Please recommend good schools in Leeds!!!

[skuzy]

Hiya, I'd love some recommendations for good primary (and or secondary) schools in and around Leeds!! My partner has just been offered a job but has to start asap. The problem is we don't know Leeds at all and would love to know the names of nice areas to raise a 3 year old boy. A place with nice parks would be good and lots of green areas. We also want our little one to go to a good pre-school, either state or private. Any recommendations on schools/areas to live would be greatly appreciated!!!

Best wishes and thanks

[Katerina75]

Hi skuzy congrats on coming to Leeds, it's a really good place to live. Am a southerner originally but love being in Leeds. I have worked in lots of areas of the city & used to be a secondary school teacher so know it quite well.

Anyway nice places for families - I think where I live is good - Horsforth. Has a good secondary school (Horsforth school) and several excellent primaries and a nice "village" feel to it & is in a good location - not too far from town & not too far from countryside either. It's in the northwest of Leeds near Leeds Bradford airport (but don't get much noise from planes). Am planning to send my boy to Newlaithes primary and then Horsforth secondary but he's only 10 weeks so can't give you a definite recommendation!!

Further out in that direction Guiseley & Yeadon seem popular with families & I think the secondaries out that way are good too. Otley has one of the best secondary schools in the country - Prince Henry's and seems to be popular for young families.

More to the north, Roundhay is a lovely area with a good secondary. To the east, Garforth Community college is another excellent secondary. If you want to go right to the outskirts of Leeds, Boston Spa school is really good - it's right up in the northeast of the city near Wetherby.

Hope this helps some with narrowing your search & good luck - the ofsted web site is a good place to look for reports on individual schools

[petunia]

I went to Gledhow Primary and would have gone on to Allerton Grange (but we moved to Leicestershire). We lived in Gledhow, about 10mins walk from Roundhay Park.
You're so lucky to be moving there, it's a lovely place.

[littlemissbossy]

Hi skuzy, I'm Leeds born and bred and now live in a little village between Leeds and Harrogate. Lots of great places to live in Leeds - where will your partner be working - city centre? do you need to be near motorway network? And do you want a busy suburb or village? renting/buying?

[skuzy]

Thank you all so much for your positive replies! They've made me feel a lot better about moving to Leeds. It's a bit scary moving to a place you don't know but I've been doing a bit of internet research on the area's you've mentioned and they do look lovely. We are coming up on Sunday and will visit Roundhay and Horsforth and take it from there. We are looking to rent for a bit before we take the plunge to buy.
My partner's job is in Wortley but he doesn't mind driving in. We'd rather move to a nice area a bit out rather than a horrid area close to work (iykwim). We are coming from busy London, so we don't want a tiny, quiet village as it will be a bit of a culture shock. Somewhere with trees would be nice, but mostly a place with lots of nice families, so my little one has friends nearby.

Thanks again

[Yorkiegirl]

Message withdrawn

[MrsWednesday]

Another vote for Horsforth from me Skuzy. I have two boys, one the same age as yours, and we love it here - great park and a few soft play areas nearby, schools and plenty of shops, bars and restaurants for the the grown-ups. Houses are expensive for Leeds but I'm not sure how it compares to London prices.

Good luck! And if you do move to the area, I'm sure we could organise a mini-mumsnet meet-up to make you feel welcome!

[skuzy]

Thanks Yorkiegirl, I've read on the internet that Pudsey was a nice market town. I will pay it a visit and also Morley.

Thanks too Mrs Wednesday. Would love to meet-up if we end up in Horsforth. Will keep you up dated!

[Mae1]

I can personally recommend Rothwell / Oulton - beautiful area, on the south east edge of Leeds - close to plenty of green land yet only ten minutes from Leeds city centre. We have a beautiful park, plenty of very good schools, and like Pudsey a lovely small town feeling.
Let us all know what you decide upon - and what your thoughts of Leeds were!

[MamaG]

Echo all the places recommended so far, Chapel Allerton is a nice place too - near to Gledhow/Roundhay but its got a really nice feel to it, lots of young trendy families!

Most areas of Leeds will be an OK commute for Wortley, I've lived in various parts of Leeds and worked in and around city centre, all been fine.

[skuzy]

Many thanks Mae1 and MamaG! We will visit Rothwell and Oulton at the weekend. We drove round Pudsey, Horsforth, Chapel Allerton and Roundhay at the weekend and really liked them all. We particulary liked Roundhay because of the lovely big park there.

I'm out in Hull at the minute (housesitting) but we are desperate to find a place to rent in any of the above areas. If anyone knows of a not too expensive (as we are still paying a london mortgage at the minute) place to rent please let me know! We would like 2 bedrooms and a short-let of 6 months of less. I'll be back in Leeds at the weekend to have another look round and hopefully find somewhere to live!

Thanks so much to all you mumsnetters who posted a message! I'm really grateful to have been recommended some great areas

[Tatties]

Don't live in Leeds anymore but we used to rent a house right next door to Roundhay Park - we found it through Linley and Simpson on Roundhay Road. That would be a good place to start if you want to rent.

[Loshad]

Hi, I wouldn't recommend boston spa, it used to be good, but in most of my teacher friend's opinion is now just living off it's reputatio, and certainly I know several children who been badly bullied there. Agree that Roundhay/chapel A are lovely places to live. Have a friend with a boy at garforth - they are both very happy with it.
you mentioned private - the best one appears to Leeds Grammar - currently boys only but is going co-ed - they take children from 3, as does Moorlands ad Frobelian.
Leeds CC website has a lot of school stuff on it that may be helpful.

[mumoftwoangels]

I used to live in leeds before i had my children, but if i were moving back it would have to be North Leeds, Adel, Rawdon, Yeadon Guisley. Adel Primary school has been one of the best in the country for years i beleive. Lots of nice green semi rural areas, and prob only 30-40 mins to city centre (20 25 mins out of rush hour) Good luck with the move.

[littlemadam]

Hi!!! We live in Ilkley which is 20 mins out by train, and it's another place to consider!! Schools are excellent, a couple of the primarys are in top 50, and there are three good private schools boys, girls and mixed!! If you want any more info CAT me!!
Horsforth is really nice too, and a bit nearer..when we looked at Frobelian though there was a three year waiting list!!
Good luck, I'm sure you'll love it here!

[Judy1234]

My brother I think who has moved up there hopes to send his children to Leeds Grammar, I think and prep school with that or something.

[Saturn74]

Adel is a lovely place to live - great primary school. Access to lots of high schools from there too.

[tribpot]

Another Horsforth vote here - not that I actually live there, but near there

I rent through Linley & Simpson, definitely worth talking to them.

[NotAnOtter]

ilkley is lovely fab fab schools and lovely parks bars/restaurants 30 mins on train

[tribpot]

Actually (slight hijack) I've been thinking we might move to Otley when our lease runs out here. I like Otley. It has Waitrose! Any thoughts of a more profound nature from MNers?

[Loshad]

tribpot
Otley and ilkley are v. pleasant, waitrose a bonus, but also rivers, good schools, local sports clubs etc, would love to live over that side of Leeds.

[Loshad]

tribpot
Otley and ilkley are v. pleasant, waitrose a bonus, but also rivers, good schools, local sports clubs etc, would love to live over that side of Leeds.

[Loshad]

oops, sorry, so lovely i posted twice

[YKhan]

Hi
Any advice regarding top 3 school in Leeds including private one.

[Rosieposy4]

Hasn’t changed much over the past 13 years ( why not start a new thread?)
State schools, decent ones are still Horsforth, Roundhay, Garforth. Rest are very ordinary.

Private academically GSAL, for a very quiet shy girl gateways, but they are struggling for numbers. If academically not very able would be tempted to live south Leeds and send them to rather than Woodhouse Grove.