Recommendations for school and home for mixed race family in the Scottish central belt?

[InkyPaperblanks]

Hey everyone!
Looking for a little help, we currently live in Edinburgh and have found ourselves having to move for a couple of reasons , the main one being a school merger which has swelled numbers at the local primary school and left us feeling very uncertain about sending our 5yr old DS there.
We would ideally like to move to an area with a good school that is ethnically diverse.We are looking for ANYWHERE in central Scotland.
Any recommendations would be most welcome - the research I have done in the past 3 days is insane! but we still aren't any closer to working out where to go.

Thank everyone !

[InkyPaperblanks]

..by mixed race I mean I am black and my partner is white.

[hockeyforjockeys]

Outside Glasgow and edinburgh you will be in a significant minority. However because of the university, Stirling is a little bit more ethnically diverse than the average Scottish town. I don't live in the area anymore so can't advise on any particular schools, but bridge of Allan is where the university is based.

[InkyPaperblanks]

Thanks for the suggestion hockey,much appreciated.
I've lived in Scotland for more than a decade now so know what you mean about being in a significant minority outside of the two main cities.Would be great if it wasn't a consideration as we love the wee villages on the east coast. We'll be trying our luck in and around Glasgow,we have a better chance of being able to afford somewhere to live within the catchment area of a good school there than we do in Edinburgh!

[CoffeeAhorlickAnonymouse]

Sciennes primary just off the meadows in Edinburgh, most of my culturally mixed friends sent their kids there, large catchment area, socially very mixed, ethnically very mixed.

Alot of the kids go on to the private secondarys so there are a lot of activitys going on usually and they have thier own swimming pool.

Plenty of childcare available too.

Mine went there about 5 years ago so I'm not update atm but it was the most culturally mixed school at the time.

[InkyPaperblanks]

Thanks Coffee,checked Sciennes out already trouble is it's so oversubscribed they are having to stagger school start times,lunch times and finishing times in order to manage the numbers!James Gillespie's primary seems great too but rents of what little rental market there is around it are extortionate !

[CoffeeAhorlickAnonymouse]

:o that's why I didn't suggest James Gillespies.

Not surprised that Sciennes is over subscribed now, it really is too good.

To throw a curveball is tollcross primary still going? Also very good, lots of activities, great staff and the children love it, just the gaelic issue :o That would be the only other school I'd recommend.

Private schools, St Mary's, but need a musical instrument, well worth aiming for if talented which you won't know yet or try for scholarships.

Oh Brunton? primary.

[wigglybeezer]

There are two families with mixed race children at our primary but one child will be leaving soon. There are also two asian/scottish families and many euro/scottish families. You would still be in a minority but wouldn't be the only one.

In Stirling there used to be one Afro-Carribean family, they came over in the forties to play cricket for the cricket club and stayed, one of the sons was a policeman and lived in the police houses across the road from my Granny, but I agree, it is a bit more diverse now!

I think asking the Dunblane primaries and Bridge of Allan is not a bad idea.

[wigglybeezer]

The private schools are often more diverse than state ones where we are but that's not helpful if money is tight!

[InkyPaperblanks]

(grin) wiggly at your description of this one black policeman who lived across from your Granny!...don't know why,but it really made me laugh !! :)


Mind me asking whereabouts you are?

[InkyPaperblanks]

And thanks for the Bridge of Allan & Dunblane primary suggestions,I as Dunblane high school has a good reputation might be an idea to get within reach of it now!
CoffeeAhorlick... It's a nightmare,we were all set up with schools when we moved here a couple of years ago before the school closures.
Tollcross primary is still going yes,Gaelic thing bit of a put off,but not a huge deal I guess,might check that out as well ,thanks again.

[Groovee]

Would you be willing to move out to the suburbs? We're between the Gyle and Corstorphine and it's a mixed area. Leith Primary is a school I'd like if we were that side of town. Small classes but a wide variety of different cultures coming together.

My only concern for you is knowing what schools in Edinburgh are like that it can be very hard to get into school in P1 if you leave it too late x

[InkyPaperblanks]

Right now? Willing to move to Mars !! It is hard working out which schools are ethnically diverse but if you trawl the internet for long enough you can find the information indirectly,eventually.

[PrettyCherryTrees]

If you are looking for ethnically diverse area south side of Glasgow e.g Newton Mearns would be worth a look. The schools are great and there tends to be a mix of families.

Dunblane isn't that ethnically diverse but it's an extremely welcoming place. There are some families with non white backgrounds but they are in the minority however people in Dunblane are extremely friendly, welcoming and inclusive especially if you are interested in joining in community type activities. It's a great place to live with kids.

Three primary schools, all pretty good. Commutable to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Dundee. Plus it's so pretty and the cherry blossoms are out just now (hence my temporary new name!).

[wigglybeezer]

I am in Dollar but lived in Dunblane when I was a kid and would agree with Prettycherrytrees description and there was one Carribean/Scottish family then. There is definitely at least one family involved in the cathedral at the moment who fit your description.

[wigglybeezer]

Glasgow is definitely better value than Edinburgh.

[prettybird]

If you're prepared to look at Glasgow and are wanting a good value, ethnically diverse school, have a look at Pollokshields. However, make sure you are in the catchment for Glendale Primary School - not Pollokshields Primary. And don't assume the catchment - there are some strange dogs legs, so that some of the "big villas", which are closer to Pollokshields Primary, are actually in Glendale's catchment.

It has a good reputation as an ethnically diverse school (60% ethnic minorites, mostly Muslim, but also Russian, Polish, Arabic, mixed race....) and helped develop/pilot Glasgow's anti-racism policies for schools.

However, you might be too late to get in this coming year, as I know it is chokablock and someone coming in to the area, even if they're within the catchment, might now have to go to Pollokshields Primary (although the head teacher does say that there is sometimes movement, with people moving back to Pakistan for example).

Shawlands and Langside Primaries might also be options and given the population of Glasgow's southside, will have an eclectic ethnic mix.

[InkyPaperblanks]

Thanks so much everyone for your suggestions , checking every single one of them out.
If anyone has any more, would really appreciate that xx

[seenitallbefore]

Hillhead Primary ? West end of Glasgow. Right next to the university. Looks fantastic-new school building. Area very cosmopolitan.

[InkyPaperblanks]

Hi again you super helpful people !

We have decided on a two step approach
Glasgow Southside for the primary and move into catchment for the East Renfrewshire secondaries in a few years.

We are going to try and get into Langside primary,just seems to be a wee bit more available to rent around there than near Glendale primary.

Have arranged a viewing for a place on the road that the school is on, fingers crossed it's good and that we get it.I've heard the Southside can be a bit hit and miss depending on the actual road/street you live on , just so I have a heads up if anyone lives near the school , at the Langside Avenue end of it ,please do let me know if there's anything I should look out for.

Thank you all again, you have been immensely helpful xx

[Aboutlastnight]

Can I just throw in - Glasgow West End. Very diverse, multicultural due to local population and the university and big teaching hospitals. Many languages spoken, good community feel. Hillhead Primary, Notre Dame, Hyndland worth investigating.

[InkyPaperblanks]

Thank you Aboutlastnight :-)

We did originally consider Hillhead but when we called the school we more or less got told not to bother as they have a waiting list for people who are IN catchment already.

[prettybird]

Don't know that area THAT well but I could ask (have friends whose kids go to Langside).

You may not NEED to move to East Ren for secondary. I've done a lot of research into Shawlands Academy and am happy that it will push my bright P7 ds. (plus it's an SRU Academy of Rugby next year). Had to put in a placing request as it's not the catchment secondary for Glendale (but it is for Langside).

I'll be able to give you an assessment based on actual experience in a few years!

[InkyPaperblanks]

Definitely, Prettybird :-) , it's our plan NOW but of course 7 years is a long time and as ds is not even at school yet, we still have no idea what secondary school will suit him, great to know that Shawlands is a great school too, good to have a few more choices.

[prettybird]

If you DO move over here and your ds is interested or you'd like him to be bring him along to CarthaQP (just beside J1 of the M77) Minis' Rugby. It's non-contact P1-P3 ("touch" rugby instead) and the club and coaches are really friendly. Carthakids.com. They train Sundays at 12.45 but the website will give you more details.

[prettybird]

Oh - and there are a number of "mixed" families like yours at the club.

BTW I can understand Hillhead saying it had a waiting list for IN catchment kids - Glendale will be the same now, as all the offers went out at the end of April. So anyone who has moved into the area since the registration process closed is scuppered.