Schools

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with choosing a location to live and schools. Which should I choose first? How do I begin to find a school? My children will be ages 3-9 in the fall.  My husband will be working near Canary Wharf, so we would like to find a "nice" area in east London.

Your budget is more or less going to define what areas are possible. There's quite a variance within reach of Canary Wharf, depending on how long a commute you're willing to tolerate.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with choosing a location to live and schools. Which should I choose first? How do I begin to find a school? My children will be ages 3-9 in the fall.  My husband will be working near Canary Wharf, so we would like to find a "nice" area in east London.

Would it be possible to make a quick trip over to check out schools/neighborhoods before you make a decision on where to live?  Might be well worth it if it makes it a bit easier to decide if you can see everything in "person" 

If you are catholic, or at least devout, practicing protestant, there is a FANTASTIC school on the edge of The City near Tower Bridge, called English Martyrs.  We lived in Wapping (lovely, quiet villagey feel) along the river for years and were very happy.  Husband worked in Canary Wharf and the City with no problems, very easy commute.

The school is very international and has a great PTA, set up by me:)

Just because you live in an area doesn't mean you will get the closest school.  It doesn't work like that in the UK. 

It is more like (in an easy to understand US way) you live in a school district and if your closest school is full, they can send your kid to any school in the district they want.  There are 6 yr olds in my area taking taxis to get to their primary school and the council doesn't pay for the parent to go with them.

Thanks everyone.  Just some rough numbers - our housing allowance will be 2,500 a month. (Where do I find the pounds sign on the keyboard?)  My husband would love a commute under an hour - 45 min would be ideal.  So we are looking for a neighborhood that is safe but "near" Canary Wharf.

My questions about the schools- I've heard that you can put kids on waiting lists, but I don't know how I would do that if we haven't figured out where we are going to live.  And it won't be possible for us to take a trip over ahead of time. 

What kind of say do I have in what schools my kids attend? 

Thanks ncny- we are neither Catholic of Protestant but we are religious and I am just really hoping for good schools. 

In London, good schools are usually oversubscribed, and there are 'lists'.  To even get on a list, you must provide proof of residency, so you can't chose a school first and then move to where you get in.  It is frustrating for sure, especially given that many state schools are religious and you must show proof of involvement in that religion to get priority admittance. 

Your budget won't go far in Wapping, but perhaps you could look around Blackheath, across the river from Canary Wharf.  Also, look at areas accessible from London Bridge Station, as that is a fast connection on to Canary Wharf. 

Schools in Kent are generally very good, try Bromley and surroundings.  If your husband is willing to drive in you could even live in a lovely Kentish village...

If you are catholic, or at least devout, practicing protestant, there is a FANTASTIC school on the edge of The City near Tower Bridge, called English Martyrs.  We lived in Wapping (lovely, quiet villagey feel) along the river for years and were very happy.  Husband worked in Canary Wharf and the City with no problems, very easy commute.

The school is very international and has a great PTA, set up by me:)

That was my parish when I lived in Tower Hamlets!

I used to work a few doors down from English Martyrs church (in Prescot Street).  They have (or had?) a pub in the crypt, and that's where we always used to go for lunch!  (This was before they put the Wetherspoons in at the corner...)

Thank you so much everyone- this is really helping me feel like I'm taking [baby] steps in the right direction. 

ncny- Thanks! I've done a little searching on Zoopla and Blackheath looks really promising.  Does anyone have anything to say about Blackheath?

My in-laws owned the Hare & Billet pub in Blackheath until the late '80's. My husband grew up there. I know Blackheath pretty well and would move there in a heartbeat -- I just prefer to be further out because it would be quite a drive for me to get to the horses. It's beautiful, safe (as long as you're in Blackheath and not heading over towards Lewisham, Lee, etc.) and has tons of great little shops, is on the mainline rail with access to the DLR at Greenwich...we spend a lot of weekend time there!

The schools my husband went to there were all excellent, but they were all A: private, B: Catholic and C: have since closed up. The area still does have excellent school options, including a Steiner school, which we considered for a while.