State School options in London
Which schools should I register with?
State school options in Central London
I have worked in state schools in Central London. I went to a comprehensive state school in Surrey as a child (and then went to Liverpool and Cambridge University). My entire family work for either the NHS, the Police or Social Services. The staff in state schools in Central London work incredibly hard in very demanding environments for modest pay. Be warned they are quite tough environments to be in - for staff and pupils alike.
What makes London such an interesting City to live in is that there is a vast range of housing provision. Victorian slum housing was cleared after the Second World War and local authority owned housing blocks were constructed. Working class families were rehoused in large bright airy flats having previously been in overcrowded, dark, poorly ventilated and poorly heated, crumbling housing stock. Some slum areas had been bombed - and others were simply demolished.
Unlike Paris, social housing is located throughout the heart of London. In order to be eligible for social housing you have to have a social need and the families experiencing the greatest amount of social need are often housed first. Large families who have very low incomes need social housing. Often the population of London state schools are drawn from the local housing next door. Pimlico Academy has lots of students from the Churchill Gardens Estate. Chelsea Academy has lots of students from the Worlds End estate.
Housing associations are charities which provide housing for families in need. They were often created in Victorian or Edwardian times. Some such as Peabody are enormous and receive lots of income from the government to house families in need. There are housing association blocks all over central London and just like local authority housing the families attend the local state school. Families are often housed in communities with similar links, for example families with links to North Africa or East Africa or South Asia may live in the same area. Local state schools often reflect the local community.
Grammar schools
Up until 1965 all children in the UK sat an exam at age 10 called the 11+ . The result of this exam determined whether you went to the local grammar school or the local secondary modern or technical school. By 1976 this system was abolished in most of England and state schools in these areas all became comprehensive, or mixed ability. It was seen as unfair to divide children into groups at such a young age and it was thought to be more egalitarian to teach students of all abilities in one local school.
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