relocating to glasgow need help with areas

[dogmadmum]

we are relocating to Scotland sometime in the new year due to my husbands job moving to Erskine near Glasgow. I was hoping some of you mums out there could advise us on the best areas to live and for schools for our 5 and 8 year old. I come from Durham and have never lived anywhere else, so i am very nervous to say the least and any advice will be very welcome. Ideally no more than 30 Min's drive from Glasgow would be good.
many thanks for reading

[weepootle]

What sort of area are you looking for? Built-up city, quiet suburban estate, village-y location?

[dogmadmum]

hi weepootle thanks for your reply i think either quiet suburban or villagey location would be good.:)

[PTA]

Erskine isn't really that close to Glasgow and is lovely but to echo previous post, what do you want and what's your budget like?

You have a very wide range of options if your husband is working in Erskine.

Sorry if I've not been particularly helpful but let me know what you would prefer and I'll see what I can do to help. BTW anywhere on the West Coast is wonderful!

[PTA]

Erskine isn't really that close to Glasgow and is lovely but to echo previous post, what do you want and what's your budget like?

You have a very wide range of options if your husband is working in Erskine.

Sorry if I've not been particularly helpful but let me know what you would prefer and I'll see what I can do to help. BTW anywhere on the West Coast is wonderful!

[prettybird]

Are you going to be buying or renting? If buying, what sort of budget? Are you looking for state schools or privates (for both primary and secondary)? Do you anticipate moving again within a few years?

Glasgow has good communications links, so 30 minutes drive gives you a very wide area.

Also, when are your kids' birthdays, as the school year intake islighlty different? A child that is now 5 whould either be in P1 (Reception-ish) or P2 (Y1).

[dogmadmum]

wow guys thanks so much for your answers this is my 1st post so didn't really expect this type of response.
my apologies for my lack of knowledge with distances as Glasgow looks really near on the map lol
At present we live in a smallish town in between sunderland and Durham half a hour each way, so within easy reach if needed but as we aren't really into shopping and stuff we very rarely bother, so would really love something similar nice community spirit would be nice, we were thinking of renting for the 1st 6 months to get a feel for places with a view to buy then,and we are hoping to sell our house for 150,000 so around that price is what we would be looing to spend.
my little girl will be 6 in may and my son 9 in march, and are very nervous with regards to this so any advice with this would also be gratefully received

[dogmadmum]

hi prettybird we are looking for state schools and we would moving for the long term hope.
thanks

[mankyscotslass]

Bishopton is very close to Erskine, the primary school there was very well regarded. It has a rail link to Galsgow if needed.

The nearest High School is Park Mains, I believe they were talking about rebuilding it. It used to have a really good rep, especially for music, but I had heard it had gone down hill, and is now improving.

Erskine itself is a mix of housing stock, some ex housing association, and a lot of new builds. There are several primary schools serving Erskine itself, Bargarran, Rashielea, BBarsail, and 2 RC schools, St john Bosco, and St Annes.

It really depends on your budget and what you want.

[dogmadmum]

thanks mankyscotslass great name btw.
I am really ashamed to say ive never been up Glasgow way in my life, we aren't really travelers so really dont know where to start apart from i would really like to live somewhere were crime isnt to much of a problem, somewhere quite quiet also as hustle and bustle aren't really us.

[mankyscotslass]

Some of the North Ayrshire Viaalges are lovey too, and would be within driiving distance to Erskine.

I'd forgotten about Inchinnan, which is another village on the Erskine boundary, it has a primary school too.

[mankyscotslass]

And that Bishopton has more of a villagey feel to it than Erskine, which is a suburban sprawl and typical new town. Or at least it did!

[dogmadmum]

my husband has mentioned bearsden? wonder if anyone knows it well?

[prettybird]

Your little firl would go into P1 this year and your wee boy into P4, if your are mving in the New Year. In theory, he's be one of the oldest in the year as the age placement" year is March to February - but in practice he probably won't be as in Scotland you have the option of deferring (properly - as in they would start in P1 the following year) the entry of September to Feb birthdays (more usually just the December to Feb ones) if you don't think that they are ready.

If your dh is working in Erskine, then you have the opion of North and SOuth of the river, as you are close to the Erskine Bridge.

Small village-y, you have Houston and Bridge of Weir. Not sure about the secondaries, but primary schools are generally good.

I live in Glasgow in Pollokshields, which is a quiet suburb on the south side of Glasgow with lots of lvely big Vicotrian houses, the majoity of them split, like ours. Big gardens, quiet roads and excellent value compared to the West End where you would pay silly prices for the equivalent. If you watched "SIngle Father" then that is where it was filmed. SOme people are put off by the fact that East Pollokshileds (which is largely tenements) is very Asian - but I love it. Glendale Primary school has a good reputation - high number of ethnic minorites (60%) but well supported. Pollokshields Primary School is 98% "English as an Additional Language" which would have caused me concerns.

The other place on the SOuth Side to look at is Shawlands and Crossmyloof - there may be houses there in your price bracket. Shwalnds Primary also has a decent reputation - as does Shawlands Academy.

We are close to the M8 and on the "right" side of the Kingston Bridge, which is where the jams tend to occur, so your dh would be able to get to work in under half an hour. Coming home, he would quickly learn the routes that avoid the jam.

North of the river, Old Kilpatrick is literally just under the Erskine Birdge. I can remember looking at houses there (when we were looking to buy "North side" before giving up and looking "SOuth side" and finding our current house the first week out looking) and they seemed good value.

[mankyscotslass]

Bearsden is lovely but a lot of it is very expensive!

Just done a very quick trawl of Rightmove, and only 2 houses came up in your budget.

See here look

[prettybird]

With £150,000, I don't think you could afford Bearsden. It is where I was brought up and went to school, so otherwsie I would recommend it - and Milngavie (pronounced "Mill-guy" )

[dogmadmum]

you dont get alot for your money there oh well dont think il be moving to bearsdon then lol i am currently in a 4 bed detatched so back on with the search

[prettybird]

Seeing the Righmove link reminds me to warn you that the "Offers over" system in Scotland really does mean "offers over" - especially in places like Bearsden.

But we'll have time to "educate" you as to the intricacies of the differnt house buying/selling system in Scotland

[prettybird]

Like any city/conurbation, you get "hot spots".

Bearsden, Milngavie, Jordanhill are the "hot spots" for family accommodation on the North side; Newton Mearns and (to a lesser extent?) Bridge of Weir are the hot spots on the south side.

[dogmadmum]

thanks prettybird this is going to be the biggest thing my family and me have ever had to do and i dont mind saying i am petrified but you guys are making things feel better and its great to be able to get advise from peeps who know.

[mankyscotslass]

TBH, I think you would struggle to get a 4bed detatched in your budget in the area you are talking about. Not impossible though.

You may have to trawl rightmove to get a better idea of what's realistic for the budget.

[prettybird]

I agree with mankyscotslass. You may find, after renting for a few months and getting a feel, that you will want to see if you can stretch your budget a bit.

[mankyscotslass]

Does it have to be 4 bedroom detatched?

Would you look at smaller properties?

[dogmadmum]

no it doesn't need to be a four bed roomed detached a 3 bed roomed semi or terraced would be just as good for us. House prices are still quite good were we are from.

[seb1]

Within Renfrewshire you also have Lochwinnoch, Langbank, Houston and Bridge of Weir. Houston and Bridge of Weir feed into Gryffe High. Here is a link to the council web site for schools Renfrewshire. You also have Kilmacolm close by it is under Inverclyde council. You will also have the choice of denominational or non-denominational schools. The council website has the holidays listed which will be quite different so worth checking out.

[darleneconnor]

Here is a copy of a table of the top 50 Scottish secondaries for 2005 (sorry it hasn't copied well, I hope you can follow it)

If schooling is a big deal for you then take note. Jordanhill is in Glasgow but isn't run by the council. It is the only direct-grant school in Scotland and almost impossible to get into. Even if you live in the catchment and have a sibling there you still aren't guaranteed a place. Also the area isn't feasible on your budget. The next best option near Glasgow is Williamwood in Clarkston. It is a really nice suburb on the southside (in the East Renfrewshire council area). You could just about get a 3 bed house there for £150k. There are lots of 2-beds in Stamperland which can be /have been converted into 3 with attic extensions.

If you'd rather stay closer to work I have a friend who lives in one of the new estates in Erskine and really likes it.

2005 2004 Name Town Avg % Rank Avg % Rank of entry
1 1 Jordanhill School Glasgow 84.0 1 64.7 1 Mixed
2 2 Williamwood High School Clarkston 75.3 2 60.3 2 Mixed
3 4 Cults Academy Cults 70.3 4 55.7 5 Mixed
4 3 Banchory Academy Banchory 67.7 5 56.0 4 Mixed
5 5 Mearns Castle High School Newton Mearns 72.7 3 51.3 7 Mixed
6 6 St Ninian's High School Giffnock 65.7 6 52.7 6 Mixed
7 7 Anderson High School Lerwick 44.3 50 59.7 3 Mixed
8 9= Dunblane High School Dunblane 62.3 9= 50.3 8 Mixed
9 9= Linlithgow Academy Linlithgow 65.0 7 48.3 9= Mixed
10 14 Gryffe High School Houston 63.3 8 46.7 12 Mixed
11 8 Douglas Academy Milngavie 61.7 11 46.3 13 Mixed
12 12 Boroughmuir High School Edinburgh 55.7 21= 48.3 9= Mixed
13= 11 James Gillespie's High School Edinburgh 56.3 18 47.0 11 Mixed
13= 20 The Royal High School Edinburgh 59.0 13 45.7 14 Mixed
15 24 St Bride's High School East Kilbride 62.3 9= 43.7 20= Mixed
16 13 Westhill Academy Westhill 57.7 15 44.7 17= Mixed
17 16= North Berwick High School North Berwick 55.7 21= 45.3 15= Mixed
18 19 Lenzie Academy Lenzie 56.0 19= 44.7 17= Mixed
19 16= Aberdeen Grammar School Aberdeen 56.7 16= 44.0 19 Mixed
20 15 Bearsden Academy Bearsden 56.0 19= 43.7 20= Mixed
21 23 Balfron High School Balfron 55.0 23 41.7 22= Mixed
22 25 Gourock High School Gourock 56.7 16= 40.7 25= Mixed
23= 22 Breadalbane Academy Aberfeldy 44.7 49 45.3 15= Mixed
23= 40 Peebles High School Peebles 54.7 24 40.3 27 Mixed
25= 44 Gairloch High School Gairloch 58.3 14 38.0 36= Mixed
25= 18 Moffat Academy Moffat 51.0 34= 41.7 22= Mixed
27 21 Balerno Community High School Balerno 52.7 28= 40.0 28 Mixed
28 28 Tobermory High School Isle Of Mull 50.3 36= 41.0 24 Mixed
29 26 Wallace Hall Academy Dumfriesshire 50.3 36= 40.7 25= Mixed
30 34= Ellon Academy Ellon 53.7 25 38.3 33= Mixed
31 31 Mackie Academy Stonehaven 53.0 27 38.3 33= Mixed
32 32= Eastwood High School Newton Mearns 51.3 31= 39.0 29 Mixed
33= 27 Castlebay School Isle of Barra 59.3 12 34.5 49 Mixed
33= 41 Glen Urquhart High School Drumnadrochit 51.0 34= 38.7 30= Mixed
35 34= Kinross High School Kinross 51.3 31= 38.3 33= Mixed
36 - Castle Douglas High School Castle Douglas 50.0 38= 38.7 30= Mixed
37= 32= Belmont Academy Ayr 48.7 44 38.7 30= Mixed
37= 38= Turnbull High School Bishopbriggs 52.7 28= 36.7 42 Mixed
39= 30 Fortrose Academy Fortrose 50.0 38= 37.7 38 Mixed
39= 46= Monifieth High School Monifieth 49.3 43 38.0 36= Mixed
41= 29 Earlston High School Berwickshire 50.0 38= 37.0 40= Mixed
41= 38= Largs Academy Largs 53.3 26 35.3 45= Mixed
43 46= Boclair Academy Bearsden 48.3 45= 37.3 39 Mixed
44 37 Oldmachar Academy Bridge Of Don 52.0 30 35.3 45= Mixed
45 42 Alford Academy Alford 48.3 45= 37.0 40= Mixed
46 43 Webster's High School Angus 49.7 41= 36.0 43= Mixed
47= 49 Currie High School Edinburgh 48.3 45= 36.0 43= Mixed
47= 36 Queen Margaret Academy Ayr 49.7 41= 35.3 45= Mixed
49 - Grove Academy Broughty Ferry 51.3 31= 33.7 50 Mixed
50 48 Madras College St Andrews 46.3 48 35.3 45= Mixed