Forum London

by **mortlock2005** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 11:23 pm

We are considering moving to London on an expat assignment and are looking for advice on good private schools for our five year old. We want to live close to a school in a nice suburban area (somewhere we can rent a house with a garden). Friends have suggested Wimbledon and Richmond. Any advice on good schools or places to live would be appreciated.

by **EasyExpat** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:02 am

Why a private school? You have excellent state schools also in the area.

by **mortlock2005** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:27 am

It doesn't have to be a private school, but in our last expat location we used a private kindergarten - most expats do in Singapore.

To be honest I have no idea about the schools in London (how they work, how to find a good one, what happens when you arrive as a foreigner part way through a year which is particularly hard given this will be my girls first year of school, etc) Any advice would be appreciated.

by **EasyExpat** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:00 pm

In order to know how they work you can refer to our article on the schooling system in London in our guide.
For state schools, the successful ones have a catchment area (which means that you must leave in a certain perimeter of the school, 1 mile to much less, depending how much it is over0subscribed). You can see the results of the schools using the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) web site.
The league table for primary schools is available at the DCSF website.

Indeed private schools are much flexible so it is likely that if you arrive in the middle of the school year you rely on the private system, much flexible (eh, you pay!). But you should also try the state school if the one in your area is very good.

by **aussinglon** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:58 am

hi, did u find a school? I same situation as you, aussie now in singapore going to London, but my child is 10.

by **mortlock2005** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 6:41 am

We haven't got to London yet. Husband's company is taking forever. We were in Singapore for three years, then came back to Melbourne in May.

by **briankeating** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:40 am

Private schools are much more flexible if suppose you arrive in the middle of the schooling session. You can easily get your child into the private school there is no such issues.