Figuring out UK schools
My daughter is 5 and starting kindergarten this year, which means I’ve only just begun to figure out how school works here in the United States. Now I’m trying to wrap my head around the British school system and the least disruptive timing for moving from our school in the US to a new school in the UK.
Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
When we move to the UK in the summer of 2025, our daughter will be entering Year 2 of primary school (aka first grade of elementary school).
Government-funded school is free in the UK, but everyone has to apply for a spot. It’s a whole formal (and competitive?) process with specific dates to apply, when you’ll get the results, how to appeal if you don’t get a spot at your preferred school, etc. In Warwickshire (where we plan to move), you can apply for a spot at up to six schools.
The timeline to apply is Nov-Jan, then you get the results in April and start school in September. (Yes, November is more than three months away. Yes, I’m planning ahead.)
A big part of the school application is your address and how close you live to the school. So what do you do if you don’t have a UK address yet?
The main UK government website has some guidance for applying, but each county or local authority has its own specific processes and requirements.
So although the main government website says you can apply while living overseas, Warwickshire has different rules that say you have to be living in the UK at the time of your application.
This means we can’t apply this winter during the main application timeline. Instead, we have to submit what's called an in-year application after we move and no more than 20 school days before our daughter starts school. So, I guess August-ish next year?
This is kind of good and bad. Schools might be full and it could be hard to find a place at a good nearby school. But this timeline means we can move, get settled and maybe even tour some schools before we have to apply. And, honestly, all the schools look pretty amazing (part of why we’re moving to Warwickshire).
Kindergarten in the US will be over mid-June next year so we’ll move shortly after that and still have time to get settled on the UK side before we need to worry about school stuff.
We’re taking a family vacation/scouting trip to the UK next month, and our big plan is to wander around neighborhoods and check out schools to see what looks good. Yay, very exciting!
