High Schools in Stirling

[Lynsey5]

Hi All. We are looking to move to a good catchment area prior to our child starting school next year. Currently we are in Borestone Primary/Stirling High Catchment area. Out budget is up to £225.000. I heard great things about Riverside Primary School and Wallace High. I would really like to move to Causewayhead to get into that catchment but with our budget we might have to downsize from 3 bed to 2 bed. Moving to Torbrex with St Ninians Primary/Stirling High catchment is another option. I heard good things about St Ninians Primary. We have a friend whose children go to Stirling High and doesn't recommend Stirling High though. He says Stirling High is not very academic. With me being highly academic and not very sporty i think my child will be more on academic side . Anyone has experience with Stirling High and would you recommend it for an academic child ? Thank you !

[Lidlfix]

My DDs didn't attend Stirling but I'm a secondary teacher in the tiny wee world that is education in Stirling and DDs and I have friends and DC of friends who did. I don't teach in either of the schools you mentioned so no natural bias either.

Stirling High might not seem driven towards academia compared to say Dunblane but actually pretty on par with Wallace maybe slightly in front. Stirling had big tech investment before the other schools did, was the pilot school for Chromebooks and this is starting to have a tangible impact. My friends thought her DC was on a road to a decent modern apprenticeship when they decided to apply them-self and headed off to uni much to everyone's surprise. A very dynamic depute who was on the board of Young Enterprise has helped IT and the Business related subjects send lots of students off to courses and careers in that field.

Wallace has wonderful diversity with some of the most affluent postcodes in not just Stirling but Scotland in the catchment area but also some real poverty and this leads to young people with amazing social awareness. It is a school of sport too with great facilities and access to coaching for pupils with talents in that area.

There really isn't much between them and every year a decent amount of BofA residents placement request to Dunblane.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

If you'd been looking 5-10 years ago then Stirling high definitely had the academic edge but a good headmaster at Wallace has evened the score.

I think academic pupils at both will always have done well. Even in poorer days, kids at Wallace could leave with 5 As at Higher and a clutch of AHs but it's always had a very diverse catchment.

The only one of the Stirling schools that seems to be falling behind is Bannockburn, I think you'll be fine at any of the others. Primary, it's so hard to say, many more of them I suppose so might be easier to get a transfer to another still nearby if you were really unhappy.

[StarryEyeSurprise]

There's currently a house for sale in Causewayhead around your budget.

[Lynsey5]

@StarryEyeSurprise

There's currently a house for sale in Causewayhead around your budget.

Thanks i saw that house too. The layout of the house doesn't work for us but i am hoping houses with similar price
come up by new year.

[Lynsey5]

@Lidlfix

My DDs didn't attend Stirling but I'm a secondary teacher in the tiny wee world that is education in Stirling and DDs and I have friends and DC of friends who did. I don't teach in either of the schools you mentioned so no natural bias either.

Stirling High might not seem driven towards academia compared to say Dunblane but actually pretty on par with Wallace maybe slightly in front. Stirling had big tech investment before the other schools did, was the pilot school for Chromebooks and this is starting to have a tangible impact. My friends thought her DC was on a road to a decent modern apprenticeship when they decided to apply them-self and headed off to uni much to everyone's surprise. A very dynamic depute who was on the board of Young Enterprise has helped IT and the Business related subjects send lots of students off to courses and careers in that field.

Wallace has wonderful diversity with some of the most affluent postcodes in not just Stirling but Scotland in the catchment area but also some real poverty and this leads to young people with amazing social awareness. It is a school of sport too with great facilities and access to coaching for pupils with talents in that area.

There really isn't much between them and every year a decent amount of BofA residents placement request to Dunblane.

Lidlfix thanks for all the info ! It's good to know Stirling High is par with Wallace High. Torbrex is growing on me now as it is a short walk to Stirling High. What are your thoughts on Dunblane High? There is a house on sale in Dunblane which we could afford right now. I read on the forums there is a bit of bullying and keeping up with the jonesses going on amongs pupils in Dunblane High. We wouldn't be as wealthy as many people living there. I don't know how that would affect my DC in teenage years.

[Lynsey5]

@WaxOnFeckOff

If you'd been looking 5-10 years ago then Stirling high definitely had the academic edge but a good headmaster at Wallace has evened the score.

I think academic pupils at both will always have done well. Even in poorer days, kids at Wallace could leave with 5 As at Higher and a clutch of AHs but it's always had a very diverse catchment.

The only one of the Stirling schools that seems to be falling behind is Bannockburn, I think you'll be fine at any of the others. Primary, it's so hard to say, many more of them I suppose so might be easier to get a transfer to another still nearby if you were really unhappy.

Thank you for the info ! I heard about the good head tracher in Wallace High as well. My OH says there is 10 years by the time our DC starts secondary schools, dear know which High School will be ahead by then. It is good to know Stirling High has good reputation though.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

MY DC went to Dunblane on placing request. There were definitely things that were great and things that didn't go very well. I raised formal complaints about a few things.

However, having said that, neither of my DC had issues with bullying and they made lovely friends. We aren't in Dunblane and not in that general price bracket but we are in a "nice" private estate - so somewhere in between the tops and bottoms.

When DS2 started and told where he went to primary, he was seen as a bit of potentially rough boy by some peers. Primary school served half council estate and half new build "posh" estate.

One son very quiet, made nice friends, other son not so quiet and also made nice friends.

We did try to instil an arsehole radar from an early age though :o

[Lidlfix]

I haven't heard anything in professional circles about Dunblane High having a bullying problem. Seems to be the kind of place where kids who might get a hard time with a more streetwise cohort have plenty of other like minded souls - War Hammer clubs not just sport and music.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

I'd add that DS1 was bullied in primary and that was the reason for the placing request in the first place. So, we were hyper alert to watch out for bullying and were extremely happy never to have or hear of any issues other than normal friendship spats. Definitely a wide range of interests and types of children which made it easier to find like minded souls I think.

[TheBiscuitStrikesBack]

I came on to say I went to Stirling High and loved it. Then realised it was nearly 20 years ago. Now I just feel old.

[Lynsey5]

@TheBiscuitStrikesBack

I came on to say I went to Stirling High and loved it. Then realised it was nearly 20 years ago. Now I just feel old.

LOL i beat you to it 😊

[Lynsey5]

Hi all. Thanks s lot for all the replies. Good to hear Dunblane High is a good school as well. I will keep an eye on the houses in Torbex/Causewayhead/ Dunblane areas. Mind you OH says Dunblane gets more rain than Stirling . I am finding it hard to believe with the amount of rain we got this year !

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Nah it gets more snow - the Keir roundabout is the snow line.

[Sunshine201415]

Hi Lynsey, I'm in a similar position to where you were last year! About to move to Blairlogie and trying to decide on primary schools, also with a view to choosing secondary schools. How did it go for you? x