Best state secondary schools in Hampshire and can we afford to live in catchment?

@OrangeCinnamon1 We are in the village that has always been just inside the southern boundary of ‘yep, they’ll get into TPS,’ then last year a lot of us were disappointed. We were in the top 10 of the waiting list and once the private school place holders had dropped off we might just have squeezed him in (they took a bulge class), but DS preferred the certainty of knowing where he was going over the summer so stuck with our second choice.

OP I really do think Gosport won’t be for you. I’d you’re moving from an area that has all outstanding OFSTEDs and Oxbridge applicants, you’ll have a shock. Alverstoke might be lovely (it is) but the poverty gap between Alverstoke and Rowner is the widest between adjacent postcodes/districts in the entire country. Rowner is an extremely deprived area, and Forton/Bridgemary/Elson etc are not exactly prosperous. Alverstoke is like an enclave of privilege surrounded by severe deprivation, and you will have to go through to dodgy bits to get there daily. The commute is also hugely more awkward than it is from Havant/Petersfield area.
Also agree that Winchester is too north to be considered coastal, though it is stunning, but it’s also rapidly becoming a very studenty city. Which may or may not float your boat.

I advise visiting all the areas mentioned that are nearer the coast to see which one ‘fits’ your family best.

The beach has shallow pools when tides out as their are spits that jet out. That's photo. It also has loads of sand but that's just to left of photo.

When tide rolls in there can be a few waves but nothing I'd call large and rolling (unless it's windy!)

The tide comes up and over spits and then gently rolls up the beach and just gets deeper!

There isnt really anywhere along our coast that has rolling waves. The best you may find is south sea beach if you want any waves at all!

Are there any waves at Hillhead? We've just got one of those wooden bellyboards keen to give various places a go!

Itsgetting
I am not a Portsmouth fan you can guess where I live
and so always used to head west to go to the beach
but since I started dropping my kids off at Hillhead to meet their friends
I'm a convert.

That photo was about 8.30am!

We had a day where we decided to go early and cooked breakfast on the beach. It's an amazing beach isn't it? Both the low and high tides offer so much and even when tide is right in its shallow enough to swim and play in.

Alton.
Alresford.
Both beautiful places to live with great primary and secondary schools. You can't go wrong.

Another curveball is the Durham area

• super fast train to London
• coast
• much cheaper
• great eye tests at Castle Barnard

Do you know why he wants to move to the South coast? What will this change provide that he isn’t getting where he is? If you are 1hr from North Wales you have some great countryside around you (if not the sea).

I understand there is a push from where you are i’m curious about the pull to Hampshire.

An complete curve ball - West coast of Scotland! You could get an amazing house and your husband gets the sleeper down when he needs to go to London.

Another option could be a larger 4 bed house with a large single or double garage that could be converted to provide a downstairs bedroom and bathroom for MIL?

I still think Petersfield ticks a lot of OP’s boxes wrt to schools, transport, access to coast, plus the South Downs on your doorstep.

itsgetting
Lucky you did not have my DD dancing across that picture as she regularly goes to Hillhead beach
we let the tourists go to Bournemouth and we go to Hillhead
both my kids have learned to paddle board there :-)

I would go for as close to the beach as you can, one of the less crowded as mentioned by PP, as being by the sea will really help the MH of not just your DH but the rest of the family as well. You can't beat it.

@CarolEffingBaskin that's a shame about admissions for TPS I'd heard that they were taking less students from further distances.

I'm not sure about some of the smaller less known beaches being packed every sunny day @NellyJames . My local beach of choice is on Hayling usually not really any problems getting on and off as daytrippers tend to prefer the bigger sandier beache like Witterings or Bournemouth. Corona has changed things somewhat there are more people around, not on hols with more time on hands. I think it will settle down and we can go back to days of having the lesser known beaches with lots of space for everyone..bliss !

The beach I took photo off isn't generally rammed. Parking can be difficult at times but it's never Bournemouth/Brighton scenes.
Lots of kite/windsurfers use it and also lots of sailing clubs along the front.

The beach -Stokes Bay - bear Alverstoke is also lovely and also never really rammed. Walkable from that area and loads of open green spaces too. Also there's the lake if you kayak or paddle board as an alternative.

[quote NellyJames]@itsgettingweird, thanks. Their ofsted is recent and their exam results are very high. They have some of the highest exam results in the country for a state comprehensive. They sit very high when you take out single sex and faith school. But we also live in an affluent area and of course, that affects results. The kids are all starting at 11 assuming they’ll go to university then on to a professional career. Lots of RG university offers and a handful of Oxbridge offers every year. Bay House sounds like a different sort of catchment. Not that that’s a problem for me if it’s a good school. It just perhaps gives me concern about buying a house in the area. But I know we’re downsizing and moving for a different sort of lifestyle so I need to take that into account. I also need to consider my MIL so it’s not just about school although it’s important to me that I don’t disadvantage them with the move. The beach does look glorious although I imagine it’s rammed on a sunny day. [/quote]
Bay house is Alverstoke catchment. It's in Gosport. Gosport as a whole peninsular is a very mixed area. Alverstoke is an affluent area with lots of very large houses and outstanding schools.

If you look at Bay House compared to the other 2 secondaries (Brune Park and Bridgemary) you'll see a stark comparison.

Then when you go further along the coast to Lee on Solent and Stubbington again you'll see it's an affluent area and the local schools (Crofton infant junior and secondary's) are all high achieving.
Lots of Crofton students attend BH 6th form and areas of Lee are in BH catchment and children travel from there.

If you are looking for easy London travel (ferry to Portsmouth and train), easy access coast and good Secondary with 6th form is highly recommend looking at these areas.

The other options further out would the suggestions Romsey way by others. But travel isn't as easy to coast or shorter to London.

Petersfield is only 1hr and 6 mins on a fast train to Waterloo and only 30mins from the sea.

Are you just looking for sixth form or other ages too?

I would seriously look and fully time commute from Fleet, Hook or Alton.

These aren’t by the sea - there’s no popping out for a windswept walk when you have to drive for 2 hours to get to the sea and back again.

A two- hour commute once a week is fine.

I also think Alton is worth a look. No state 6th forms but an excellent college, access to other colleges, about 45 min drive to the coast and direct trains to London. Two good state secondaries.

Has your husband had experience of a 2hr commute? It doesn't sound too bad but even once a week it can get very draining very quickly. That is 4 hours stuck on a train.

Especially when you have to factor in getting to and from the station either end.

We live in the Robert May's catchment so the train is 1hour but the full door to door is closer to 2.

We are only 1 hour from the coast and go there regularly as we have a boat.

I would seriously look and fully time commute from Fleet, Hook or Alton.

Hillhead

I think part of our problem is that we’re currently in catchment for a school that’s not only graded outstanding but also has super high results (Exceptionally high for a state co-Ed) so I’m struggling to find something similar. But it’s quality of life too I guess and DH’s mental health.

Outstanding schools don't mean much. A local academy to me was outstanding for 10 years due to not being inspected.

It's crap! (And isn't outstanding anymore since re inspection)

If you're still looking at Lee/Alverstoke Bay House then re rest assured children who can do well will get exceptional results - BH students have gone on to do medicine and even to Oxford/Cambridge.
Not what people expect when they lump Gosport as a whole and its reputation 🤣

I also came on to say Bay House School and sixth form. I went there and had a pretty idyllic childhood growing up in Alverstoke in Gosport. As we got older we went shopping / out in southsea in Portsmouth and generally thought we had the best of all worlds. My seven years at Bay House were pretty much all brilliant.

I’m very jealous of those of you still there. My best friend moved to Hill Head and to have the beach right there is amazing. I’m now 70 miles north of there and my children can’t understand why we can’t live by the beach!