Need Advice on Moving to Northwich ,Cheshire & good Private schools in the area

Sorry, you’re right! Not sure what happened in my frazzled brain there- I was thinking of Cransleigh

Cransley is definitely more selective than it was years ago and putting more emphasis on academics when we looked around recently than I remember (I did a brief stint there in Y7 but moved to the Grange for various reasons, and regretted it), but Abbey Gate, as far as I can tell, still has a reputation for being where you go if you're posh but not that academic.

I have a distant cousin that my Mum has recently got in touch with via Ancestry at The Grange and she seems to be very happy and a lovely girl so it's probably not the cut-throat, fast-paced, mini-Canary-Wharf I remember.

@MrsSunshine2b apologies, I wasn't clear- I had missed it initially but I saw it by the time I commented re my dd.

I think the PP has definitely mixed up the Grange with another school, maybe Cransleigh or Abbey Gate? It's definitely selective and competitive at that.

I have already answered up thread about Northwich not being my top choice if I had a 700k budget but thinking about it more... if I could afford a 700k house and private school then Hartford would be a no brainer. I would love to be able to afford to send my children to The Grange.

The comment is quoted in my PP but it was "They’re very happy there, it’s very nurturing but it’s not academic at all (it tends to be where kids who struggle with mainstream or who can’t get into the other privates go) - it really depends on what it is you’re looking for." Hence why I said they must have got muddled up.

I missed that comment- my dd sat an exam alongside 10 other children for one place!!

Yes, it might have done, but my experience wasn't good and it's put me off.

I'm more baffled by the previous comment that the Grange isn't academic. It gets some of the highest results in the country. Last time I heard they had 9 applicants for every place.

'I went there and wouldn't send my own child because it was very high pressure and not very supportive of neurodiversity.'
I think things may have changed since your time there, they now have an excellent SEN department and I have found them to be extremely nurturing, many of dcs classmates are ND.

You've got muddled up with a different school- possibly Abbey Gate. The Grange is an extremely competitive and very academic Independent Grammar School with a high number of leavers going on to Oxbridge or to study medicine. I went there and wouldn't send my own child because it was very high pressure and not very supportive of neurodiversity.

Cransley School is more nurturing whilst still having high standards.

I wouldn't recommend St Nicks at all, it is a very traditional Catholic school and it's very backwards in terms of sex-ed etc.

Northwich isn't rough at all, it has pockets of deprivation like all large towns but it's one of most affluent parts of the country. The small villages surrounding Northwich- particularly Hartford and Davenham- are very well-heeled indeed.

Hi, we have two children at the Grange, one in the prep and one at the senior school and we live close to Holmes Chapel/ Congleton in a lovely village. You don't have to live in Northwich to go to the Grange, the catchment is massive with a huge school bus network and Hartford, the village the schools are based in, is lovely.
We are around a half hour drive which I would say is very commonplace- we did look at moving closer to school but we like where we are too much. We don't really find it a big problem as everyone is quite spread out.

My family has lived in Northwich since they came in on the boats in around 1750. There are some less salubrious areas and some that are very nice but the town doesn't offer anything like Knutsford or Altrincham.
With your budget, you would probably get a nice house in Hartford or Davenham that have a handful of shops/pubs/restaurants or you could go further out to one of the surrounding villages like Pickmere, Antrobus or Whitegate which only have limited facilities and need a car.
The Grange school has a good reputation and seems to have plenty of extra curricular offerings that are also available to the wider community but I don't have any personal experience.
The town centre itself has lost most of its chain shops in recent years but it's never been a go to place for a shopping experience although there are some nice independents and coffee shops and a fair few events at weekends which seems to suit young families.
It's a shame really, poor planning, lack of investment and a split of the unitary authority (West and East) so therefore double the cost thanks to Hazel Blears in the last Labour govt. has meant that large parts of the county have lost out in my opinion and we are apparently having yet another layer of government foisted upon us so likely even less money to go round.
Happy to help if you want a local opinion.

The only people I know who have moved to Northwich from Altrincham are those who can't afford to live in Altrincham, it's not a desirable town but it's also not rough. There really isn't anything wrong with Northwich but with a 700k budget I'd probably live elsewhere.

How many bedrooms do you need?

Anywhere except Blacon really

If you fancy west cheshire, look around the Malpas area. Great secondary school at Bishops heber. Lovely little villages

I'd go knutsford & use knutsford high or Bramhall / Cheadle with good state of Stockport grammar / Cheadle Hulme school.

You could look at Laurus Trust state schools. Definitely two secondaries in Cheadle Hulme and other parts of Stockport. Now have primary academies tops

They are a bit marmite, but get top state school results so will be academically challenging. Friend recently moved into the catchment to avoid the grammar school race in Trafford.

I used to work in Northwich, it's run down and not great. I think there are better places to live/send your children to school than paying for The Grange.

I know but it hasn’t been part of Cheshire since the 1970s! Stockport used to be in Cheshire, Saddleworth used to be in Yorkshire and Liverpool used to be in Lancashire…

Agree with Stockport. The nicer parts of Stockport like Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme are still affordable and you can get a decent family home there for £700k. Also have a look at Marple Bridge if you like somewhere with more of a country village feel. It’s a small, pretty village on the edge of the Peak District surrounded by countryside but with direct trains into Manchester. Easy access to private schools like Stockport Grammar.

Altrincham formerly came under Cheshire, as did Hale, etc

Northwich isn’t the greatest spot to live- hence the cheaper house prices.

Chester has lots of nice suburbs/nearby villages and decent independent schools

I’ve seen boys commuting by train from Liverpool to Manchester for Manchester Grammar School.

If you have boys the. You want uk consider MGS which has no catchment so you can choose anywhere in Manchester. I’d also consider Stockport if I were you - big houses, affordable, good transport links and Cheadle Hulme private school

I know of at least 15 people who’ve done that 🤷‍♀️ I can completely understand why with the cheaper housing in lNorthwich too.