HK to UK - Finding Schools

[WMDS]

Can you share a bit about how you handled the schools situation? I am sure it would be informative to many considering a move to the UK with children.

If it benefits anyone, this is my own UK experience.

1) Find property area according to your criteria/budget.
2) Map out all the schools which are good to outstanding https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted
3) Dont just trust ofsted, visit the school and attend open evenings.
4) If you have money, both parents working etc, go private over public.

[TheBrit]

Thanks! I have done a bit of work, already found an area and schools we like. Contacted them, got their admissions priority lost etc. The UK school scanner tool is excellent I think, obviously just as a starting point but much better than I had expected.

Did your children go in at the natural entry point to the schools - i.e. Reception for primary school, Year 7 for secondary school? It seems if you can hit those points, it becomes a lot easier as there is a whole year intake to join.

But if you try to join, say Secondary in Year 9 or Primary in Year 2 - then you are relying on dropouts to get in.... and the drop out rate in the UK public school sector is much lower than our expatty schools abroad where there is a constant churn of arrivals/leavers...

Is this your view too?

[WMDS]

Thanks! I have done a bit of work, already found an area and schools we like. Contacted them, got their admissions priority lost etc. The UK school scanner tool is excellent I think, obviously just as a starting point but much better than I had expected.

Did your children go in at the natural entry point to the schools - i.e. Reception for primary school, Year 7 for secondary school? It seems if you can hit those points, it becomes a lot easier as there is a whole year intake to join.

But if you try to join, say Secondary in Year 9 or Primary in Year 2 - then you are relying on dropouts to get in.... and the drop out rate in the UK public school sector is much lower than our expatty schools abroad where there is a constant churn of arrivals/leavers...

Is this your view too?

-After we received proof of address that we live in the area. (Schools will not permit applications without actual proof of address).
-We submitted a list of 3-4 schools in order of preference.
-Good public schools are usually oversubscribed then have to go through a list of criteria, eg how close do you live to the school.
-The UK property buying process took so long, we missed the start of the school year application!
-Our oldest was able to get a place in our 1st choice primary school because the kids of the house we purchased, moved out of the area and freed up their school places.

[TheBrit]

Thanks! So the trick was to buy a house from a family with the same age children at the school you wanted who were moving out of the area.. well played indeed! As it is your oldest, I guess the others will have a sibling priority down the line, that seems to be the case of all the schools we looked at.

[hullexile]

When we moved to the UK we found out there was not a single school place in the whole city. They suggested homeschooling. They later decided to increase the kids per class from 30 to 32 and ours were squeezed in.

They loved the schools and thrived.

[WMDS]

Thanks! So the trick was to buy a house from a family with the same age children at the school you wanted who were moving out of the area.. well played indeed! As it is your oldest, I guess the others will have a sibling priority down the line, that seems to be the case of all the schools we looked at.

Siblings priority is an important factor as UK authorities don't like to separate siblings. Imagine the school-run logistics! Since the oldest is in Primary school, we applied and got a place for the youngest too. A few friends were unable to get into the school, even though they attended nursery.

[TheBrit]

I appreciate you sharing your experiences. We don"t have plans to move back yet, but the oldest will be starting secondary soon and it is always good to have options. We were on the verge of pulling the trigger to buy a place near a superb secondary and several good primaries but plans have been iced because of the travel restrictions.

Thanks again for the current insights on the process. Agreed on school run logistics, even though ours are all now all in the same school they have two campuses so we have that joy in our daily lives

[kimwy66]

-After we received proof of address that we live in the area. (Schools will not permit applications without actual proof of address).
-We submitted a list of 3-4 schools in order of preference.
-Good public schools are usually oversubscribed then have to go through a list of criteria, eg how close do you live to the school.
-The UK property buying process took so long, we missed the start of the school year application!
-Our oldest was able to get a place in our 1st choice primary school because the kids of the house we purchased, moved out of the area and freed up their school places.

How long does the process of applying and being offered a place take, excluding finding a property? We need to get a 1st year A level place and will have to rent to start, no time to buy a house first.

[Timaw]

How long does the process of applying and being offered a place take, excluding finding a property? We need to get a 1st year A level place and will have to rent to start, no time to buy a house first.

I think most A level teaching in the UK has been moved out of schools and into purpose built sixth form colleges.

[Pauljoecoe]

I think most A level teaching in the UK has been moved out of schools and into purpose built sixth form colleges.

Not really - it depends on area. My town - Milton Keynes - still has a 6th form attached to every secondary school. 6th from colleges may be more common in large cities where travel is easier.

Regarding application, there is quite a bit of competition between schools to get A level students, particulary good ones. The schools income is based on number of students so it makes sense to take more students. Therefore, on the whole getting a place in a 6th form is fairly easy. They are not catchment/area based either unlike lower year groups. Students tend to move around a lot and not necessarily go to their local school.