Where to start for a new life in London?

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Newmuminlondon2015
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Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby Newmuminlondon2015 » Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:28 pm

Hello,
I hope someone can help me here.
We just found out that we will be relocating to London in a few months. We currently live in Hong Kong and I am not from England so I have absolutely no idea where to start in terms of neighborhoods and schools.

I have 2 children and one more on the way. My husband's job will be at Canary Wharf.

The job has somehow fallen on my shoulders to find a school for my daughter, who should be attending Reception this September. Unfortunately, this is not the best of times to find a school placement as it's soon end of term.

My questions are:
1. Which neighborhoods would be considered family friendly with many good schools?
2. Should I choose the neighborhood to live in based on where my daughter could potentially be accepted (by a school)?
3. Any suggestions on how to find a placement? Should I contact an educational consultant?

I hope I don't sound as if I am rambling but I am having a difficult time finding a school for my daughter at this time of year .
Thank you for your attention.
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tooposhtopush
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby tooposhtopush » Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:30 pm

Oooh that sounds like a lot of fun!

How long are you over for?
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Newmuminlondon2015
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby Newmuminlondon2015 » Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:38 pm

Probably 2+ years.
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tooposhtopush
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby tooposhtopush » Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:40 pm

What sort of budget do you have for accommodation? I'm guessing work will pay but it does make a difference as property is expensive (although not so much as HK!)
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Newmuminlondon2015
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby Newmuminlondon2015 » Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:45 pm

Work will not be paying for our house but it will cover the educational cost somewhat. :) We would consider moving anywhere really, as long as we can find good schools in the vicinity and also as long as it's not too far from my husband's work.
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tooposhtopush
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby tooposhtopush » Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:57 pm

As with all these sorts of decisions there are a million shades of grey.

Education is going to be a big driver. There are some cracking schools in SW London but what curriculum do you want to follow?

If it's an international one then it probably has to be an international school.

If it's a UK one then you're spoilt for choice here.

Let me know and I'll rack my brains :-)
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maryd
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby maryd » Fri Jun 19, 2015 4:11 pm

You may find some tips here:
http://www.insidelondon.co/where-to-live-in-london
Belinda Aspinall who founded http://www.lifeafterlondon.com is a mine of helpful information and although this site is about leaving London there are some tips about moving here too -:)
http://www.head2toemassage.co.uk
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this_is_cat
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby this_is_cat » Mon Jun 22, 2015 8:44 am

Do you have links with any particular area?
Friends here, a desire to join any particular club/sports club, ant affinity with the stereotypes of an area? (Lots of them are quite true!)
Have you visited London before and what did you like and dislike?
What area are you living in HK?
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HypnoGab
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby HypnoGab » Mon Jun 22, 2015 9:05 am

Very exciting! I lived in London for many years before becoming an expat nearly 20 years ago. I always find Internations a great expat group to join and help you to settle in. Good luck with the move!
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headshrinker
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby headshrinker » Mon Jun 22, 2015 11:47 am

I would look at places that are a reasonable commute from Canary Wharf. It's on the Jubilee line so in terms of Nappy Valley territory, Clapham, Balham and Tooting Bec would be an OK commute. Also, parts of Dulwich, which connect with London Bridge would work. These are all family-friendly areas. Unfortunately, Reception is the toughest year to get a school place so you might want to look at schools that have places and work around that instead. State school places are sorted through the local council (Wandsworth or Lambeth for the areas I mentioned) but the applications for September are done and dusted already so you would have to speak to them directly. There are always a few school places (my kid's school has space in reception this year I think). Private schools you just need to speak to directly. People do manage to get last minute places in some of them so I am sure you will find somewhere.
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jodo30
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby jodo30 » Mon Jun 22, 2015 1:14 pm

Hi- My husband and I moved to Wandsworth(Battersea/Clapham area with small children- the oldest was reception aged, from the USA and had also lived in HK earlier in our marriage. We were lucky enough to have a relocation services company help us with finding a place to live, negotiating the lease, helping with the move and with finding a school for my oldest, after we described what we were looking for and how much space we were after. Maybe this would be more useful to you than an educational consultant? When I briefly googled "London relocation services", this company seemed to have the most informative website for your purposes and it did list its costs for services: http://www.simplylondonrelocation.com
(I can't remember the name of the one that my husband's company provided for us) If you google there are several other companies listed.
Some of the estate agents might also be helpful in finding a school as well as a rental property.
I would probably look first in Greenwich, as my husband's current 45min- 1 hour-long commute seems too long from Clapham. (When we first moved here, he commuted into the City and had shorter hours, so it was overall a much shorter day.) Commutes into London Bridge are a bit messed up at present, but Sydenham/Crystal Palace/Herne Hill are other possibilities. Further afield, I have seen Brentwood in Essex and Sevenoaks in Kent suggested.
I don't think at this point (i.e. before age 7-8) you need to worry overly about whether the school's curriculum is international or British.
Although reception year places can often be tight, there are usually places available in the later years as people move out further from London (I would say about 25% move in this area) to find more space for their growing families and it wouldn't be the end of the world to change schools after reception year or year 1 if you needed to....
Most of what they "learn" in reception year is really about group social skills and adapting to and enjoying school life- the limited academic part you could practically teach her yourself by reading to and with her and using materials from WH Smith, etc. I would argue that really the length of commute you find doable, what you can afford and how much you like your surroundings are very important and may be more important than a particular school, but you will need to know you have found an acceptable school with a space available for your oldest this autumn. If you like the look of the area, and what it offers recreationally for your interests, then I would expect that you're also more likely to find other people living there who are "simpatico" .
If you google "best commutes to Canary Wharf" you'll likely find other suggestions on locations that could be useful. Generally, you are looking for connections to the Jubilee line or DLR. From Streetview, it's probably even possible to see what the high streets look like and that too could help you narrow your search down. I think the homesandproperty.co.uk website (part of London's Evening Standard Newspaper) lists schools in various areas and has potted descriptions of the areas and amenities and so could also be a starting place for reviewing suggested locations, but these potted descriptions are going to be possibly overly positive in some cases.
The independent schools will start winding down and closing for the summer in a few weeks, and the state schools by the end of July though, so you should probably start calling and contacting them as soon as possible.
Sorry this is such a long winded answer! We originally planned to be here in London for only a few years but have stayed much longer and I hope you will enjoy your time in London too. Good luck!
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Bee@lifeafterlondon
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby Bee@lifeafterlondon » Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:02 pm

That's a huge amount for you to think about. There have been some really helpful answers already but just thought I'd add a couple of other ideas.

My suggestion would be to talk to someone who can really help you understand the different areas of London and the UK education system so you can make a great decision.

There are a few people I'd suggest
justine@justmorelondon.com - Justine runs a company called Just More London - they help families relocating from abroad
Beatriz Garcia-Martinez runs securely be which is all about helping companies relocate their staff so they hit the ground running, she's got a great hold on areas of London so could be helpful. http://www.securelybe.com
Sam at Edingtons is a London Buying Agent, he's very very good at his job and a family man so depending on your budget he might be able to offer some advice. http://www.edingtons.co.uk

A really useful website is commute from. You can put in your station and how long you'd like it to take and it works out the best places to live. Lots of our members use it for moving out of London but equally helpful within London.
http://www.lifeafterlondon.com/calculate-your-commute/
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SW6Mummy
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby SW6Mummy » Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:27 pm

Hello,
London is such a wonderful place to live. I have been here for 9 years and love it. I would recommend starting with a consultation with a School Search Consultant. A good friend of mine is fantastic. You can check out her website at www.yellowbirdeducation.com. She has helped many families find the right school for their children's needs. She has worked in the British education system for many years and offers personal one on one service. Good luck!
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Newmuminlondon2015
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby Newmuminlondon2015 » Mon Jun 22, 2015 6:24 pm

Thank you very much ladies for all the helpful information! It will be a great start for me. I just arrived in London now with my husband and we will be here for a week. I will do my best to make some calls around to schools and relocation companies.
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sadialifestyle
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Re: Where to start for a new life in London?

Postby sadialifestyle » Wed Jun 24, 2015 4:14 pm

Hello,

Moving countries with children is not easy however, you are doing the right thing by investigating and getting different opinions.

Having worked in Canary Wharf I can assure you that the surrounding area is certainly not ideal for a family! You will find lots of expats have been moving to Dulwich recently due to the commute and schooling. Depending on your budget of course you will find Clapham, Balham & Wandsworth is a great area with lots of young families!

All the Best and enjoy your stay!
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