School recommendation in Leeds?

[Crazybit]

We are looking to move to the Leeds area. I do not know the area at all so any advice and observations, recommendations and warnings about schools will be great please.

We need both primar and secondary and preferably a decent area and good value housing.

TIA

[KateShrub]

I think you will need to give more detail. Do you have a new job? If so, is it in the city centre or elsewhere? How are you planning to get to work?

What is your budget for housing?

Any religious affiliations? How old are the children?

[Trazzletoes]

Yes, where you work is important due to transport links.

What are you looking for in an area - what's important to you?

[Crazybit]

Thanks for the replies.

DP works away and flies, so aslong as he can get to an airport! However, we do want good transport links if possible, we both drive but would love to be near a train station.

Budget for housing is max £750 rent per month and preferably less, we ideally need a 4 bedroom but a large 3 bed with a lot of storage and loft access/garage may be doable.

No religion.

Children are 1, 5 and 13.

The reason that we are going for Leeds (ish, as not averse to other areas if anyone wants to big up an area! ) is because we moved to outer Bristol from East Yorkshire 2 years ago. Dp now has a new job and so can live anywhere. We cannot afford to live here as our house is tiny that we are renting at the moment and we're at our max budget. Also, it is closer to family, but not too close.

We want good schools, but good as in the management of it as well as the achievments. We had that mistake when we moved here and went for an oustanding school. Unfortunately he has a lot of privileged kids that have way too much self importance and dd does not fit in too well, so now we want more of an all rounder if possible.

Thanks :)

[Trazzletoes]

Sorry, another quick question - what kind of flights?

Leeds/Bradford airport is the obvious airport for Leeds, but Manchester airport is the local "big" airport, IYSWIM. For Leeds Bradford, you'd want north or west Leeds, for Manchester, you would want to be much closer to the motorway. I used to live in Morley which has fantastic access to the motorways, but moved and now live very close to the airport. It takes a good 20-30 minutes now to get to a motorway and that is with little traffic. In rush hour it can take an hour easily.

[sausagebaconandtomatobutty]

Morley is a good area for your budget

Morley academy is ofsted rated outstanding, with woodkirk academy, good with outstanding features

there are several good primary schools, Morley Victoria, Morley Newlands and Westerton in Tingley (just down the road)

several good supermarkets, shopping center and retail park (Ikea) all within 5-10 minutes
train takes 10 minutes into Leeds
straight onto the M62 or the Leeds ring road

[Crazybit]

He can fly from either Leeds or Manchester (or Heathrow if need be) as long as he lets them know a few weeks in advance.
Dp likes the idea of Morely so thats good that you're able to reinforce that :)

Any thoughts on Moortown and the Carr Manor Community School? House prices seem to be hit and miss round there.

[Crazybit]

If we do go to Morley, I'd better learn how to spell it!

[IfNotNowThenWhen]

Morley. Hmmm. Its very small townish, but not in a good way..
To be near the airport with good schools you want Horsforth (all the school are good) rawdon and yeadon.
roundhay is also is also a great area with fab park and schools, but you need to be near roundhay school, for secondary, not allerton grange.
Basically, with Leeds, north/ west is best.

[IfNotNowThenWhen]

oh, and headingley is very convenient for travel, and a good place to live. Excellent primaries, mixed secondary, but the lawnswood high, while certainly has its problems, is good for sen, or so I hear.

[sausagebaconandtomatobutty]

Moortown primary is a nice primary, not much outside space

Carr manor is very multicultural so it depends on your take on that

North Leeds is a much more expensive area and in my experience the schools can be very hit or miss

There is a big snob value against Morley and like all areas it has its good and bad points

It used to be a local town for local people but there has been a lot of money invested in the area, a lot of new housing etc and it's now a good family area

[KateShrub]

Carr Manor looks to be a bit of a sink school.

www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=108059

Are they all girls?

You could get housing

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-24915911.html

around Manchester

Girls school:

www.fairfieldhigh.tameside.sch.uk/

Boys school

www.audenshawschool.org.uk/

Both Ofsted Outstanding.

[sausagebaconandtomatobutty]

Carr manor actually has a good reputation in the very local area

[sausagebaconandtomatobutty]

I'm actually offended on Carr manor's behalf

It has nearly half it's pupils with English as a second language, over 40 languages are spoken by the pupils

High number of free school meals, lots of pupils have poor attendance or drop out altogether due to family circumstances

I think they do a good job all things considered

[uggmum]

You could look at Wakefield and surrounding areas. Lots of good schools. Great transport links, mainline station. Affordable housing.

[KateShrub]

butty, only one third ESL actually. Lots of schools in London have higher ESL, higher FSM, and do far, far better than that.

E.g., this school has 76% eligible for FSMs, 91% within past 5 years, 55% ESL:

www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=100625

Outcomes are much better.

This is in Birmingham:

[http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=135907]]

Considerable adversity, great results.

[KateShrub]

link fail: www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=135907]

[sausagebaconandtomatobutty]

Kate, you are right those schools are producing good results however the ofsted report is only 1 part of the puzzle when it comes to schools

The chapel alerton/ moortown area of Leeds, which this school serves, is not a truly comprehensive area

Many children go to the catholic high school, or parents of the middle class white families choose to send their children to Harrogate or opt out of state and go private

On the ofsted report Carr manor 30-40% English as a second language however, walk the corridors of the school and its very clear that many of the pupils don't have English as a preferred language and will speak little or no English out of school

It has a lovely community feel and visitors are made very welcome

'Sink school' seems very harsh

[IfNotNowThenWhen]

Carr Manor does have a good rep. If you are looking at Moortown, then Allerton High is good school too.
How about edging more towards Bradford? As soon as you are in the Bradford postal district it becomes MUCH cheaper than Leeds.
You could be just in Bradford, and near the ring road, and the airport.
Not sure about the schools though.
Sorry, but the thing about Morley isn't really snobbery. Its just depressing.
And South Leeds does feel kind of cut off, in that, to get to it you have to pass through an industrial wasteland.

[Trazzletoes]

I don't really get the snobbery against Morley (and yes, it IS snobbery). It is an affordable family area with great transport links (though I would NOT use it's train station for a commute to Town).

It's not "the best" area ever, but there are an awful lot worse places to live in Leeds.

OP, there is a lot of support for the BNP in Morley, but I know people who live there quite happily who are ethnic minorities. I've never known any of them be even verbally attacked. IMO the only time it becomes apparent is near election times when their posters are everywhere. Gildersome is close to Morley and is nice.

But if your DH would be flying from Leeds Bradford, you are better heading towards north Leeds.

[diabolo]

My DSis lives in Morley - she fought tooth and nail to get her DS's into Morley Academy. They have both got 10 A-C GCSE's, one now doing A Levels and the other has just finished his degree.

She loves it, the shopping is great and he sons have friends of all colours and religions.

North Leeds is "better" but much more expensive and rather snobby imo. Industry is what made Leeds a thriving Northern city after all.

[chickensaladagain]

Another one sticking up for Morley here

Yes it's a working class town but there are all walks of life living mainly in the new estates and if you've got half a million to spend there is a rather nice house you can buy :)

The train station is being regenerated and it's a really easy commute to Leeds

Half an hour to Leeds/Bradford airport if you go off peak and Manchester airport under an hour

You will also be able to rent 4 bed with garden for around £650-£700 pcm

Churwell comes under the ls27 postcode, nice area but if you want Morley academy you are taking a chance as its a bit further away

[IfNotNowThenWhen]

there is a lot of support for the BNP in Morley

I rest my case!

[chickensaladagain]

There isn't a lot of support for the BNP

There is a lot of voter apathy which makes it look like they are well supported but I don't know a single person who supports them

[craftynclothy]

I'm in Morley and really like living here, though we don't use the town centre very much. Have to say it's not very convenient for the airport though.

Handy for getting to Leeds city centre by train (it's cheaper than the bus) and for the motorways (works well for us as we have family quite a distance away in both directions).

[craftynclothy]

Oh and I disagree about there being lots of support for the bnp here. I think a lot of their voting figures come from the fact they are the only party that ever bother putting leaflets through the door and speaking to people in the run up to elections