moving to cumbria

[rubyredsox]

I would love any thoughts on good secondary schools in Cumbria. Considering William Howard Brampton and Nelson Thomlinson in Wigton . Children are bi-lingual going into year groups 9 and 7.Coming from an highly academic small friendly school. We need to be near good road and rail links.
Any advice appreciated.

[Dunlurking]

Where will you be living? As it is a highly rural county I recommend you pick a good one that is in your catchment area so you can use school/local buses or you will spend the next 7 years driving the school run and won't have a life of your own! Also your dcs may be isolated in terms of friends to meet up with at w/es or in holidays.

Nelson Thom are always good. They moved up the league tables for A levels this summer and the GCSE results league table (top 400 state schools online in the Daily Telegraph) might be out anytime now.... there are quite a few Cumbrian schools in the top 400.

[Dunlurking]

Where will you be living? As it is a highly rural county I recommend you pick a good one that is in your catchment area so you can use school/local buses or you will spend the next 7 years driving the school run and won't have a life of your own! Also your dcs may be isolated in terms of friends to meet up with at w/es or in holidays.

Nelson Thom are always good. They moved up the league tables for A levels this summer and the GCSE results league table (top 400 state schools online in the Daily Telegraph) might be out anytime now.... there are quite a few Cumbrian schools in the top 400.

[Dunlurking]

Sorry, don't know how I posted twice!

Meant to add. If you haven't decided where to move to yet and want to be near M6 and mainline west coast rail the Queen Katherine in Kendal did well in A levels this year. Don't know about GCSEs. The grammar school in Penrith is best performing school in the county but is selective and has a waiting list so you probably couldn't get places there this year.

[WestmorlandSausage]

are you set on an area yet? Cumbria has many varied schools - its a very interesting county its unlikely you are find anything particularly multi-cultural though but as long as that doesn't matter you will be fine.

Remember that 20 miles is a long way on rural roads with no good/ regular transport links.

[violetsareblue11]

Ooh I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this thread! I was born and bred in the northwest and spent a lot of time in Cumbria and so know a lot about the area. You've mentioned Nelson Thom, which is a lovely school and always had a good reputation. Where will you be living? If it's the Penrith area, then Queen Elizabeth Grammar is one of the UK's top performing state schools and is a super school- although it's selective. There's also a several great schools in the Kendal area too! If it's independent schools you're after, there's a lot of choice- Sedbergh School is an absolutely amazing school, really good results; St Bees School up on the coastline is beautiful and also has really good results too; Chetwyndes School in Barrow-on-Furness is supposed to be a good school; Austin Friars St Monica in Carlisle is equally excellent, although is hard to get to if you're not in the Carlisle area and there's also Windermere School, which is somewhere I don't know much about but do know that it's in a stunning location (on the shores of Lake Windermere no less!). Cumbria is an absolutely lovely place, beautiful countryside, wonderful people and surprisingly nice weather! Also lots and lots always going on. Only thing that used to annoy me were bad phone signals and the tourists! Great place to grow up IMO. Hope you love living there!

[rubyredsox]

Hi thank you all for your very helpful suggestions.
I really like Nelson Thomlinson School and Dalston to live. However seems to be more choice of houses East of Carlisle which would mean William Howard is easier to travel to.I need to visit a good hospital on a regular basis as one of my children had cancer 3 years ago. I believe Newcastle has v good hospitals. Also we have family on the West Coast. Looking forward to the move just need to decide on the school and hope the right house follows.
I have a third child so it will be 12 years of school runs so I do need to get it right.

[Dunlurking]

Good Luck with choosing rubyredsox

All North Cumbria's paediatric oncology goes to Newcastle - RVI www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/services/childrens.aspx

so staying east of Carlisle would make sense for that. Hope you can find what's right for your family.

[rubyredsox]

Thank you for your great advice Dunlurking. Really just need to find more information on William Howard School in Brampton now.

[eatyourveg]

Have you seen this? St Bees comes in at number 3 in England for most desirable place to live when taking into account employment opportunities, quality of health and education, crime rates and housing affordability.

[rubyredsox]

Thank you eatyourveg St Bees is lovely but too remote I need good and rail and road links.
Lovely to visit though

[whsparent]

Hi

I have sent you a pm

[lk26]

I live in penrith and we have to great schools. Qegs which is selective though not as strict as used to be. My 3 stepsons go there. My daughter is at ullswater community college after deciding against grammar school despite getting a place. She is doing brilliantly there.
We have train links and m6 which makes getting out the county.
Prices in penrith are higher than Carlisle or west Cumbria.
Dalston is a lovely place to live and has a good school there.
With regards to hospital I would avoid avoid the cumberland infirmary like the plague. Dreadful hospital. Newcastle RVI or freeman are excellent.

[lk26]

Just seen your message about Brampton. Don't know if it's true but supposed to have a slight drug problem ! Nice town on the surface but who knows !

[Ems9123]

Hi,
Sorry to bother you so long after your message, but I'm moving to Penrith and am scared of moving to a bad area. I would like to move to an area far from council estates( I'm a single mum and have had problems with living near a council estate). Please could you advise me on the best areas if Penrith? How is temple Sowerby?