Manchester Grammar School or King Edward's School Birmingham

There are very frequent buses out along the A38 / Bristol Rd / Bristol Rd Sth which make Selly Oak, Northfield, Longbridge and in to Rednal or Rubery very easy.
Also, anywhere along the cross City Train line (lots of pupils use the train and the station at the University then walk across campus).

As others have said, Northfield High Street is nothing to write home about so people tend to lump the whole area together as being a bit 'meh' but it varies hugely road by road.

Selly Oak to the North of the Bristol Road, behind Northfield Manor Park is nice, but to the South, and closer to the University be wary of living in the part where all the student accommodation is.

I can't speak for Manchester, but in Birmingham a lot of the areas are really mixed. Some houses in Kings North are lovely. Some are okay, some areas of KN come under some of the worst social housing estates but other areas have some beautiful £million+ houses. So it is difficult to say a whole area is good or bad.

Your budget is tight for a family needing 3 useable bedrooms.
It seems an unusual mix to be wanting to pay private school fees when your budget is what it is.

My family comes from Manchester and I live in Birmingham.

I think Birmingham is a good place to live because it is so central in the UK. There is a large community of East Asian people around Northfield, but I think they may be Vietnamese. KES has a green leafy setting, though I don't know a lot about the school. I wouldn't personally look at commuting from Solihull. (Roads v congested in rush hour.) There are lovely houses in parts of Edgbaston and Moseley nearby. Bournville is also very sought after.

I have a feeling of south Birmingham being more manageable than Manchester, though it may simply be that I've been here longer.

MGS used to have a rather scary reputation when I was young. Academically great but ferocious, if that make sense.

She means King Edward's School. The fee paying one. It's the only one with that actual name.

Which King Edward's school do you mean in Birmingham ? The fee paying one ? As there are also King Edward's Grammar schools - possibly 5 different schools around Birmingham .

Agree with other posters that Northfield / Longbridge areas in the main aren't the best - although appreciate you are working with a budget .

Can't comment on Manchester

have friends in Solihull, who have kids in KES.

1. KES follows IB, not sure if they do A levels as option

It's a fairly long bus ride from Solicitors to get to KES or you have to take the train and walk and change etc. Either way, it's a long journey, 1 hour +, one way

So, if you are opting for KES, consider housing closer to the school

My dd went to KE girls school and we lived in Northfield (not the nice bit - but it was fine!). The nicer parts are around the station and on border of Bournville/Northfield. You get good value for money in Northfield though and you've got both train and bus options for getting to school (as well as easy access both ways into the city). Other areas like Harborne and Kings Heath don't have the train and Solihull is much further from KES.

My best friend used to train it from four oaks, near Sutton Coldfield, and another from Sutton Coldfield itself, the train went to the University station which is only a short walk, so also possible.

Great! It does widen where you can move to given it's an easy commute for him.

There used to be a direct bus from Solihull Station via Moseley to KES , the 885, I used to get it to Kehs on the same campus. I can check with my sister if it still exists as she lives in Moseley and her girl has just started there this year. Saying that, it was often late.....

The ROH is on Bristol Rd S. But the road changes name further north than that, about at the Bournville Gardens Retirement Village (B31 2FR).

You could look at the Harborne area. It is very popular and therefore expensive but reasonable houses do sometimes come up. Try Moor Pool to the north of Harborne. Harborne's main drawback is the lack of parking.
I don't think that there is a bus route to school but he could cycle, it's only a couple of miles.

Hi OP, I’m wondering why you didn’t consider Solihull School and Solihull? Huge HK community in Solihull now.

On Birmingham deffo Moseley or Kings Heath, even Harborne. But I’m not sure on your budget. It’s quite low for housing in those areas.

If you mean the M&S at Longbridge and the Morrisons at Great Park, then yes.
Too far out and you can find nicer for your money.

Do you and/or your husband drive OP? I know from living in HK myself that it’s not necessary there so a smaller percentage of adults learn than in the UK.

Obv you could learn whilst here, but you may need to think carefully about choosing a home from which is easy to access public transport. Not just to school but for your adult daily life too. Taxis are MUCH more expensive here!

Haven't read the whole thread so someone might have said this but there's a large Hong Kong community in Manchester with many new immigrants based in Sale (Trafford) so may be worth looking at there to live. Integration in Manchester is historically excellent and certainly people we know who have recently moved are settling quite well.

There are some nice houses on Bristol Road South by the university (which is by KES)
I'm going to be pedantic (for the sake of OP, who isn't local).
KES is on the A38, which is a long road. For 5 miles (approximately) going south out of the city centre it is called the Bristol Road. The bit by KES / Uni is Bristol Road.
After that (beyond where Middle Park Road / Bournville Lane crosses it), it is called Bristol Road South.