Q. I have heard that there are certain school years in which it is very difficult to join a school. Is this true and, if it is, which years are they? A. Yes, it is true. Schools do not like accepting children into Years 11 and 13 because in both cases the pupils are in the middle of a 2 year course; GCSEs in Year 11 and A Levels in Year 13. If possible it is best to avoid moving schools in Years 11 and 13 because it can have a very detrimental effect on your child’s education.
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
Q.I have paid the Registration Fee for an independent school. Does this guarantee a place for my child at the school? A. No, paying the Registration Fee only registers an interest in a school. If there is a waiting list for places, paying the Registration Fee will put your child’s name on the waiting list. The Registration Fee, which is usually not more than £100.00 is non-refundable.
Q.We are relocating to the London area from America and have 3 children age 7, 9 and 14. We would like all our children to attend English fee paying schools but we feel this may not work out for our oldest child when we return to the USA in 2 year’s time. What do you suggest? A. Your younger children would benefit from attending English Preparatory schools as they will learn about another culture, make new friends and broaden their horizons. Their education will not suffer and they may even find they are ahead in some subjects when they return to the USA.
After the age of 12/13 the English and American curriculums begin to diverge. As you are only staying in UK for 2 years it might be better for your oldest child to attend a school that offers the American curriculum so that your oldest child’s education will not be disrupted. If you follow this route your child will have an easy transition to the UK and back to the USA when you return. There are several schools in the London area that offer the American curriculum.
Q.I have accepted a place at an independent school and have paid the deposit. We have decided to move out of the area and will have to send our child to another school. Is the deposit refundable? A. The deposit is nearly always non-refundable. If however, you warned the school that you might be moving, or you are able to let the school know several months in advance that you will not be requiring the place your deposit may be refunded. In the worst case scenario the school will keep the deposit and also charge you for the first term’s fees. It is always advisable to read the small print before paying the deposit and signing the acceptance form.
Q.I would like my children to go the independent senior school I attended. Is this a good idea? A. It is very likely that the school you attended when you were a teenager will have changed a great deal in the intervening years. Be aware that you may be looking at the school through rose-tinted glasses. Take a good hard look at the school as it is now. Your children may have different needs and the school that was right for you may not be the best place for them.
Q.We have been looking at day schools for our preparatory age children for several months and have whittled down our choice to 2 schools which both have very good pre-prep departments. We cannot decide which one will be the best for our child. What should we do? A. Have you looked at the top end of the school? Look carefully at the top classes at both the schools because this is where your children will be in a few years’ time.
Talk to pupils at the top of both of the schools. Are they good role models for your children?
Ask both schools for a list of where the children exit to. Make sure you ask for a list for a specific year as schools have a habit of compiling lists of next schools that go back 5 or even 10 years, which can be misleading.
Compare the curriculum and the extra activities offered at the schools.
If there is still nothing between them call School Guidance for a professional assessment of the schools.
Q.We live abroad and want to send our children back to the UK to board but do not know how to organise this. Many schools nowadays seem to offer weekly boarding and I want to find a school which provides a lot of activities at the weekend. Can you help? A. We place many children every year into both prep and senior boarding schools. If your children are going to be full time boarders it is important for them to attend a school where a large proportion of the pupils are full time boarders and where there is Saturday school with lessons in the morning and games in the afternoon. Weekends can be very lonely if there are very few other pupils around and only a skeleton staff on hand.
Q.We live abroad and have just heard that we will be moving to the UK in about 2 year’s time. Our children will be attending independent schools. When should we start looking for schools? A. It is a best to start looking for places at independent schools at least a year before the proposed date of entry. This will give enough time for the schools to be thoroughly researched and your children tested for entry. If all goes well you will have school places reserved for your children months before you relocate. Sorting out the schooling for your children early in the relocation process will take a great weight off your shoulders and make the move much less stressful. We offer School Search Packages and can assist you to find schools.
Q.My child is in Year 6 at our local state primary school. I am filling in the Common Application Form. We can name 3 school preferences in our area. There is only one school I want my child to go to. Will I stand a better chance of gaining a place at this school if I put the same school down 3 times? A. Putting a school down 3 times will not improve your chances of gaining a place there. I recommend you put down the names of 2 other schools as well. Always place the school that you really want your child to attend at the top of the list. If you put it further down the list you run the risk of losing out on a place. The Local Authority may be able to offer you a place at, for example 2 of the schools on your preference list. If this is the case you will be offered a place at the school which is higher on your list. You are only ever offered 1 place. You may not be able to appeal for a place at the school you really wanted. Some authorities will not let you appeal for schools that are lower on your list than the school you have been offered.
Q.I am moving to a new area in the middle of the school year. To whom do I apply to for places for my children? A. All applications for places at state schools have to go through the Local Authority for the area in which you live. Your Local Authority will send your application to the Local Authority in the area to which you are moving. The offer of a place or the rejection will be sent back to your home Local Authority who will inform you about the offer or rejection. This can be a very time consuming process and can lead to delays in communications between authorities. The loss of time can be crucial when trying to secure places which may be taken by the time the application comes through. My knowledge of how local authorities operate ensures that your application is correctly completed by you, processed swiftly by your Local Authority and dealt with promptly by the Authority in the area to which you are moving.
Q.My child is going to move up to a secondary school next year. In the past our local state school has had a bad reputation. I have heard many alarming stories about the school. The most recent Ofsted report is good and paints a very different picture of it. Whom should I believe? A. It can take some time for the reputation of a school to change. Look round the school and talk to the pupils and staff. Talk to parents who have children at the secondary school.
Q.I want to apply for schools that are far from my home. We live very near to a secondary school. I have heard that I do not need to name my local secondary school as one of my preferences because my child will be offereda place at my local school anyway if no places are available in my preferred schools. Is this true? A. No, it is not. If you do not put down your local school as one of your preferences you will not be considered for a place there. If you are not offered a place at one of the schools on your list, because you live too far away, you may end up without an offer of a school place. If you really want your child to go to schools that are far away put them first on your list and put your local school down after them.
Q.My child is taking the 11+ test for grammar school entry but the school says my child is borderline for grammar school. We have a very good comprehensive near our home. It is a very popular school. Should I put the comprehensive school first on my list of preferences? A. If you want your child to have the possibility of going to a grammar school you must put it down as your first preference. Local Authorities operate an Equal Preference system. Each preference has equal value when they allocate places. Only one place is offered. If your child can be offered a place at more than one of your preferences, you will be offered the school that is your highest preference. If you put the comprehensive school down as your first preference and the grammar as second and your child passes the 11+ and both schools have a place for your child, you will be offered your first choice, the comprehensive school. Your child would therefore miss out on a place at a grammar school.
Q.We own a flat very near to an excellent secondary school but we do not live there. I have heard that many parents put another address near to the school on their application form to help their child gain a place at the school. Should I put down the address of our flat on our application form? A. This is not a good idea. Local Authorities check addresses carefully. If it comes to light that you have used an incorrect address your child could lose the place and you could be prosecuted.
Q.We live abroad and have just heard that we will be moving to the UK in about 2 year’s time. Our children will be attending state schools. When should we start looking for schools? A. This depends if you are looking for a place at one of the main points of entry - which in most areas are Reception, Years 3, 4 or 5 and Years 7, 8 or 9 - or a place in one of the other years which is called an “In Year Application”.
Main point of entry applications
An application for a place at one of the main points of entry has to be submitted by a certain date. Each Local Authority sets its own dates. Any application received after the closing date is processed after the first round of allocation. Only applications that arrived on time are processed in the first round of allocation. If your application is in on time but you have not moved to the UK it will be processed using your home address. If you live abroad you are unlikely to be offered a place.
In Year Applications
Local Authorities should accept your application for an In Year Application roughly half a term before you want your child to begin school. If the school has a place for your child it may be reserved for your child for a limited period. This gives you time to find a house in the area. Unfortunately not all Local Authorities work in this way. Local Authorities in the most popular areas will only process your application when you have an address in the area, and some require you to have moved in first. Finding places in state schools can be a tricky business. School Guidance has years of experience dealing with Local Authorities and will guide you through the process.
"Thank you so much for your fabulous assistance in finding the right school for Tristan. We are thrilled with the school and he can't wait to start! Your sound advice and guidance was invaluable.
We would not have been successful had it not been for your assistance." Corporate Client
State School Search in Bedfordshire
RELOCATING FROM SOUTH ASIA
"We can't thank you enough for your very efficient and friendly service." A Foreign Office family
posted in South Asia
EDUCATION PLAN FOR A NEW AREA
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your help in finding schools for my children. Your approach allowed me to focus on what was important in a school for me. As we are moving to an area I know little about, your research allowed me to define which would be the best areas to live in to be near
good Junior and Secondary schools.
Your advice was very clear and logical and the speed of your response has meant that we are finally making progress." Mr and Mrs Malik
RELOCATING FROM SOUTH AFRICA
"Again thank you for all of your work and effort on the schools issue. I really feel fortunate to have found a resource such as you who did excellent work in providing the advice I needed as well as conducting the school search that fitted our needs." Corporate Client
Penny Bysshe.
School Guidance Consultancy
Orchard House,
High Road,
Cookham,
Berkshire SL6 9JT
Tel. +44 (0)1628 810696.
Email. consult@school-guidance.co.uk
