Education schools refreshed
Last updated: September 2026 | Written by Sascha Pendigrast — London Relocation search agent who has helped families place children in state, private and international schools across the capital.
The short answer
London has four routes worth knowing: state (free, with places allocated under published admissions criteria), private (indicatively £20,000–£32,000 a year including VAT), international (IB and other curricula, indicatively £25,000–£40,000) and American-curriculum schools for families heading back to the US. Which one fits comes down to how long you’re staying, what curriculum your children need to return to, and when you’re arriving. Timing is the part families underestimate. State applications close in October and January for the following September, and many private schools register children one to two years ahead.
Fee ranges in this guide are indicative planning figures supplied in the draft. Confirm current 2026/27 fees, including VAT and any additional charges, directly with each school before relying on them.
How the London School System Works
If you’ve never come across the English system, the vocabulary is the first hurdle. Here’s the plain version.
Year groups won’t match your home country. English children normally start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday, a year earlier than most of Europe and the US. A child entering first grade in the US usually lands in Year 2 here. Schools rarely move children up or down a year to compensate, which catches a lot of families out.
“Public school” means private. In England a public school is fee-paying and independent. Free, government-funded schools are state schools. Almost every American family we work with hits this one.
The main school types in England
- State schools — free and government-funded. Includes community schools, academies and free schools. Places go on published oversubscription criteria, which often include siblings and distance from home.
- Faith schools — state-funded with religious admissions criteria, often requiring evidence of practice. Some of London’s strongest state schools are faith schools, which is a real constraint if you can’t meet the criteria.
- Grammar schools — state, free and academically selective by exam at 11. London’s selective options are concentrated in Sutton, Kingston, Bexley and Redbridge. Competition is severe and children often prepare well ahead.
- Independent (private) schools — fee-paying and selective at entry. Includes prep schools up to 11 or 13, and senior schools.
- International schools — usually IB or a national curriculum other than England’s. Built for mobile families and often used to mid-year arrivals.
- American-curriculum schools — US grade structure, AP courses and high school diploma. The right call if you’re going back into the US system.
One recent change that matters
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Single-word judgements were scrapped in September 2024. From 10 November 2025, inspected state schools get a report card: separate grades across inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, and personal development, on a five-point scale from “exceptional” to “urgent improvement”. From April 2026 state schools are inspected every four years rather than six.
Three things follow from that if you’re choosing a school in 2026:
- A school described as “Outstanding” is carrying an old grade from before the change. It hasn’t been re-rated. It just hasn’t been inspected since, and the grade may be years old.
- A school with a report card can be strong in some areas and weaker in others. That’s the point of the change, so read the whole card.
- A rating won’t get you a place. Admissions go on oversubscription criteria. Ofsted has no role in allocation.
Independent schools are inspected under a different framework, so you can’t compare private and state schools on inspection outcomes in a simple like-for-like way. Many independent schools are inspected by the ISI; check the individual school’s inspectorate.
Insider note from our team
A strong inspection report and an available school place are two different things. When you’re relocating, check the admissions criteria and current vacancies as well as the school’s academic reputation. The best school on paper is not useful if your child cannot get a place.
School Types Compared
The figures below are indicative planning ranges. Fees vary by school, year group, boarding arrangements and additional charges, so confirm the current 2026/27 schedule before making a decision.
*Indicative annual fee bands from the draft, not verified quotations. Confirm 2026/27 fees directly with schools. Private school education fees became subject to 20% VAT from 1 January 2025, so older published fee figures may not be comparable.
Editor: fee verification
VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISHING: Confirm the fee bands above against 2026/27 published figures for a representative sample of London schools, including VAT and any additional charges.
Choosing a School in London by Priority
Families arrive with one of four things genuinely first. Working out which one is yours makes the decision much faster.
If curriculum continuity comes first
This is you if you’re on a fixed assignment and your children will go back into their home system. Moving a 14-year-old into GCSEs for two years and then out again is disruptive in a way that’s hard to undo.
Look at international and American-curriculum schools. They’re built for mobility, comfortable with mid-year entry, and their assessments transfer. Our guide to American schools in London covers this properly.
If budget comes first
State education in England is free and a lot of it in London is very good. London’s state schools outperform the rest of England on many published measures. The cost of the state route isn’t tuition, it’s rent inside a catchment, which in the most competitive areas can be higher than for a comparable home further away.
Do the comparison properly. Two children in private day school can mean roughly £45,000–£60,000 a year after VAT, depending on the schools. A rent premium for a strong state catchment may still be much lower than that. For many families the state route is considerably cheaper even with the housing premium, provided you can get a place.
Worth a look: free boarding schools. State boarding schools charge for boarding but not tuition, which puts them at a fraction of private boarding fees.
If location comes first
For many state schools, location isn’t just a preference. It’s an admissions criterion. Popular London primaries can allocate their last place within a few hundred metres, so the borough won’t tell you much.
Ask the local authority for the school’s last allocated distance for the most recent year. That number gives you a useful guide to where you may need to live, although it is not a guarantee for the next admissions round. Then search inside the realistic area, which is how we run family searches.
For private schools it’s about the daily journey instead. Fifty minutes each way, twice a day, will shape family life more than most parents expect while they’re choosing on reputation.
If admissions timing comes first
If you’re arriving mid-year, or within a few months, this overrides the other three.
Arriving in March needing places in Years 4 and 8 means your options are wherever there are vacancies. Private and international schools may be able to take children mid-year. State in-year admissions depend on which schools have space. The dream school list may have to wait until the next admissions round.
Admissions Timelines
Families tell us this is the hardest part to find anywhere else. Dates below follow the standard national pattern. Confirm the current cycle before relying on them.
State schools, normal admissions round
Offer days can move to the next working day when the usual date falls on a weekend or bank holiday. Confirm the exact dates for your admissions year with the local authority.
You normally apply through the local authority where you live, not to each school separately, and you can name several preferences across boroughs on one form. Miss the deadline and your application may be treated as late, which can seriously reduce your chances at popular schools.
State schools, arriving mid-year
Applications outside the normal round go through in-year admissions, run by the local authority or by the school directly in some academies. There is no single national closing date. You apply when you need a place and the available options depend on vacancies.
A few practical notes:
- Most councils will ask for proof of address as part of the process. Check what they accept if you’re moving from overseas.
- Councils have duties to secure education for children of compulsory school age, but that does not guarantee a place at your preferred school.
- A place can come through within a few weeks once the application is complete, though it varies by borough and availability.
Important for families applying from abroad
You can apply for a state school place from abroad. However, the local authority may need evidence of your move and address, and the address used for admissions can affect priority. Contact the relevant admissions team before committing to a property or assuming that a future address will be accepted.
Grammar schools
Register directly with the school or consortium, usually by late June or early July, with tests in September of Year 6. Registration deadlines vary, so check the individual school well in advance. The entrance-test process is separate from the local authority application, and missing registration can mean missing that year’s entry.
Private schools
- 7+ and 8+ (prep entry): register in the autumn of the year before, with assessments often in January.
- 11+: many schools use assessments including the ISEB Common Pre-Test. Registration can close 12–18 months ahead.
- 13+: pre-testing frequently happens in Year 6 or 7, two to three years before entry.
- 16+ (sixth form): register in the autumn of Year 11.
If your child is ten and you’re moving next year, some doors at the most selective schools are already shut. Others aren’t. Schools do hold occasional places and international schools deal with this constantly, so ring the admissions office and ask rather than assuming.
International and American schools
Rolling admissions in many cases, with assessment on application. If you’re arriving in February with two school-age children, this is often the more realistic route. Availability still depends on the school and the children’s year groups.
Schools by Area
Where you live and where your children go to school are one decision in London, not two. For many state schools that’s literal, since admissions criteria include distance from home.
The areas families most often choose for schools are Richmond, Wimbledon, Dulwich, Barnes, Hampstead, Chiswick and the Wandsworth commons, each for different reasons. Our guide to the best areas in London for families compares twelve of them on schools, three-bed rents, green space and commute times.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER
Richmond, Wimbledon, Dulwich or another family-friendly London neighbourhood
The sequence that works
- Shortlist three to five realistic schools.
- Check places exist in your children’s year groups.
- Get the last allocated distance from the local authority.
- Search for a home inside the realistic admissions area.
- Secure the tenancy and complete the application in line with the local authority’s requirements.
For private schools, you have more freedom over where you live, but the daily school run matters. For state schools, check admissions before assuming a particular street will secure a place.
Explore Our London School Guides
These guides take you deeper into each route, from private-school fees to state-school admissions and international curricula.
Editor: hub-and-spoke links
The brief refers to eight school guides, but only five titles and URLs were supplied. Add the remaining three verified guides here, and make sure every spoke links back to this hub before publishing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Schools in London
What are the best schools in London?
It depends on your child and your timeline, so there’s no single answer. London has some of the country’s strongest state schools, a dense cluster of selective independents and a well-established international sector. The more useful question is which schools have places in your children’s year groups, in an area you can afford, teaching a curriculum that works for wherever you go next.
How much do private schools cost in London?
Day schools are indicatively £20,000–£32,000 a year including VAT, with senior schools often at the higher end and preps below it. Boarding can run £45,000–£65,000+. These are planning ranges, not verified 2026/27 quotations. Fees became subject to 20% VAT in January 2025, so check current published figures and additional charges directly with each school.
Can we apply to a London school from abroad?
Yes. Private, international and American schools are generally set up for overseas applications and may arrange assessments remotely. You can also apply for a state school from abroad, but the local authority may need evidence of your move and address, and the address used for admissions can affect priority. Check the council’s requirements before assuming a future tenancy will secure a place.
Are state schools in London good?
Broadly yes. London’s state schools outperform the rest of England on many published measures, and plenty of families who expected to pay fees end up in the state system. The constraint is often access rather than quality, since places at the most in-demand schools go on published admissions criteria.
What’s the difference between a public school and a state school in England?
A public school is fee-paying and private. A state school is free and government-funded. It’s the reverse of the American usage, and it causes constant confusion.
When do we need to apply for a school place?
State schools: 31 October for secondary entry the following September, 15 January for primary. Private schools: often one to two years ahead, and pre-testing for the most selective can happen in Year 6 for entry at 13. Arriving mid-year, contact the relevant admissions authority or school as soon as possible and check its address requirements.
What happens if we arrive in the middle of the school year?
You apply through in-year admissions, which runs continuously. Your options are the schools with vacancies in your children’s year groups, which may not be your first choices. International and American schools can be more flexible here, depending on availability.
Does an Ofsted rating guarantee a place?
No. Ofsted has no role in admissions. Places go on the school’s published oversubscription criteria, which may include siblings, distance or faith. A strong inspection outcome can increase demand, but it does not change your entitlement to a place.
Do we have to choose a school before we choose where to live?
For state schools, it is usually wise to shortlist schools before committing to an address, because admissions criteria can make location decisive. Private schools give you more freedom, though the daily run will shape your life more than you’d think. Either way we’d shortlist schools before shortlisting streets.
Get the School and the Home Right Together
Most families come to us with a school list and no idea which streets it maps onto. That’s the part we do. We turn your school shortlist into an area shortlist, then view homes inside the catchments that matter, up to 20 properties in a single day on an accompanied home search.
Your family relocation
Get the school and the home right together. We can help turn your school shortlist into a realistic London property search, with your budget, commute and family life built into the plan.
Or read how we work with families moving to London.
Sources
Use the current admissions cycle, individual school policies and published fee schedules when making decisions. This guide is a starting point, not a guarantee of a school place.