Secondary School recommendation - moving from London to Horsley

[atc1224]

Hi all, I am hoping to get some advice on secondary schools around West Horsley. We are taking the leap to move to the country from SW London. This is an huge change and we don’t know anyone there.

We have a teenage daughter who is currently in a very good state school. When looking at local schools the closest ones were the Howard of Effingham & Cobham Free School, none of which really compare to where she is now. I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews about state & independent schools in Surrey and would appreciate any advice you have to give.

Also any general advice on the area, transport, clubs available for teenagers would be great. Thank you!

We're not in this system but I've heard tell that Howard of Effingham is oversubscribed and you must go to one of the feeder primary schools to get in (not sure how true that is though). Cranmore is a close independent school and there are a number of prep schools in the area.

Guildford is the closest "big" town and is well served by a number of different schools. You may be better served looking more towards that area for options.

It is a beautiful part of the country and if you are near a train station then you are likely to have good links for all of the schools in the area.

What school year is your DD in? If she is at such a good school now, might it be better to wait until after GCSEs (you say she is a teen)?

If you move to a new area you will only be offered schools with spaces, which are likely to be the less popular ones.

I don't know the area tho so the schools may all be good. Feeder primary won't be a factor for an in-year admission.

Are you committed to moving to West Horsley? You’d be better off considering a move to Guildford and looking at schools like Guildford county or George Abbott.

@atc1224 , what year is your dd in a the moment? You need to think this through re her education. 25% of pupils in Surrey are in private schools, the state secondary schools can be more varied with Catholic schools often being rated highly. The sixth form college provision across the county is strong. You need to speak the council and find out which schools have space in her year group.

Horsley was never our initial choice of area, we have been looking for over a year and finally found the perfect place. The location is further out from London than we really wanted but the property is perfect and we have just had our offer accepted.

We did look in Guildford but that just felt too far for us at this time. We will still be driving in to London a couple of days a week for work so we needed to be close to the A3.

I did look at Cranmore and some of the surrounding independent schools too.

She is in Y9 and although her school is great academically, there is a lot of bullying amongst friendship groups which never gets addressed. I think a fresh start would be good for her. It’s just such a daunting process that has come around so quickly!

"Very good" in what sense if there are bullying issues? Most of the state secondaries are good in Leatherhead, Guildford , Dorking areas. It will very much depend where has space and how far she is able to travel. For local academic independents there are two selective Girl's schools in Guildford near London Road station, coed City of London Freemans in Ashtead and St John's in Leatherhead.

Be aware that because Surrey has such a high proportion of pupils in the private sector statically there will be more in-year movement from private to state during 2025 due to vat on fees than other areas so you need to get an idea of which state schools have year 9 places asap. If you want to go private you will probably find more choice than initially expected.

Cobham Free School and SEND provision (for Dyslexic). Any experience?

Manor House and St Theresa’s and Cranmore which are now in a federation operating a Diamond model will be your nearest private schools. The Howard is an excellent school but I’d be amazed if they have any spaces. Further afield are the Leatherhead comps

May I ask what you chose in the end and why? Thanks for sharing

I would love to know what you ended up doing too as we are making a move from NZ to that area!

Howard of Effingham is highly regarded but very oversubscribed so you’ll almost certainly be on a waiting list there.

Also in general the catchment areas can be variable. Last year a friend of mine who lives in the town centre 1 mile from County and 2 miles from George Abbot was given Rodborough in Milford for her child going into year 7. That’s a 40 minute round trip to drop off and pick up. She did get a place closer to home in the end but only after going on a waiting list.

There’s lots of movement in the private schools because of people moving away for work and so on. You might want to look at those options if budget allows.