Relocating from South Africa to London with challenging school places search
The Initial Enquiry
We were contacted by a family who needed to relocate from South Africa to the area due to a new work placement. The couple had two children who would need school places, including a Year 7 place (the start of secondary school) which are notoriously difficult to find – whether it is in the state or private system. The family needed a substantial rental property with 4 bedrooms, a number of reception rooms and outside space if possible.
How we helped
The couple would both be working in London so decided it would be best to be based there for quick access to work. However, before we could narrow down areas, we needed to find school places. We cast the net wide across London and in Buckinghamshire. A Year 7 place is very difficult to secure in the state sector as the application process starts in the autumn term of the previous school year with all places being announced on National Offer Day at the start of March. Following this there are waiting lists in place. In the private sector, children are invited to take 11+ and Secondary school admissions exams and you often need to have your child registered with the more prestigious schools in London as soon as they are born! With this major hurdle we needed to explore all options. We called over 40 schools (state and private) to enquire after places. In the state sector we were often told that the waiting list ran into the hundreds so our chances were incredibly slim. In the private sector we were told that the places had all been filled with waiting lists in place for those who had undertaken the required admissions tests. After some persistence we were able to find a private school in Fulham who – as luck would have it – had sudden availability for one Year 7 place. Once all the paperwork and admissions procedure had successfully been completed, we could continue with the search for the Year 5 school place. This was for their son who was tremendously sporty and competed at a high level in South Africa so the school needed to cater to his needs. We recommended Caldicott School in Buckinghamshire which is a fabulous school set in 40 acres with a great sporting reputation. The school offers weekly boarding and has a bus service into west London.
Problems we faced
Once school places had been secured, we needed to triangulate the rental search by looking at the distance to schools and the work commute. The best location for the day school, and with access to the bus for Caldicott, was Fulham, Bishops Park and Parsons Green. With the family in South Africa, we needed to give them an idea of what was available and find out what they liked in terms of living space and type of housing. We previewed and short listed a number of rentals and took videos for the couple to really get a feel for the London rental market. They liked the idea of character housing and off-street parking. With the rental market moving so fast and a real lack of supply we needed to act quickly. The couple required a certain quality of house and these were very few and far between. Having narrowed down their preferred properties virtually, the couple arrived for a ‘flying visit’ to view and secure a rental ahead of their move in August. We were fortunate to have three potential properties to view. An old school house which had been beautifully converted which was detached with off street parking. A traditional Victorian four storey house on a tree-lined avenue and a ‘wild card’ off-market house in a good location with a basement. With supply so thin on the ground we needed to react quicky as most properties coming to the market were being snapped up in just half a day.
Conclusion
Of the three rental options the couple chose the 4 storey Victorian house as they felt that the vertical living would best suit their lifestyle with older children. An offer was quickly submitted and we had a bit of agonising wait for the landlord to confirm his acceptance. Next up was helping the couple secure some household help to aid their transition from life in South Africa to their new life in London.
