Seeking advice on finding a school
 

Hello,

I'm moving back to the UK with my family after 23 years abroad. My son will be 12 years old when we move in June. He has never lived in the UK but has a British passport. He has been enrolled in PYP and MYP programmes under the international Bac track so far. We will be in the London area (though we have yet to decide on the location - waiting for employer to confirm office address). I'm looking for some advice on transitioning from international schooling to the UK state school system. Tips on school selection - what should we be looking out for? What documentation is required? Is there much choice in terms of continuing with MYP?

Many thanks.

Re: Seeking advice on finding a school
 

Hi
My DD's eldest son is a few months younger than your son.
They live in London.
He left his state primary school a couple of years ago because of bullying and went to a local private school.
He will be attending secondary school from September this year and his parents decided that the local state school was not appropriate.
On the school's website, it gives a list of items that are not allowed on the school premises including a list of weapons.
They also have security staff.
He will instead be going to a private school.
Entry into the private school system in London is not straightforward either because there is a great demand for places.
They had to apply to six reasonably local schools and he had to sit entrance exams for each including online interviews.
The reason for applying (and paying their application fee) for six schools is to try to ensure that he would be accepted by one of them.
The exams and interviews took place in December and January.
He was offered a place in five out of the six schools and has accepted a place in his preferred school.
Getting a place in a state school in London may not be straightforward and may not be what he expects after an international school but entry into the private school system may not be easy either.
They have already selected their pupils for September 2021.
Moving out of London with good train links to the office may make your choice of school easier.

Good luck

Re: Seeking advice on finding a school
 

Many thanks for sharing this experience. I'm really sorry to hear about the bullying.

Re: Seeking advice on finding a school
 

We moved back here last summer and by November secured two primary school places in the same school for our 5 and 7 year olds. Lockdown is easing and schools are opening back up here on Monday. We have decided to homeschool for the rest of the year. State school here is very different to what we had in the US. 30 kids per class. Parents not allowed on school premises due to COVID. Our kids are younger than yours obviously but they weren't settling. All the kids in the 7 year old class were going home with American accents however haha. Granted, we are in a pandemic so things are insane here.

Check out The Good School Guide. They have counsellors you can talk to (pay for?). I don't know anything about them and no doubt they are aligned with some schools but that's all I could find in the way of guidance. It sounds as if the state school system may not be the best fit for you. I also got a lot of info about which local schools NOT to apply for by reading the Mumsnet forums. If you can filter out the banter, there's some good info in there from happy and disgruntled mums.
Good luck!