school will work with you too.

You can google 'GCSE maths papers' to get an idea of what the exams are like. However, to make things even more complicated, there are several exam boards here in the UK and different schools use different boards! AQA and Edexcel are two of the most popular so you could look at those. There are also two levels in Maths GCSE: Higher and Foundation. Higher is for the more able students. So if you google 'GCSE maths AQA higher papers' for example you will get an idea.

I know this must seem like a lot to navigate, especially as a single parent. Schools in London are used to children joining at all sorts of times. We had a girl join my son's primary school in Yr6 for the final six weeks before all the kids left for secondary!

OP, you need to tap into the vast Korean network in London for more guidance via social media or websites for example, there is a Korean language School based at Chessington Community College which is a school you could consider for both your dc. Make contact with the Korean School and ask if there is someone who could advise you re a move etc.