Should we move out of Islington?

[Tmcb4]

Hi all,
We are a family of four (DD is 7 and DS is almost 3) currently renting in Highbury. Our rent will go up to an insane amount of money at the end of the year so we have finally decided to buy a property and enjoy the stability that comes with it.
Our issue is that our budget (up to 900k) seems to not allow us to find anything nice in the area (we will need 3 bedrooms - or 2 with a future extension - and are really keen on having a garden. Hubby is strongly against new houses/tall buildings).
Since our daughter is currently attending year 2 in an excellent Church of England primary we would like to try and not move her, which restricts a bit where we can look for a property.
On top of that, we are trying to take into account the catchment areas of secondary schools (we can't afford independent). DD is quite academic and will sit the 11+, but we feel we would like to have a solid plan B in place in case that doesn't go well.
Many of the children from her school go to SMMA, which we would love, but from the viewings that we started to have yesterday the properties in the catchment area (keeping into account that she comes from a CoE school, so roughly within 1 mile) are either rather sad or definitely above our budget.
We walked around Stroud Green and definitely liked it, but if we moved there we would both be out of catchment for SMMA and also miss the "advantage" given to Islington residents for the Dame Alice Owen test (another solid choice among the pupils in DD's school). I am getting anxious at the idea of choosing an area that we like but then regretting it in a few years time when we'll have to pick a secondary school.
Keeping all together feels like a catch 22!
Is there something that I am not seeing/considering?
Any advice or experience would be very much appreciated! Thanks a bunch!

I live not far from you I suspect and also love Highbury. Not sure if you should move! I agree it's not a fantastic budget for a three-bedroom with a garden in the area, so if you definitely want to buy maybe you have to?

That said, you could still apply to DAO from Stroud Green if your daughter goes to an Islington school even if you're not an Islington resident. I would hardly count on that though, as the standard is just so extremely high it is wildly competitive. It's really hard to grasp just how hard it is to get into 11+ schools in London until you're actually facing the tests.

The secondaries in Islington are better than people say, I think, especially if you have girls with Highbury Fields. And your DD could also get into SMMA through the test (again, this is harder than it seems but more possible I think than DAO, esp. if your DD is autumn-born!) I think SMMA is a bit overrated, but still a solid school and largely seen as the best option for boys in the area.

If you actually attend church, that opens up more options for you with girls ...

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your reply!
At this point, after having rented for many years, we feel it's definitely time to buy.
What you said about DAO is very useful, as well as everything else! We are foreigners so still grasping the UK school system.
Have you got children that had the 11+ test? It sounds as if you are speaking from direct experience :-)
We do go to church even though not on a weekly basis, very curious about what further options would that open if you feel like sharing?
Thanks a lot!!!!

So we live in this area, Highbury Fields is very popular now as a girls school option and has a good reputation. I have friends with girls there and they are pretty happy with it. In terms of DS options, it's a long time away and schools will change over time. For example City Foundation boys had a bad rep but has improved massively over past few years. If you are a faith family then there are other options too, my friends DS goes to the Oratory for example.
SMMA is traditionally v desirable but historical catchment may not reflect the future as the demographics change. And remember SMMA has also got governors places which are 11plus style

If you do attend church regularly your daughter may be attend St Marylebone (Girls) and distance may be less important than church going.

For faith schools, there are schools like Grey Coat Hospital and St. Marylebone, which you would likely get into if you were a weekly CoE attender for five years. They are quite far away, but I know several girls from the neighborhood who go to one or the other.

I live in Islington. The secondary schools here have massively improved and I think you have some of the best choices in London. So many outstanding secondary schools. Why don’t you try and look around them? Not sure of open days etc but worth finding out. As someone has said if your dc attend an Islington school you can still try dao even if you live in a different borough. It’s v competitive and probably will get harder if potentially private school pupils now apply due to vat increase. But there’s lots of other great alternatives so no need to move (was quite different some years ago though!)

DAO is very competitive to get into for the Islington places, it's a small amount each year. I think around 20. Highbury Fields is definitely worth considering.
Depending where you move to, your DD could get a place at Parliament Hill or Camden School for Girls. There is movement on the waiting lists from offer day so last distance offered does increase after then.

Hi, we are at Mary Magdalene and we are out of Islington - they take some out of catchment children on the basis of a test. So, if you leave Islington you could potentially still have Mary Magdalene for high school. We are very happy with it, the school is good at communicating with parents and the ethos of the school has an emphasis on kindness and community which I think was helpful for ours in settling in. I know the non-catchment places are now more competitive, but I'd imagine still not as competitive as e.g. private schools (and definitely a lot less competitive than the Islington grammars!).

Just adding that Stroud Green postcodes are mostly Islington rather than Harringay so would be fine for the governors test at SMMS or DAO although extremely competitive. I’m not the biggest fan of Islington schools although I agree that academic standards have improved.

Wren academies in Finchley have a good reputation and I think 900k may not be an impossible budget there. Or the “less fashionable” part of Crouch End at the bottom of Park Road may be affordable and just about in catchment for Highgate Wood which is ok (in the same ballpark as the better schools in Islington).

If I were in your position I think I’d stay for a few more years until your DD gets into secondary if you think your options would be better where you are now. This also means you keep the same (presumably shorter) commute to primary school for those years. Finding a good secondary school in Islington can be tricky, and if you’re currently in catchment for SMMA, that’s worth a lot since if your DD goes there your DS would then have priority as a sibling after you move.

It also means that you will have a better sense of things when deciding where to live - and potentially a bigger budget if your salaries increase in the meantime. You’ll know what secondary school your DD will be attending and also will probably have a sense of how academic your DS is. So if your DD does not go to SMMA (and therefore no sibling priority), you may want to move somewhere within catchment of a good school for your DS.

All that said, I understand why you want to buy and stop paying rent! It’s a difficult choice. You may have already done this, but I’d sit down and calculate what the costs for those 3 or 4 years would be, even with the rent hike it might not be as much extra to rent vs buying as you think with stamp duty and mortgage rates.

The south side of Stroud green road is in Islington, so you aren't ruling yourself out of DAO and it's an easy commute to SMMA if you pass the test. Plus, depending on exactly where you are, kids also go to Highgate Wood and Parliament Hill, which are both solid secondary school options.