Choosing secondary school in Redbridge and Epping Forest

[T0mAndJerry]

Hi,

We're filling in the online form for choosing my daughter's secondary school for year 7 entry. We need to submit it by 31st October 2025, so not long to go! We live a couple of minutes walk from Woodford underground station and come under Redbridge Council. In our form, we're choosing Woodford County High as first choice and Woodbridge as second choice (we live about half a mile from Woodbridge and are within its catchment). If she doesn't have the required 11+ exam score to get into Woodford County High, then we really hope that she can get into Woodbridge because of it's a good school and easy walking distance. However, just in case she can't get into any of those two, we need to add a few other schools as back-up. What other 3 or 4 schools should we add to the form and in which order? We're looking at good teaching and exam results as the main factor as well as short distance from home. West Hatch is the next closest school to us but I've heard very mixed views regarding its performance. We're also looking at Beal which is a bit further away followed by Wanstead, both which we heard good things about. Valentines has excellent performance, however is the furthest away of our choices and we have to cross that dreaded Gants Hill roundabout! Regarding West Hatch, I'm also interested to know the proportion of ethnicities within that school. My family are British Pakistani so I'm uncomfortable to send my daughter to a school where only a small percentage of foreign-origin makes the pupil population, whereas some of the other schools I looked at have a good balance. We did a tours and open days of Woodford County High and Woodbridge but unfortunately missed the events other schools.

So after WCHS and Woodbridge, our remaining choices are likely Beal, West Hatch, Wanstead and maybe Valentine. Could someone please advise which order we should place those choices and if there are any other schools nearby which we should consider?

Hi I’ve heard good things about wanstead but all schools you’ve listed are over subscribed. What score did your daughter get for her 11+ grammar test? That might help you decide what choice to put as preference 1

Hi,

She got 104.18 for her grammar test which is just about a pass. We're placing WCHS as first choice just in case there's still an ounce of hope of her getting selected. I phoned Redbridge Council Admissions for advice about this and they said that if she doesn't get selected for WCHS then, just because Woodbridge was put as second choice, it won't jeopardise her chances of Woodbridge since grammar schools and non-grammar schools are treated differently and the application will be processed as if Woodbridge was first choice. They advised to never put a grammar school as second choice to non-grammar because whichever school you get selected for, you lose all your next choices. I know Woodbridge is one of the oversubscribed schools but we should be OK for it because we're within its catchment and only half a mile distance from it.

@T0mAndJerry I don't know the schools in your area so no help there, but wanted to clarify (as your admissions contact was not super clear) that schools cannot consider where you put them on the form.

What that means is that you will be offered the school you qualify for that you list highest. Listing a school second when someone else lists it first does not jeopardise your chance of getting a place. If you live nearer (or whatever the criteria are) you will get the place unless you qualify for a higher pref on your own form.

So you are right to put the grammar first if that is your first pref. I don’t suppose people often list grammar second as presumably if you are on board with the system, it's your first pref. But if you actually preferred a non-grammar, then that should be top of your list.

Definitely Woodbridge as your second, which I suspect is more likely than WC given her score. Then WH, Beal, Wanstead. Valentine's is very unlikely due to numbers.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm interested to know why you put West Hatch so high in your list, in case there's some information that I'm missing about it. I heard so many mixed things about this school and its academic scores are less than the other schools' in my choice list. I was thinking of putting it as my sixth choice and the only reason why it's in my list at all is because of its convenient short distance from home and because it's the best of the worst.

Hi, what have you heard about the school so far? I’ve heard it’s good. Has a new headteacher so things looking up,