Do your dcs attend a happy and decent mixed comp? Can you buy a 4 bed house for £300,000 within walking distance?

[SusieP40]

Hi, name changer here so I dont out myself and fuel local (smallminded here!) gossip.

We have decided to move away and after months of discussion we know exactly what we want but are not sure where we can find it.

We would like dcs to attend a decent HAPPY properly comprehensive school - so preferably a grammar-free area. DS12, is so unhappy at his current school :(. We are really disappointed with the lack of provision (mild SEN) and lack of care (that's a whole different thread).

We want to move from the snooty area we currently live where the neighbours are so up their own arses noone speaks to anyone else! We run an internet-based business and dh works 16 hour days and more to meet mortgage payments on our house. I want us to be mortgage free so we can actually spend some money enjoying life. We can move ANYWHERE but would like to be in a friendly neighbourhood with a sense of community. Maybe in a market town? Our budget would be around £300,000.

Ideally I would like dcs to be in walking distance of school - its healthy , sociable and good for independence.

Any ideas?

[betterwhenthesunshines]

Good luck and well done for considering such a big move for very good reasons. Could you start by searching offsted reports?

You can just get a one bed flat here for that money and no good comp school either

[RillaBlythe]

I'm interested to see responses. I live in a grammar area myself & dd is only in Rrcrption so not my dept myself.

[SusieP40]

Sunshines . I lost a very close relative last year and it made me evaluate exactly what things I want from life. Being broke every month cos of the mortgage isnt one of them!

Rilla, I live in a grammar area and can see how polarised the school system becomes! Ds is currently at a private school because the non-grammar schools here are awful (or single sex or Catholic). Lets hope we get some answers!

[betterwhenthesunshines]

I think your search is also a bit broad. You say you can move anywhere, but do you really want to - Northumberland? Shropshire? Do you have any family you need to be near to rather than the other end of the country?

[veryworried29]

Interesting thread! You'd need to pay £850,000 for a 4 bed in the catchment of our closest "happy" co-ed comprehensive school. Poxy system.

[7to25]

East Dumbartonshire.
Would you move that far?

[Oreocrumbs]

Yes up here - North East - a whole host of areas that meet the criteria.

You will be able to get a nice 4 bed in most areas around here for that price. So you could start by looking at the schools, see which ones you like the sound of and work from there.

[PeskyPiskie]

Yes in my area,not the town I actually live in, - because the school is not that good - but in a nearby small town, Soham Village College.

[Goodwordguide]

I was going to say north-east as well - eg, east Newcastle or Hexham if you want a market town.

Alternately, east of Edinburgh eg, north Berwick - beautiful and good schools.

[SusieP40]

It is a broad search I agree! That's because we have nothing holding us where we currently are. Family not close, work portable, friends spread around the UK and further. Our plan is to spend the next couple of months visiting any areas that might tick all our boxes. I quite fancy somewhere North of England or Midlands.

Veryworried at £850,000, bloody hell! . The system is so flawed. Expensive catchments, grammars and faith schools leave collectively exclude so many children (including mine arghh).

[7to25]

Bearsden Academy.
Excellent school, friendly and community minded place, and plenty of lovely 4 beds within easy walking distance.
Ignore "offers over" if looking at rightmove.

[SusieP40]

Crossed posts then with lots of people. Thank you.

North East is such a massive area, I dont know where to start. A decent school will be key (not necessarily one with an outstanding ofsted, just one where dcs will be happy). I will look at Hexham and Newcastle on Rightmove. Oreo, can you name any schools?

Iseesmallpeople, where do teenagers go? What do they do? That worries me with many small towns.

I am visiting Scotland for the first time at Easter . I am ashamed to admit never travelling that far. In fact, I havent really been far north of bristol, how crap is that?! I want to show my dcs there is a whole world to explore outside our provincial little town.

[NightLark]

South West Sheffield. It would have to be a fairly characterless house to fit the price criteria, but excellent secondaries, no grammars, on the doorstep of gorgeous peak-district countryside and a stable and friendly community ticked all our boxes.

[plantsitter]

Have a look at Ilkley.

[Mrskbpw]

My children are small but I do know the schools locally very well as I grew up in the area.

We live in a suburb of SE London - we paid £290,000 for our house, but it's 3 bedroom with an extra bedroom/playroom downstairs. Lots of the houses locally have different extensions though so there are many 4 beds around for just a bit more.

There are no secondaries within walking distance, but many just a short bus ride away. One is a mixed comprehensive, or there are two really good single-sex schools. There are also two single-sex selective schools (not grammars - they have an exam but you only take it if you want to) nearby. I went to the girls' selective school and hated it, but it's a very good school.

It's very friendly. Our neighbours are lovely. There's lots to do. Countryside is not far, there is lots of green space. And it's zone 5, so London Bridge is 21 minutes on the train, slightly longer into the West End.

[SusieP40]

ruby where are you? Sounds great!

7to25, that looks perfect! just looking at a map now. I know this is probably a very stupid question but would we fit in as southerners? (Im embaressed to ask sorry)

[Cheeseswept]

I'm in a Midlands market town with good schools (some outstanding) and on Rightmove there are loads of 4 bed houses under £300k. Lovely countryside and good transport links. I've also had relatively good experiences with SEN support.

[SusieP40]

Mrskbpw, can you give me an idea of area? Maybe the nearest station?

plantsitter, can you think of a specific school? I know they have a grammar there which can have a negative impact on other nearby schools.

Nightlark, can you be more specific about SW Sheffiled? I am not sure where to look on the map!

[SusieP40]

ruby, thanmk you

Cheeses, sounds ideal. Which town re SEN support?

[Oreocrumbs]

The school my dsd is in is a cathotlic mixed sex 'comp'. She isn't catholic (we are), and there is not much emphasis on studying religon, of course it is taught though.

The school's pastoral care is excellent. Dsd is a very shy and quiet child and has really flourished there. Only downside to this school is that I wouldn't want to live in walking distance (I am being a snob about that).

There are some nice enough areas in walking distance. Dsd's mother lives in the town that the school is in, and we live about 10 mins drive away. There are excellent bus links.

All of the comps I am personally familiar with are catholic, but are very much like a fab, happy comp rather than a 'catholic' education.

I'll PM you the name of DSD's school, but I would also really recomend (and will probably be sending my DD to) strobertofnewminster.co.uk/. I went to that school, and it still has an excellent reputation for meeting needs across the board.

Washington will give you easy access to the main roads in the region making Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland all about 20 mins away.

[penguinplease]

Ruby can you pm me too?! sounds like just where we are looking for, we are currently east mids though and don't want to move too far.. although very open minded.
sorry to hijack post op!