My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Which Hampshire secondary school??

99 replies

SJS83 · 03/08/2018 10:07

Hi,

I'm looking for some help. We're relocating to Hampshire with two children, 8 and 3. We're obviously looking to move within a catchment of one of the better secondaries, and need to be within around 45 minutes commuting time to Southampton. So far we have shortlisted the following:

  • Thornden + Toynbee
  • Perins
  • The 3 Winchester schools
  • Wildern
  • Romsey schools


The problem is finding a reasonably priced house within these catchements i.e. £600-700k for a 4-bed in the Perins catchment!

Can anybody recommend any other good secondaries in the area that we might have missed? We would prefer somewhere more rural if we can find one.

We looked at Salisbury but as we're not religious and don't want the stress of a grammar test, we have ruled out living in Wiltshire.

Thanks
OP posts:
Report
daffodildelight · 03/08/2018 13:51

Perins is excellent. You could look at Four Mark for more affordable properties.
Swanmore also good.
Alton is affordable and Amery and Eggars are also very good.

Report
daffodildelight · 03/08/2018 13:53

www.tatler.com/article/best-state-secondary-schools-uk-2017

Also have a look at West Meon which has an amazing Primary and is in catchment for both Perins and Swanmore.

Report
daffodildelight · 03/08/2018 13:54
Report
Grumpbum123 · 03/08/2018 13:57

I’d vote Romsey. Halterworth for primary or Stroud if private then onto either Mountbatten or Hampshire colliagate

Report
CanadianSquirrel · 03/08/2018 13:58

Hounsdown School in Totton is rated outstanding. House prices in Totton are much more reasonable than other places in Hampshire, but make sure it is in Hounsdown catchment as only some of Totton is. Catchment also includes Lyndhurst and several New Forest villages if you want somewhere leafier but prices rise accordingly.

Report
wobytide · 03/08/2018 14:04

Ring wood

Report
wobytide · 03/08/2018 14:07

Sorry hit post

Ringwood, rural, reasonable house costs probably compared to east Hampshire. Commutable to Bournemouth and Southampton

Report
mrsnolasco · 03/08/2018 14:09

What about Andover or is that too far out for you?

Report
SJS83 · 03/08/2018 18:29

Thanks for the replies.

I think Andover would be too far.

Is Four Marks too far out to be secured a place at Perins?

OP posts:
Report
Ta1kinpeace · 03/08/2018 18:40

Romsey Schools - Baddesley is the cheapest part of the catchment

Thornden - you pretty much have to live in Catchment

do not rule out Swanmore or Wildern or Wyvern - all feed into Symonds/ Barton, all have decent train / bus to Soton

Also, look at a smaller house on a big plot and be willing to slap on an extension

Report
SJS83 · 03/08/2018 19:12

Ha, that’s a good plan and what we’d love to do, it’s just finding a big enough plot!

Are you pretty much guaranteed a place if you’re in the catchment? Or should we still be aiming to be as close to the school as possible?

Also, do the catchment boundaries change very often?

OP posts:
Report
Ta1kinpeace · 03/08/2018 19:36

@SJS83
Hampshire has a catchment system.
If you are inside the boundary, you get a place.
They will bust a gut to get you a place as otherwise they have to provide you with transport to an even further away school Grin

I live well outside the catchment boundary and got my kids in to my school of choice.
The catchments are fixed - HCC website has the maps
What varies is the number of kids from outside the catchment each year and from how far away.

Interestingly, house price immobility will probably INCREASE the number of Thornden / Kings / Westgate out of catchment kids
but the huge numbers of houses being built in Eastleigh borough is messing with a lot of areas !

There is the chance that the Mountbatten boundary will move up to the motorway, but I'll believe it when I see it

Report
thechancewouldbeagoodthing · 03/08/2018 20:29

Bohunt in Liphook - just off the A3. You can get a reasonably priced house there

Report
MaMisled · 03/08/2018 20:42

Perins and Eggers are very well repected schools.

Report
Ta1kinpeace · 03/08/2018 21:19

Bohunt is rather a long way away from Southampton last time I drove past

Eggers is fee paying
Perins has had a change in head

Henry Beaufort is worth a look - its catchment wedges into the top of the Bluestar 1 bus route

being boring - where in Southampton is the job ....
how will your DH get there?
where does that transport lead ?

I have friends who work in Ocean Village who drive in from Chichester
others who live on the isle of Wight (a no no for schools though)

Soton traffic can be a nightmare on Cruise ship days
and be warned of the property bargains on the Waterside .... there is a reason

Report
oldmillfieldparent · 03/08/2018 21:33

Eggar’s in Alton is a state school and is not fee paying. It has a good reputation.

Report
Ta1kinpeace · 03/08/2018 21:40

My apologies,
I had my wires crossed with Churchers
yes, Eggars is one of the quiet dark horses of the Hampshire comps

Report
AssumethePerpendicular · 03/08/2018 21:46

Traffic getting into Southampton is a nightmare, particularly if you are coming from Portsmouth or the forest, it’s better from Winchester way.
We are looking at moving at the moment and houses in Thornden catchment seem to have a good £50k premium on them, but are cheaper than other areas if you look at north chandlers Ford or scantabout area. There are quite a lot of bungalows for sale around there which have big plots.
Eg Hiltingbury Road, Hiltingbury, Hampshire
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-54567699.html

It’s a lovely area to live in, good luck finding somewhere.

Report
dontknowwhattodo80 · 03/08/2018 21:49

My eldest goes to Henry Beaufort- very impressed

I have friends who's children go to Perins. A mixed bag of very happy, bullied and moved to HB. It has a nice feel about it, we just preferred Henry Beaufort

Report
lindsey077 · 03/08/2018 21:57

I know you discounted salisbury due to the grammar system but the trafalgar school at downton is rated good by Ofsted and I've only heard glowing reports from local parents.

Report
Grumpbum123 · 03/08/2018 22:01

If you looked at downton school then you could base yourself in the whiteparish/wellow areas which is a fairly good commute to Southampton

Report
Redsharks · 03/08/2018 22:16

Downtown school is lovely, and lots of nearby villages within your price range. Sherfield English is lovely, particularly Doctors Hill, and neighbours other villages like Newtown, Lockerley, West Wellow and Awbridge. All a decent commute to Southampton and could neighbour Mountbatten or other Romsey schools too. Awbridge Primary is a beautiful village school IMO. A lovely pocket of forest to live in.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

SJS83 · 04/08/2018 00:22

The job is in Whiteley, so it would probably be better to be on the East side if possible. That’s interesting to hear about the catchment system. I haven’t seen anything on the Hants website about paying for transport costs if they can’t provide a place. Good to know.

Going to look into Trafalgar school. Hadn’t even heard of that one. Thanks.

Looking to buy somewhere for

OP posts:
Report
SJS83 · 04/08/2018 00:25

Is Perins known for bullying, or is it just isolated incidents? Did the school handle it well?

OP posts:
Report
Alienspaceship · 04/08/2018 00:33

If the job is in it Whiteley, you should consider living there or locks Heath. Brookfield is a good secondary school and increasingly so...

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.