[Anuta13]

Hi, my family is planing to move to London this Summer. I am looking for GOOD private schools , both primary and secondary (boys will be 5 and 12 next September) schools somewher near Hyde park-Chelsea-Holland Park-Kensington-Belgravia etc area, as this is where we are hoping to live. I understan that they will be going to different schools - or am I wrong and ther ARE schools with both primary and secondary once on the same campus? Also, I know tht many really good schools are imposible to enter unless you were signed up many years beforehand... So I would really appreciate any SCHOOL NAMES wich match the criterias I mentioned above. ANY help is really appreciated!!!

 

[MaidenScotland]

Anuta private schools are different from Public schools... usually for a good public school you have to have the childs name down from the day they are born and it helps if their parent went to the school. The twelve year old boy will have to take a common entrance exam and pass it to be admitted to a private or public school. The five year old will be accepted at any place that has room.
If you are moving to certain areas in London the estate agent that is finding you property will be able to tell you what schools are in the areas and you can contact the schools and get them to send you their prospectus.
Good luck with your search.

 

[Anuta13]

Anuta private schools are different from Public schools... usually for a good public school you have to have the childs name down from the day they are born and it helps if their parent went to the school. .

Does that mean that I have almost no chance to get my older son into a good private school (are they called "public" there? as I asways thought that "public" meant NON-private//) What's about bording schools? Are they as bad to get into? Althought I always thought it's terrible to have to send your child away for a year at such yearly age

 

[MaidenScotland]

Does that mean that I have almost no chance to get my older son into a good private school (are they called "public" there? as I asways thought that "public" meant NON-private//) What's about bording schools? Are they as bad to get into? Althought I always thought it's terrible to have to send your child away for a year at such yearly age

Public schools in the U.K, are private in the sense that you have to pay for them.
Think Eton. where the Windsor boys went. These schools are extremely difficult to get into if not impossible. Most public schools are boarding but they do have what they class as day boys.. meaning they live close enough to go home each night.. or weekly boarders so they go home at the weekend.
At the moment due to the recession private schools are closing down due to a lack of pupils, so you may be able to pick and choose what school you want and they may over look a poor common entrance exam... they need the money.
My son went to an independent school... fee paying and run by the headmaster, it was a boarding school... he was a day boy but occasionaly we boarded him for a week if we were away on business and he loved it but boarding is not suited to every child.
Try looking up the Independent School Council ISC they should be able to help you more.
Maiden

 

[Joppa]

'Public school' in the UK refers to old-established private, usuallly boarding schools like Eton, Harrow, Winchester etc. Private schools cover any fee-paying schools, day or boarding. They are also called independent schools - a preferred term by the school.
Not all 'good' independent schools have waiting lists, and in the current recession, many, even good schools, are struggling with lower pupil numbers and would be glad to accept your sons. Some independent schools have integrated education from 3 to 18, while others specialise in secondary/high school education (usually 11 or 13-18), with associated prep(aratory) schools acting as feeder schools.
I hate to mention individual schools by name, for fear of offending others, but if you get in touch with ISC (Independent Schools Council), they can give you a list of schools and contact details.
Find an Independent School - Independent Schools Council
Also read The Good Schools Guide 2009 - The Good School Guide (cheaper at Amazon)
School league tables (unofficial for 2009) at 2009 A Level Results & GCSE Results | Times Online

 

[Veronica]

It is easy to get all of this information from google as some people are already
obiviously doing. It is very easy to look as though you know everything if you google it all

 

[MaidenScotland]

What would we do without google?

 

[Veronica]

What would we do without google?

Well we wouldnt look half as clever would we
Some people would be lost if they couldnt google to make themselves look knowledgable.

 

[Joppa]

I only used google to get web addresses of organisations and publications I already knew about!
And the usual caveat: don't take everything you read on the net at face value!

 

[Veronica]

I only used google to get web addresses of organisations and publications I already knew about!
And the usual caveat: don't take everything you read on the net at face value!

Please be aware that it is agaisnt forum rules to copy paste material from other websites.
This can lead to copyright issues.

 

[Joppa]

Please be aware that it is agaisnt forum rules to copy paste material from other websites.
This can lead to copyright issues.

Even just quoting web addresses?

 

[Veronica]

Even just quoting web addresses?

Nope its ok to give useful urls.
Just not to copy paste from sites.

 

[Anuta13]

Any help is welcome, even Google help
As much as I understand people trying to be politicly correct here, what I would like to hear here - are the NAMES of good schools. Every city has maybe 10-15 of them, and when you narrow the search down to a specific area, as I did in my above post, the list drops down to 4-5 schools. The rates and charts etc are all great but they do not give an insider view on a school and this is something I was trying to get from people who might be willing to help and who have children of school age...

 

[jojo]

Any help is welcome, even Google help
As much as I understand people trying to be politicly correct here, what I would like to hear here - are the NAMES of good schools. Every city has maybe 10-15 of them, and when you narrow the search down to a specific area, as I did in my above post, the list drops down to 4-5 schools. The rates and charts etc are all great but they do not give an insider view on a school and this is something I was trying to get from people who might be willing to help and who have children of school age...

I dont think anyones being politically correct on here!! We cant know which are good schools and which arent unless we've had personal experience of them and then it very much depends on the children, the classes! The way we decide in the UK is to go and look at the schools and look at their ofsted report

Jo xxx

 

[Joppa]

Any help is welcome, even Google help
As much as I understand people trying to be politicly correct here, what I would like to hear here - are the NAMES of good schools. Every city has maybe 10-15 of them, and when you narrow the search down to a specific area, as I did in my above post, the list drops down to 4-5 schools. The rates and charts etc are all great but they do not give an insider view on a school and this is something I was trying to get from people who might be willing to help and who have children of school age...

I can understand what you are saying, but the choice of schools is such a personal matter: what is good for some parents may not suit others, and some parents put more emphasis on certain aspects of a school than others, and so on. For example, some want traditional education with traditional teaching methods, while others are looking for more interactive, pupil-centred lessons. Some want schools with strong religious character, others want non-denominational, secular education. The list is endless. So while other people's experience and view are helpful to a point, they are no substitute for doing your own research and actually visiting schools, talking to the head and asking direct questions. After all, you are paying a lot for your children's education (in a sense we all are, either through fees or taxation), and you are entitled to get good-value education of a kind you are looking for.
Best of luck in you search!

 

[MaidenScotland]

Anuta the areas of London you are talking about are very very expensive, I doubt that many expats who are resident in those areas would be using this forum as they tend to have Mr Fixits for their problems. Your best bet is to contact all the schools you are interested in and pay them a visit, ask questions, ask if you can meet other parents and ask them questions.

 

[Anuta13]

You are right, and I surely would have visited every school I was considering for my kids, however I am here in Paris alone with two kids at school and no babysitter - so it's not so easy, and many schools have deadlines to enter for a next school year, so I could at least use some names to simply look at schools websites. All I need is "Eaton, Harrow etc" equivalent for in-London non-bording day secondary or primary schools. Typically any parent with kids school age know that sort of thing. I could answer that questoin on Paris with my eyes closed

 

[jojo]

You are right, and I surely would have visited every school I was considering for my kids, however I am here in Paris alone with two kids at school and no babysitter - so it's not so easy, and many schools have deadlines to enter for a next school year, so I could at least use some names to simply look at schools websites. All I need is "Eaton, Harrow etc" equivalent for in-London non-bording day secondary or primary schools. Typically any parent with kids school age know that sort of thing. I could answer that questoin on Paris with my eyes closed

Not a clue, I dont come from London! In my hometown of Worthing, I kinda know which the bad schools are, altho they're not that bad and their Ofsted reports are good, I sent my son to one of the "so called" bad schools and he didnt like it!???? But my friends son loves it and is excellling there!!..... My point is that theres really no way of telling. If you're looking at schools in a "posh" area, an Expensive area, then the chances are they'll be good???????

Jo xxxx

 

[MaidenScotland]

Try Wetherby school in west London, that is supposedly a good school, good enough for our young princes

 

[Anuta13]

Thank you! One name on the list!!! Oh, I have two BOYS ///