Relocating to W10 London area - Advice on in-year transfers

[spadesandpetals]

Hi everyone,

We are relocating to the W10 area (North Kensington/Westminster) very soon and I’m looking for some local insight on secondary schools for an in-year transfer.

I’ve been researching via the Gov.uk "Compare Schools" site, but I’d really appreciate some real-world feedback from parents in the area. We have two children who need to stay together in the same school:

• Daughter (Year 10): Currently mid-GCSE and needs a school with strong pastoral support.

• Son (Year 9): Has an EHCP for autism and needs a school with a dedicated inclusion team or resource base.

The main priority is that they attend the same school. My daughter is a huge support for her brother, and they are very keen not to be separated during this transition.

We are currently looking at:
1. Kensington Aldridge Academy (KAA)
2. All Saints Catholic College
3. Paddington Academy
**
Are there any other schools in the Kensington & Chelsea or Westminster boroughs that you would recommend for an EHCP/Mainstream sibling "package deal"? We are very open to suggestions for schools that have a welcoming, inclusive environment.
Thank you so much for any help or advice you can offer!

Do any / all of these schools have places available in year 10?

Your year 9 can be placed in a school even if his year group is full, but your year 10 is just a normal mid-year application, dependent on a place being available; nowhere is going to take them 'as a package' simply on the basis of one sibling gaining a place through the school being named on their EHCP. Having a sibling on roll may affect the applicant's position on a waiting list, but it doesn't create a space where there isn't one.

I have no knowledge of any of these schools, but my advice would be to find a place for your year 10, given her stage of education and you don't really want to be wasting time going through the appeals process for her (with no certainty of outcome).

Thank you for your response. This is actually really helpful to know.

Your council may not play this game, but I asked ours "where has spaces in years 3 &5 in the area around our address?". And i got the list of places available that day. That doesn't guarantee those places would be available even a few minutes after asking, but it did give me a starting point.

When are you moving? We had to take up the places within 2 weeks of being offered.

@spadesandpetals I agree with the advice from others – you need to find out as a priority which schools have a mid-year year 10 space and secure that for your DD asap. Some schools are not keen to take a student mid year 10 and it is also not a year that frequently has vacancies as most ppl will move in year 8/9 instead. Or after year 11.

I don’t know these schools btw but the LA will or should be able to tell you where there are spaces. If these schools are popular then they may not have any room for your DD.

I presume you absolutely HAVE to move now? Is there any way your DD could finish KS4 where she is now – staying in the week with a relative or even a friend?

The reason I ask is that it’s not ideal at all to move in year 10 because:

• The new school may not offer the same subjects – obvs core ones yes but MFL may be different, school may not offer option choices like DT or textiles
• Even if the subjects are the same, the boards studied may be different so the texts, topics and exam structure may vary
• Even if both of the above are the same, the school may study in a different order – so your DD may have studied Macbeth but the school may start with A Christmas Carol, leaving your DD with gaps

If you have to move then my advice is to focus on core subjects and any A level choices; she might have to drop a subject or two if she needs to do a lot of catching up. All the best to you.

Year 10 is a tough point to change as there may be no continuity in some of the gcse courses they have started, either being at capacity or not offered at the school, or even if the subject is the board, syllabus and order of teaching modules may differ. If you really have no alternative but to move her ask the borough where has a vacancy in year 10 and prioritise her getting a place which may not be at the same school as her brother.