Calling Lincolnshire - schools/area advice, please

[IdespairIreallydo]

We are considering relocating to be nearer family in Lincolnshire but they don't have children so would really appreciate some insider knowledge, specifically on the grammar schools. Also, nice places to live but not too remote. What are the following towns like, Louth, Horncastle or Boston? TIA

[cafebistro]

Horncastle has an excellent mixed grammar school but I couldn't tell you what the actual area is like. Boston as a town isn't particularly nice.

[Doobydoo]

Caistor...grammar school very selective.
Grantham Girl and Boy Grammars and Walton Girls school...nice outlying villages.Sleaford has boy and girl Grammar schools...nice villages.
Wouldn't goto Boston.
Lincoln has LSST school.
Look on rightmove at areas.
Not much in Horncastle...I don't think.
Stamford quite pretty
Little villages like Welbourn and Scopwick

[IdespairIreallydo]

Thank you both, more please.
I need to be near a biggish town for business reasons - what's Lincoln itself like?
Why not Boston - it has a Marks & Spencer and a train station!

[clary]

I'm from south Lincs. I wouldn't live in Boston. In fact I wouldn't live anywhere in South Lincs, waaay too isolated for me. Nice if you like countryside and housing is very cheap of course.

Lincoln itself is the only place in Lincs I would consider living. Lovely villages around Stamford etc tho if that's your bag. Where do you live now OP - city/rural?

Schools-wise I don't know now, my info is out of date. Grammar school system is very much in small pockets here and there tho.

[clary]

Boston is a bit grim, sorry. I grew up 10 miles away. It's very small, the M&S is tiny, the whole area is very under-resourced. You are 20-30 miles from a decent cinema for example.

Also I believe it is the town with the most unhealthy people in UK isn't it? Or something like that. SOrry to all the many lovely people who I am sure live in Boston!

I like Lincoln, it still has the Lincolnshire thing of being isolated, for a county city it's not really buzzing with shops etc, but it does have the most lovely building gin the world so you're on a winner there :)

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

Hi. Namechanged regular (to reply to you).

Echo others: I wouldn't live in Boston. It's miles from anywhere else and not very desirable in itself. Grantham and Sleaford are mixed places but are much better connected to get out to Nottingham or to the A1 north or south.

We've lived in and around Lincoln for years and now live right in the centre; we love it. Obviously it's not some great metropolis but there's heaps going on culturally compared to anywhere else in the county. Lovely shops, lovely views all around, loads of sports, music, theatre. I wouldn't live anywhere else in the county either. (Having said that, Horncastle and the Wolds are gorgeous but you are miles from anything else or getting to anywhere else in the country).

With that in mind, I'd recommend Lincoln itself if you can afford a nice property uphill OR the following clusters of villages: North East such as Nettleham, Welton, Dunholme looking to use either William Farr (outstanding comp) at Welton or QEGS at Horncastle for secondary. Or Branston, Heighington, potterhanworth looking to use Branston Academy (outstanding comp).

OR, if you're not worried about single sex grammars and dc are likely to pass the test, you could look at the Grantham or Sleaford grammars, but I'd still live halfway to Lincoln for the better facilities.

LSST is a great and highly sought after school but is very difficult to get a place at and has a complicated admissions system of feeder primaries. Can be easier to get into in later year groups than year 7.

If you live in Lincoln itself, though, your secondary options are more tricky than living in catchment of the best village comps: there's' LSST if you can get in, Lincoln Minster if you can afford independent or bussing out to Branston, Wm Farr or one of the grammars at say Horncastle or train to Sleaford (I know there have been low birth rates and therefore spaces in some of these schools in current yr 7/8 ish).

[Pregnantberry]

Boston is not very nice, DP grew up there and shudders should he ever go near a "Boston" road sign. I mean, it does have grammar schools if that is a big deal to you, but I heard their futures were uncertain (not sure if this is just a rumour), it is not very well connected to other places and has one of the worst cases of small-town-mentality I know of. The last time I saw it on the news was a story about how well Ukip were doing there because of Bloody Forriners.

Lincoln is alright though, there are some good schools there and in the surrounding area and it is quite a pretty city with its cathedral, river and castle. It has a generally nice vibe to it as well with nice little cafes and shops to be found, along with a decent choice of bars and restaurants.

I had family in Louth who I know got on well with the Grammars there (not sure what the comps are like though, they are often not as good in areas where the top % of students have been snapped up by Grammar schools) and there were some nice quiet suburbs for if you have young kids. Again though, it is a bit of a distance from larger towns and cities where things are going on and I don't see it as a good place if you have teens.

I don't have any experience of Horncastle sorry!

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

Oh and depending on ages of dc, there's a new University Technology College opening this September in Lincoln which takes from year 10 and will specialise in sciences, maths and engineering.

I think it'll provide a great alternative for both academic and vocational dc who are science-focussed and want to study in a more grown up environment (longer days etc).

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

What ages/rough ability are your dc and what are their interests and yours?

That might help clarify/ rule some things out.

[IdespairIreallydo]

You are stars, thank you so much, MN is wonderful. DC's are 11 and 10, looking for Y7 school as we are underwhelmed by our choices here in Somerset. We do rural now so can do cockerels, farm machinery and mud but thinking of kids as they grow up. Which makes me think Lincoln may be better.

[IdespairIreallydo]

Family nr Spilsby so want to be nearish to them.

[IdespairIreallydo]

That new Tech College would suit my DS perfectly.

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

House budget then? !!!!

I love a good house search and am pretty addicted to the ins and outs of the local market, as well as knowing a bit about lots of the schools....

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

Spilsby is close to Horncastle and it sounds like the rural life wouldn't faze you...Horncastle could be a goer (it's a gorgeous place) but you'd be 20 miles from Lincoln for work/business and the dc might be a bit bored in a couple of years time. Also if they don't pass 11+, the schools are effectively secondary moderns, as opposed to the comps in and around Lincoln.

[tammytwigg]

Hi despair I live in Boston ,Ds 15 is at Boston grammar school couldn't recommend highly enough ,it's great he loves it , as for the town it's not the best in the world but it's friendly not a bad selection of shops ,I work in one of the fashion ones we always get great comments, yes there are a lot of foreigners but on the whole they mingle in and are mostly working and earning a living, it is what you make it .

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

I don't think the previous posters were complaining about the foreigners, Tammy (lots of Eastern Europeans, OP), but about SOME of the locals' very bigoted reactions to them...

[Pregnantberry]

Ha, to clarify, I didn't mean that Boston was bad because of foreigners, I meant that that it was bad because of bigoted attitudes and people who complain about them all the time!

[Pregnantberry]

X-post!

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

X-post!

[IdespairIreallydo]

My very own Kirstie, ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy £250k

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

Modern or period? No of bedrooms?

[tammytwigg]

No offence taken. ,I know some people have bad attitudes toward them It was once a small market town, I come from a farming background ,they don't like change ,it's not all bad though just had a French girl on a exchange for a month at our shop cried buckets when she left couldn't believe how friendly the town was .

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

Go to go now...will post some links links later.

[IdespairIreallydo]

Prefer period - Georgian our fav. Not bothered with condition, can do work. Must be quiet location not on main road. Open fire. Big garden. Garage/outbuilding (workshop). Min 3 beds. ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy what's your commission rate, before we start Also like David Wilson Homes, I know, goes against what I have just said.

[ForThisThreadOnlyyyyyyy]

Well you'll certainly get more bang for your buck out Spilsby way, like this:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28154946.html?premiumA=true

Or this just a few miles Lincoln side of Horncastle:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28882821.html

Lincoln itself has some great properties in the desirables area but seem cheap because you're in the catchment for a private, not the best state schools, iykwim, such as:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45378344.html?premiumA=true

This is gorgeous and right in the thick of things, but is probably on the noisiest street in the city traffic wise and no garage:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39374926.html