Anyone live in Burnage / Levenshulme?

[OhWhatAPalaver]

Me and DP are considering renting here but don't really know what it's like for young families. We have 4yo dd due to start school in September and another dc on the way in June. Need to move very soon!
Not sure how easy it is to get a decent school place in Manchester when we're moving after the deadline has passed which is also a bit worrying :/
We are in Stockport at the moment and neither of us particularly like it but I work in Cheadle Hulme and DP works in various primary schools around south east/central Manchester so we need somewhere for easy access to both places. It's stressing us out now as we only have till April to get somewhere! I am going to view a place in Burnage tomorrow but concerned it's a bit nothingy round there, just seems to be a massive load of houses and nothing else!
Any advice greatly appreciated. Our budget is about 850 a month max.

[wowfudge]

Whereabouts in Stockport are you? There are some nice places and good schools. A friend lives in Levenshulme and says there is a dividing line where one side of the road is okay, becoming more gentrified and the other isn't. There is quite a community feel - regular Saturday market, etc.

[OhWhatAPalaver]

Hmm, I've yet to visit the market in Levenshulme. Might have to give it a go! I think it's the schools more than anything that are putting me off, with it being a highly Asian populated area we would be in the minority unfortunately. I would prefer DD to go to a school where there was lots of diversity and no ethnic majority or minority but they seem impossible to find!
Even the ofsted reports of outstanding schools say the more able pupils get left behind because the general standard of English is really low as most of them have English as a second language.

[OhWhatAPalaver]

Ooer... The above sounded a bit racist.. I'm totally not racist!
We're in Heaton Chapel btw so really close to Levenshulme but not been here that long so don't know the surrounding areas that well.

[wowfudge]

Hmm - what are you looking for in the area you live in? Apart from what you've already stated. Have you lived anywhere else in the Manchester/Stockport area?

[Haribogirl]

Personally I would choose Burnage over Levenshulme

Heaton Chapel is a great step to live!! What do you find wrong with it?
Why don't you consider South a Reddish then?

[OhWhatAPalaver]

Well, we're technically in Heaton Chapel but it's more like Reddish. It's not that bad an area but we are quite far away from friends. Ideally I think we'd like to live in Withington but most of the places round there seem to be aimed at students.

[Clawdy]

I've lived in all three of those places,and if I were you I would definitely stay in Heaton Chapel. Good primary schools,good secondary school.

[OhWhatAPalaver]

I would stay here for the schools but dp isn't so keen. We are far away from both our sets of friends so makes sense to move closer to where they are (mostly Withington).
As happens the Burnage house was godawful and we have a viewing in Withington on Sat so fingers crossed!

[Haribogirl]

Go on rightmove you will see loads on there and you can put your budget in so it will only show rent upto that amount

[TheGnomeMobile1]

If you want to be near Withington, look in Withington! I'm seeing various nice properties.. Like this one

[OhWhatAPalaver]

Apparently that one has been taken, we viewed it but just missed out apparently... don't know why it's still there! :/

[Squashybanana]

Acacias primary is a nice school if you can find a house nearby.