West Berkshire secondary schools: private or state for children returning from Australia?

[ThatRareAzureOtter]

I'm a British mum of three planning to move home from Australia. I've enjoyed the adventure of living abroad but am feeling increasingly homesick after 20 years as an expat. I'd love my children to grow up in the UK - my 11-year-old son is football mad, my 14-year-old daughter is just British in all her ways and the youngest, a 7-year-old girl, needs to learn some nice English manners! My parents are entering their 80s and I'd love to be closer to them as well as be near my sister and my neice and nephew. Sorry for the life story!

I'd love any advice about whether to go private for secondary school or state. The area I have been researching is West Berkshire and we have visited Cranford School in Moulsford which was absolutely lovely. My husband (who is Australian) believes it is more sensible to invest in property and find a good state school instead. The Downs School in Compton looks very impressive. Would anyone have advice to share about these two schools? For myself, I went to a state secondary and then a grammar school for sixth form and was lucky enough to end up at Durham University. But I'm not sure if it is better for expat children to move to a smaller school rather than a larger one to help them settle in?

Any advice much appreciated - and I cannot tell you how excited I am to eat soggy chips and baked beans with a proper cup of tea in the drizzle!

My friend is assistant head at Cranford and she's such a lovely person so if I could afford it that would be my choice. She tutored my daughter for her GCSEs and was brilliant.

Do bear in mind that time is short for your 14 yo who may be year 9 or 10 already with gcses taken in year 11. If you went down the state school route choices might be very limited for her as she would be allocated the nearest school with a space. Would your 11yo be year 6 or 7 as they will also need a secondary place for September and be out of the usual application round.

Yes I agree with @LIZS – the key factor may be the school year of your DC.

State schools are unlikely to allow them to be in the wrong year. Private schools may be more flexible. When is your 14yo's birthday (ie when does she turn 15)? If it is before Aug 31 this year, she would already be in year 10, which makes a move very problematic.

If she is older in the year, and turned 14 since Sept 1 2025, then she would be in year 9 now. Ideally you would move before the end of the summer term to get her into the end of year 9 and able to decide on options – tho the reality is most students are picking options this term, so there might not be much choice. But moving any time after the start of year 10 is a bad idea.

Yes also – when is your 11yo 12? Again, if that's next school year (after 1 Sept 2026) then at least if you moved this summer he would be starting secondary with the rest of the cohort, in year 7. But you have missed the application window for that so you would be a later application at best.

Overall, private schools can be more flexible on these issues so I would ask the question of any private schools you are considering, depending ofc on the birthdays of your DC and when you are planning to move.

In terms of “is private school better”, obviously it really depends, on the schools and your DC. There is another thread rn about a parent who sent one DC to private and the other insisted on state – and seems to be doing well and be happy. So it’s not one size fits all.

Obviously I don't know about your finances but be aware that private school, even if only secondary, for three DC is a big £££ commitment. You are looking at at least 10 years of fees (assuming they go state for sixth form) which could cost more than £200k (conservatively estimated) all told, plus extras and trips and uniform. That may not be an issue for you of course.

Thank you very much indeed for your replies. The children will be going into year 10 and year 8 this coming September. I really appreciate your feedback and will wait to see if there are any further advice/ messages too. Thank you!

The Downs is excellent, as is St Bart’s in Newbury. Both are difficult to get into if you are not in catchment for them. They both have programs for G&T children, and send a lot of children to Oxbridge/medicine/vet schools from their 6th forms. (DC1 went to St Bart’s 6th form and was very high achieving.) Kennet used to be good but successive changes of head have not been good for it. If you are close to Reading and your children are very clever there are the grammar schools. If you want to pay for education it doesn’t really matter where you live, you can send them off to board, but West Berks has schools that will take all you money and then some, for apparently not much better exam results than the local state schools for a bright child. Down House (not to be confused with The Downs) and Bradfield College are the most aspirational.

Are you going to be able to sort a house and school place in time for September?

Yes this was my thought too. When are you planning on moving @ThatRareAzureOtter ?

Tbh I doubt you will have a big choice of schools. I don’t know the area but if you were coming to where I live and I said xyz schools are really good, it would probably be a moot point as they would probably not have spaces for an in-year admission. I may be wrong tho, let’s hope I am and you have some choices.

Independent schools are more likely to have places for this September.
In West Berkshire, you could look at Downe House, St Gabriel's, Cranford, Bradfield College. A little further away, St Helens and St Katherine's in Abingdon is excellent for your dds.

Ok, so you are moving this summer.
You turn up, and tell the council you need school places. You will get schools that have spaces. Those are likely to be the less popular schools and you may well not get a choice - and may well not be in a convenient location.

You cannot apply until you are residents in the UK. You basically take a leap into the unknown with state schools when moving anything further than a commutable distance.

If you go for a private school, you should be able to apply from Aus.

That said, we moved internationally, and went state - with younger kids. We also finished the school year in June - so moved then, and had time before the next school year started. As it happens our council were fabulous and extremely helpful, and the kids did a couple of weeks at the end of term before moving up. Lots of councils are less than helpful when doing this stuff.

At those entry points, I’m afraid you’re unlikely to have much choice of schools, especially good state schools, which will have had waiting lists for Year 7, so likely to be full. Have you enquired about spaces at independents, do you know what your actual options are?

So is the choice state school and buy a house or private school and rent?

I'd opt for state for younger two and pay for two years private for oldest, and then switch her to state at 16.

I'd also put the oldest into Cranford for y10-11; it's small and nurturing and will get her the best GCSEs it can given timing. It'll be absolutely hit and miss for her in the state sector as they won't necessarily know or be able to put her in appropriate ability sets even if you get a place in a good one.
I would also put the 11 year old in Cranford while you apply for a good state place, and aim to move in Y8 or Y9 or as soon as an in year place comes up. Or, if you like Cranford and can afford it, no need to move.
Your oldest will have a pick of sixth forms if she gets good results and lots of kids leave Cranford at this point to go to the Downs, Wallingford, or other private sixth forms as Cranford is small and some find it stifling at that level. But it's an ideal "landing" school for arriving back from overseas for sure.

A big thank you again for everyone's thoughts - much appreciated!

You cannot apply until you are residents in the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children

We did an international move to London and as we hadn’t found our permanent home we decided to go the private route instead of state because you need to be resident to apply with the council and have proof of address. We arrived over summer so they likely wouldn’t have got state school places assigned until after the new school year started in Sept. and it would have little choice of which school they’d go to as they are all over subscribed in our area. We wanted our kids to start at the beginning of the school year, especially the one going into Y7 (less concerned about the one going into Y4). Finding a private school was not that easy as well as we had missed all the 11+ deadlines/applications and very few schools had a Y7 place. Luckily we got offered a place at that school after sitting the entrance tests remotely. Y7 was a rough year for us, as it was a big change in schooling plus the international move, but he has settled now and is thriving in Y9. Our youngest adjusted a lot faster and more easily at his non-selective private prep school and quickly caught up academically. We just went through the 11+ with him and it was crazy, so kind of glad we side stepped all that for my oldest! Good luck with the planning and move - it’s a lot but worth it to be home again!!!

Have you considered The Oratory Prep School? Great for my three kids!