Moving to London in May 2025

[TryKeepCalm]

We are moving to London in May 2025 and looking for a good secondary school for DD, she will start Year 7. She is not very academically inclined, we are looking for schools where she can have good fun, do moderately well academically. She is more interested in music, dance, creative writing and a school that could offer some good creative outlets in these respects will be welcome. What are some good schools for this purpose.

My office will be in Canary Wharf but we will settle in London on the base of DD's school location, so location is not a concern. Any ideas how to go about it? Also, are we too late for 2025 admissions?

Are you looking for state or private and are you coming from abroad or uk?

State you’re too late for normal Admissions, you’d need to have an address before you can apply. So it’s chicken and egg really. Private is more flexible but better schools will have filled their allocation too but have waiting lists (as will State).

We are open for state/private, looking more for a relaxed/less-hassled settling in. Coming from India.

Ah, it is definitely chicken and egg. It has been a whirlwind, but life comes at you fast and given the opportunity to move in quick time, we took it. DD's school is the core piece of the jigsaw around which we will solve the rest of the puzzle!

Maybe ask your new employer if they will pay for you to have guidance from a relocation agent for education. You won't get very far with selecting a state school until you are living here. Otherwise an international private school in central London might be your best option. You could subscribe to the good schools guide.

There are fantastic schools and a large Indian population in Harrow. It’s not the closest to Canary Wharf (other side of London) but it will give you the education you’re looking for. There are a wealth of great state schools and lots of good private ones around here too

You will, I’m afraid, struggle to get a place at a state secondary now as the allocations have been made. You’d have to find somewhere to live, apply and most likely be on a waiting list until a place becomes available. But there is always movement so it’s not impossible if you choose accommodation extremely close by (waiting list is determined on distance not how long you’ve been on it so you would move to the top of the list if you were very close). I would narrow down your search area based on budget and commute etc, because there are plenty of great secondary schools in London so it’s hard to suggest one area. You apply via the local council where you will be living and all the information will be on their website.

For independent schools, the most sought after ones will be full already but there will definitely be some Year 7 places at others. You might want to look at northeast London based on your office location and it could be worth contacting Forest, Bancroft, North Bridge House and Chigwell schools to see if they have any places. I’m sure Palmers Green High School will also have places. It’s worth sending out a few emails to see.

Employer has offered us accommodation in the E14 postcode. Are there decent options around?

Goodschoolsguide.co.uk and londonpreprep.com as resource to type of schools. Kids in London tend to travel far due to transport options. So it is not distance but how an area is covered by Bus, Tube, Trains that is more important.

E14 includes Canary Wharf so sounds like that they are offering you accommodation close to the office. I love Tower Hamlets but the education situation can be challenging depending on your preferences. However if you are living in Canary Wharf the transport connections are excellent and you can be in Central London very quickly where I imagine there are a lot more private options (although I don't know anything about this sector).

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:394c6795-fc23-4a08-931e-0b8a08182890

If you are applying for a state school in the main round of year 7 admissions, even if naming preferred schools in other areas (applying in May would be a 'late' main round application), you must do it through your home local authority. This is the information booklet for Tower Hamlets, which is where the E14 postcode is, but all the other boroughs should have their own equivalent online, where you can read about the schools in their area.

Wow, a lot to take, but lots of great resources, thank you! Will take a look and come back with specific options and seek help/inputs narrowing down please.

If you are ok with central London - I thinking Queen's College London (QCL) or Francis Holland Regent's Park would fit. Not super academic and have good performing arts programmes and importantly girls seem happy. QCL is well known for their well-being programme (Thrive).

I would add that although offer and acceptances deadline have passed - people change their mind and move, so would expect still a fair amount of movement over the summer.

I actually work in a secondary school near Canary Wharf, but we don't have a strong performing arts department unfortunately. We are also a standard state school, I think you may be thinking more along the lines of private/fee paying schools.
Most of the state schools in Tower Hamlets and Newham the boroughs closest to your workplace have very good results, when you look at the prior attainment of the students, but they also have enormous challenges as both Boroughs contain a lot of areas of social and economic deprivation. Not that I'm blaming the folk who live there or the schools, speaking for my school we are a generally happy place.

OP If you’re looking to live in leafy, family-friendly area perhaps try Greenwich or Dulwich Village.
You’d have a 40mins commute to work but lovely area for weekends and very safe.
I wouldn’t recommend living in E14 with children as a first choice

Also near Swiss Cottage station, which is 30mins commute but you are then close to Hampstead Heath and many good school options

Year 7 in May or September 2025? The latter may prove more problematic as places have been allocated already and you will only get an offer once you have an address and any late applications are sorted in the meantime. Don’t get hung up about proximity to Canary
wharf , it is accessible from many train and tube routes.

We are looking at schools like Queen's College London (QCL), Francis Holland Regent's Park, Sylvia Young Theatre School. That does mean being in the Central London vicinity and we think we can work that out. We will definitely explore more schools on similar lines within Central London. Thankful for all the wonderful advice here to set us on a viable path.

You could also try Queensgate, a girls school in South Kensington

And OP......
Welcome to London! Best place to live in the world! You will soon be a Londoner.

@TryKeepCalmdo you mind sharing your daughters birth year and month? India and UK school years don’t align so if you are looking for 7th Std in India that would equate to year 8 in UK.
As other posters have said - year7 is a tricky year as places get allocated in March, so most of the sought after state and private will be full. If you can afford the fees (for the next 7 years) you can contact the private schools over email and see which ones can offer a place. That might help with deciding where to live.
alternatively you can pick a location, and apply once you move and hope for the best. If you are renting you can always move, but that will mean a change of schools. Please DM me if want to. Happy to help.