Good areas for secondary and primaries

[Cinnamonlily06]

Hello we were going for selly oak/ kings Heath but open to other opinions .
I need an outstanding primary and likewise for secondary
I m self employed and work one day in London so location is not a problem , currently I live in north London in a villagy feeling part with lots of local shops and activities so looking for something similar .
Many thanks!

[Caulk]

Have you decided not to go with all the suggestions posters made before?

Other areas are Moseley, Cofton Hackett/Barnt Green, Dorridge/Bentley Heath,
Sutton Coldfield.

[Cinnamonlily06]

I don't know ... gibbins is not in a catchemet for a good secondary 😓
I really want to go for a good secondary ... was looking at kings hearh and it seems there is an outstanding secondary ....but I don't know birmigham that well and don't want my dd to end up in a bad one

[Caulk]

I really really really wouldn’t get caught up on ofsted ratings in a city the size of Birmingham. It has such a transient population that school cohorts change very regularly and a School can be outstanding and then on their next ofsted get requires improvement.

[BackforGood]

I agree with Caulk. --plus I rarely agree with OFSTED ratings-.

It might help if you give an indication of your budget - how much are you looking to spend on a house ( and what size do you need) if you are buying, or what are you looking to spend on rent. We can all say X or Y area of the City is wonderful (or not) but if you only have half what it costs to buy (or rent) there, then it is a bit pointless.

[Caulk]

Don’t forget that if a school gets outstanding it can be five years before the next inspection. A lot can change in that time - a secondary when your child is in year 6 could have been inspected when she wasn’t in year 1!

[Cinnamonlily06]

True
I m still looking around selly oak but I struggle with secondaries 😰
To rent up to 850 3 bedrooms thanks

[Caulk]

I’ve had a look and there isn’t much in desirable parts of birmingham really.

How about Bromsgrove? There are some 3 beds for £850. Worcs uses the three school system so you wouldn’t need to be thinking about secondaries yet. St John’s Middle and South Bromsgrove High are nice schools. Avoid Catshill.

Moseley or Kings Heath don’t seem to have anything at that price where you’d be in the catchement for the schools you’d want.

There are some in Quinton/Halesowen, where you could use Perryfields Secondary or Leasowes. You may even get Lightwoods girls.

Bearwood has a nice village feel and there are a few properties there at that rental. Avoid the cape hill side, and aim for Lightwoods School again.

[Cinnamonlily06]

Morning
What is the 3 schools system pls ?
Mosley/king Heath what schools do I have to aim? As I was thinking bourneville infant for primary and northon girls secondary

[flyingpigsinclover]

It's first school until nine, then middle school until 12/13 depending where you are and then high school.

[Cinnamonlily06]

Ah I see.
I did like bourneville area but it looks that if I'm in the catchement for the primary I'm not for the secondary ....

[Cinnamonlily06]

Could consider 2 bed house to get in a good school

[KingsHeathen]

Which Kings Heath secondary did you think was outstanding???

Ive forgotten if your DD is Y5 or Y6, sorry.

[Cinnamonlily06]

Year 6

[Cinnamonlily06]

What area would you suggest ? 😰

[Caulk]

Have you looked at the suggestions I made?

Can you come up for a week and visit some schools?

[KingsHeathen]

But you've already missed application deadline
Why worry now about the rating of the primary when she will be leaving in 6 mo time?
However, what you said upthread- if you're in catchment for Bournville Junior, you would be in circle for KNGS, for sure. Neither would really be likely from Gibbins Rd. But, KNGS is Ofsted rated 'good' not outstanding.
But, so many 'outstanding' schools I would not send my child to, and many 'good' ones I would.
Did you look round any schools in Birmingham?
You just can't get a feeling for a school from what is on paper!

[Caulk]

Look at cotteridge. They’ll be some parts of it that is in the catchment for KNGS and it’s pretty reasonable. It’s a beast to drive around but it does have a train station.

[KingsHeathen]

Plus, I must ask- why Birmingham if you have to be in London 1 day a week? Do you have someone here that will do school drop-off, pickup when you're on a London day?
For your budget, maybe Halesowen, and go for Earls High School or Windsor?
I'm really not sure I'd recommend a secondary in Kings Heath.

[Caulk]

KingsHeathen I’m about to move to KH/Moseley. Are you telling me that it’s full of delinquent teenagers who aren’t at outstanding schools so I spending their days scratching cars and setting fire to bins? Maybe I should stay in Barnt Green!

[KingsHeathen]

well... it's a wee bit grittier than Barnt Green!
What years are you DC in?

[KingsHeathen]

But I suppose from Barnt Green, you'd be offered North Bromsgrove? I would move too.

[Caulk]

Ah I don’t have any, but I will be wandering round and may bump into one of these uneducated yoofs.

Sorry for the detail OP, I’m running out of suggestions.

[Caulk]

South Bromsgrove - largest provider of teens doing the DofE in the country! Everyone does to fiveways instead!

[KingsHeathen]

South Bromsgrove is fine from what I've heard.
But it could all change by the time your not-yet-born DC were secondary age


There is the slight issue of having to get into FW! Bromsgrove School probably popular too?

Anyway- re KH. For a girl.... Swanshurst is too big. Queensbridge too boy heavy. Bishop Challenor too Catholic. Baverstock too appalling closed!

[KingsHeathen]

Though, despite being too Catholic for my DC, the BC children are lovely when out and about.