Schooling and childcare in London

How state admissions work

You apply through the borough council, not the school, listing up to six preferences on a single common application form. Places are allocated against each school's published oversubscription criteria — typically looked-after children, siblings, then distance — and offers land on national offer day in March for secondary and April for primary. Faith schools apply their own criteria and usually require a supplementary form and evidence of attendance.

• Secondary applications close around 31 October; primary around 15 January, for the following September.
• Arriving outside those windows means an in-year admission application to the borough, from whatever places remain.
• Ofsted reports and published performance tables are the standard reference points, and they drive local house prices.
• Distance is usually measured in a straight line from home to school; some boroughs use walking routes.

The independent sector

London's private schools are academically strong, heavily oversubscribed and expensive. Fees have carried 20 per cent VAT since January 2025, and London day fees now run from the mid-twenties to over £40,000 a year at the most selective schools, before extras. Entry is by examination and interview at the classic points — 4+, 7+, 11+ and 13+ — and registration often closes a year or more before assessment. Some boroughs and neighbouring counties still run selective state grammar schools with their own separate 11+ tests.

• Register early; some schools close lists years ahead of entry.
• Expect assessment, interview and school reports; many use a common pre-test at 11.
• Budget for uniform, trips, lunches and a deposit on top of termly fees.

International and bilingual options

London has French, German, American, Japanese and IB-curriculum schools alongside the domestic sector, mostly in west and north-west London. They suit families on shorter postings or intending to return to a home system. Fees are comparable to the British independent sector and admission timelines are similarly early.

Nursery and childcare

Formal childcare in London is among the most expensive in Europe: a full-time inner-London place for an under-two runs at roughly £375 to £450 a week before any funding. Since September 2025 eligible working parents in England get 30 funded hours a week, over 38 weeks a year, from the term after the child turns nine months until school. Each parent must expect to earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage and under £100,000 adjusted net income. Popular nurseries maintain waiting lists measured in months.

• Options run from private day nurseries to childminders registered with Ofsted.
• Apply for the 30-hours code on GOV.UK before the term deadline (31 March, 31 August or 31 December) and reconfirm it every three months.
• Every three- and four-year-old gets 15 universal hours regardless of work.
• Ask about the difference between the funded hours and what the nursery actually charges — top-up fees are common.

In order

1. 1Check the admission rules and last year's furthest distance offered for the schools you want, before choosing a flat.
2. 2Secondary: apply to your borough by 31 October for the following September.
3. 3Primary: apply to your borough by 15 January for the following September.
4. 4Arriving mid-year: make an in-year application to the borough as soon as you have an address.
5. 5Independent schools: register a year or more ahead and diary the assessment dates.
6. 6Nursery: join waiting lists early and apply for the funded-hours code before the term deadline.