Move to Surrey

[B2024]

Hello wise mums - my husband and I are looking to move to Surrey with our 3 boys - but we can’t decide on an area. Main thing for me is where are the best state mixed secondary schools? Do they have grammar schools in Surrey? Both boys seem to be quite academic and sporty so keen we make the right decision. Current areas we are thinking are West Byfleet, Farnham, Haselmere or Guildford. Thank you

There are no grammar schools in Surrey. Grammar schools in England are listed on elevenplusexams.co.uk.

Guildford and Farnham are good options, are you Catholic as it helps with Guildford school admissions?

There are grammars in Wallington and Sutton which dc in Surrey can apply to. Otherwise it is comprehensive or private.

I suppose you could say that the Kingston grammar schools are in Surrey, geographically, even if they're not under Surrey CC education department.

Kingston hasn’t been geographically part of Surrey since 1968. It’s a borough of London. However lots of people who live there (and in Sutton, Wimbledon, Croydon etc) have been in denial for over half a century.

Generally the schools in south West Surrey (Guildford, Haslemere and Farnham) are good. I dont know Byfleet at all.

Each town has access to both very good schools, but also less popular ones.

I'm not sure that any school is known as sporty over any other unless you go private.

Guildford, Godalming, Haslemere, Farnham are all good choices. Avoid Cranleigh. There are no school sixth forms in much of Surrey - none in Waverley borough for example. The sixth form colleges are excellent. Even where there are school sixth forms (eg Guildford) they operate similarly to college.

Yes my husband is catholic - so maybe that could be a good option. Thank you x

Oh, to answer your other questions, it’s a fully comprehensive system with no grammar schools and the only ‘sporty’ school I know of is Hoe Valley which has access to the Sportsbox facilities and pitches.

All the sporty kids I know do their sports primarily in clubs rather than at school.

Bishop David Brown had a leisure centre (Eastwood) added recently, same chain as sportsbox.

That would be your nearest school for some of the west byfleet/pyrford area, OP, and Fullbrook for some of west byfleet/byfleet. Check catchment areas and feeder primaries though.

Weydon in Farnham is excellent. If your children at baptised catholic I would also recommend St Peters in Guildford, another great school.

North West Surrey

Winston Churchill in Woking
Woking High
Bishop David Brown in Sheerwater
Jubilee High in Addlestone
Fullbrook in Byfleet
Chertsey School
Collingwood College in Camberley
Tomlinscote in Frimley
Kings International (I think) in Camberley

I think Collingwood still has a sixth form. The others don’t.

Surrey mum here whos daughter is at Glebelands in Cranleigh - smaller the average secondary school who have just had their best ever GCSE results - puts them into the top 10% of the country.
Guildford schools are great too but very small catchment

It depends on the ages of your children and whether you’re looking for in year places or primary headed into year 7. It is almost certainly worth giving Surrey admissions a ring and finding out where the places are.

The top schools in Guildford are Guildford County, George Abbott and St Peter’s. The other two seem to be a bit more up and down. You’ll need to be in catchment for the first two if you have primary aged children. There are good schools surrounding - Rodborough for example.

Farnham has three very good schools. You’re unlikely to get into Weydon unless you’re very lucky with a waiting list place. It’s a feeder primary admission system and there will be waiting lists for them too. The other two are also good. I’m not sure where you’d end up if they’re full though - possibly Eggars in Alton (good school) or probably around Farnborough way - more variable.

Haslemere - you have Woolmer Hill - good rep and some will head to Bohunt in Liphook. East Hampshire has excellent schools just over the border - Petersfield, Liphook and Alton and there is less pressure on places for some of them.

Woolmer Hill in Haslemere is excellent, as is Bohunt in Liphook (I’ve had children at both). Great sixth form at Bohunt as well, although many go on to Godalming College from both schools, which has been amazing for my children. Haslemere’s a great place to live, I prefer it to Farnham & Guildford.

Generally the faith requirements for catholic schools go a lot further than that. Would usually require the DC to be baptised catholic, sometimes at less than 1 year old, and regular church attendance over a long period of time as references from your priest are usually required. Check the requirements of each catholic preference school very carefully.

Same here in Richmond. Apparently, I live in....Middlesex 🤣

St Peter's in Guilford
Weydon in Farnham
St Paul's in Sunbury

Are your children baptised? The Catholic schools want to see that, your husband alone won’t do it

GCSE Results of St Paul's Sunbury

Thank you - yes all my children are baptised catholic x

From Haslemere lots of kids go to Bohunt in Hampshire (which has a great sixth form). We have been really happy with it as a school. Farnham has Weydon which I believe is excellent although might be harder to get in to unless you live very close as it is so popular.

You need to be practicing Catholic and tge priest needs to sign the certificate of the church attendance. My son is in St Paul's and it is in top 100 state secondary when it comes to the results. Wonderful school.

The Catholic schools in Guildford have a very good reputation.

Must admit I had no idea there were any specifically catholic schools in Guildford! All the Guildford kids I know go to County or George Abbot. A lot of them come to Godalming for sixth form.

The best in the country non selective state schools is in Guilford - the mentioned St Peters Catholic School