Advice needed on Winchester / Hampshire secondaries

[Ownthemoment]

Hi there,
We are planning to relocate from overseas and are likely to settle in the Winchester area - primarily for its excellent school options and proximity to family. Our children haven’t lived in the UK before so we are looking for a school with a welcoming, nurturing ethos where they could settle and make friends quickly. Good sport would be a bonus! My eldest would be going into secondary school and we love the look of King’s and Westgate (but are open to all options). I know Winchester schools are all extremely popular and it might be difficult to get places, but would love any insight that this group could offer nonetheless so we can start honing in on catchment areas a bit! Thanks so much

Why not consider any of the Schools in Basingstoke?

We moved home from the US 3 years ago and looked at Winchester but every school was oversubscribed and we were told to just get here, apply then appeal but with my DS going into year 9 I thought that would be too stressful. We’ve ended up with my two going to The Petersfield School, another outstanding state secondary in Hampshire

This thread is making me realise how many Hampshire schools I've done evening classes and voluntary work in over the last 20 years or so...

(No help for actually applying, though.)

Thank you all so much for the really helpful information shared before, it’s been invaluable. We’re getting closer to a move becoming a reality, so I came back to reread all the advice and reminders. I really appreciate how generous everyone has been with their knowledge.

Sadly Westgate, which we absolutely loved, is full across all the four year groups we’d need (which I suppose speaks volumes about how good it is!). So we’re now looking more closely at other primary options, Weeke, Western, St Peter’s and St Bede’s. Some of the information online seems a little out of date, so if anyone has any recent experiences or thoughts on these schools I’d be really grateful to hear them.

For senior school, the most likely options for Year 7 at the moment look like Henry Beaufort and possibly King’s, but again any insight would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks again, this forum has been such a helpful resource while we try to figure everything out. Once we figure that first step out, I might come back to ask some questions about sports clubs (rugby, swimming etc) as you all have such great tips!

I think you need to consider the personality of your child and bear in mind that no one school is going to be a good fit for every child. For example, @HaloDolly has vouched for Swanmore College. I don't know how recent their experience is, but it destroyed 2 of my girls. Some will thrive in that culture, others won't survive.

I know someone who teaches at The Petersfield School and they are doing some amazing stuff for students who struggle, as well as stretching those who are thriving.

That’s def been our experience of TPS