Moving to Northern Ireland

[littleme2309]

Hi I wonder if anyone can help. We are looking at moving to Northern Ireland County Down area. Can anyone recommend any areas nice for families please I'd like to be close to the coast if possible. I have a 2 and 4 yr old. Any advice on moving there would be really appreciated please. Thank you x

Holywood, Helen’s Bay, Cultra, the coastal areas of Bangor, Groomsport would all fit the bill.

Are you wanting to be close to a town in particular for jobs or family?

I live in a village in co down...its a lovely part of the world...im near mourne mountains and its 20mins by car to nearest beach. There are many small villages in co down and it covers quite a spanse..if your looking for easy access to beach start your search around newcastle and one of the smaller villages around it...hope this helps

The 4 yr old will need a school place and your 2 yr old will need a nursery place once they’re 3 so once you have an idea of the rough areas, give the education board a ring to ask about school spaces in the area.

Thanks everyone for your replies. My other half's family live in east Belfast and I don't have a job yet I run a cleaning company at the moment so hoping to get a cleaning job with an agency maybe? I will be looking for schools and childminders once we've decided on an area. The schools and childcare are going to be the main decision on that. Do you know if I can use my 30 hrs free childcare over there? I'm a bit nervous about fitting in to be honest

If you are looking at North Down, it can be more expensive than other parts of NI.

Are you looking to move to a particular town for work or family?

Sorry, cross post.

I’m not too familiar with East Belfast but there are plenty of towns/areas on that side.

Don’t worry about fitting in - we are a friendly lot. It’s like anywhere, be friendly, don’t be a dick and you’ll be grand.

Where abouts in East Belfast? Are you wanting to be near them?
4 year old will qualify for free nursery school or p1 depending on when they turn 5.
Free nursery school year is from when they are 3 turning 4 so they have to be 3 years old on or before the 30th June to start nursery the following September.
Also think about what type of school you want - state, integrated, catholic etc.

I don't think we get the free 30 hours thing here.

No such thing as 30 hours free childcare, thanks Stormont

I don't want to live in east Belfast thinking about half hour away. I'm pretty friendly and try not to be a dick! Lol so hopefully il be ok
My 4 year old is already in pre school and other one turns 3 in January so will that mean he will get free childcare?

Is intergrated school a mix of everyone if it is then that's what I'd like.

30mins from east belfast gives you a wide berth...my little one is in day care which cost approximately 40quid a day,which you can get up to 70% paid for through tax credits. Jabe you took a look on property pal ni, it will give you a rough idea of property prices and maybe narrow down your search..

I'm from North Down although don't live there any more. I'd go back if it was just my choice (looking at you and your job DH).
Anywhere down the coast is lovely, very popular. I wouldn't go further away from Belfast than Donaghadee because of traffic and schools.
Where will your husband be working? The commute to Belfast is long and congested.
It's a really nice spot of the world. Depending on where you are now your money should go further. I spent a lot of the summer at my parents with my kids who are similar age to you and we had so much fun at the beaches, local attractions and parks.

Good luck with your search and move.

Education here can be a tad confusing.

Catholic schools - you don’t have to be catholic to attend but obviously they have a religious element.

State schools - no official religious affiliation but have been traditionally been viewed as Protestant schools. This is much less the case now with some schools being 50/50 mix that has developed ‘naturally’.

Integrated schools - purposefully set out for 50/50 integration and have set quotas. I’m not sure how many integrated schools there are in NI as they are still quite ‘new’.

He would get free nursery school from September.. Full day nursery school tends to be about 9-1330 though.
Integrated is a mix of everyone yes.. Within south East Belfast direction there are Loughview integrated and Forge Integrated.. Both have a nursery and both get good reviews.. Forge is talking about moving to a new site which would be fantastic but without a sitting stormont the plans haven't moved much further.
If you are thinking more Holywood direction I'm sure there is an integrated primary that way but I don't know it very well.
Ards peninsula is also Iovely - kircubbin, Portaferry, Ballywalter.. Close to Strangford lough and lovely views.. There is kircubbin integrated but if you are looking around there I'd honestly look at St Marys primary which although Catholic school is a small school with a really lovely welcoming ethos and has many children from other demoninations. (I've taught in both - I wouldn't go back to the integrated there due to the atmosphere, the other I would go back to in a heartbeat and would happily send my own child to if we lived nearer, we aren't religious - as would my dh and he is otherwise adamant on ds going to integrated) I mention it only as it is more like a small country school and the reality is it takes all (this was several years ago)
Portaferry also have an integrated primary.

It really depends where you want to live..
I work in East Belfast.. Live about 20 mins away.. Worth bearing in mind rush hour traffic also if it makes a difference. I'm going against traffic which suits me.. If I was heading the other way my travel time would be at least double. There are lots of lovely place though and I'm sure you will be welcomed and kids are young enough that friendship groups haven't really been formed yet 🙂 good luck

There is no funded nursery hours except through tax credits or childcare vouchers.

Preschool is free for 12 hours per week. You pay for any top up hours. My dd goes 9:30-12 each day.

Preschool application is through the LEA so I would contact them before you move. They will let you know which have spaces. New applications are January.

As others have said there isn't a huge amount of integrated schools yet..
The schools I mentioned are simply the ones I've heard of or taught in when i subbed.

Thanks so much everyone for your help and advice. I really appreciate it. I'm going to have a look at property pal and we are due to go back for 2 weeks over Christmas so I'm going to have a look at different places. Thanks for the advice about schools think il look at all of them and get a feel for them rather than just looking at intergrated ones. Thanks again

I live in County Down. You’ll be very welcome here, people are generally very friendly.
You’ll need to consider where your DH is working.
For a country with so few people, commuting into Belfast by car can be awful. In rush hour, from the east, Bangor to Belfast can be 40 minutes, Newtownards is similar, and it’s 12 ish miles. Further down the Ards peninsula from say Portaferry can be an hour.
Around the coast from Holywood to Bangor to Donaghadee and Groomsport is NOrth Down and property can be mad expensive in comparison to other places. Lovely though.
As others have said, there are some lovely towns around the shores of the Ards peninsula which would meet your criteria for being on the coast. Have a look on property pal, that’s the best house hunting website here.

Hi ladies me again!! 😊 we have narrowed done some areas and I was wondering if any of you had any advice on these areas and schools please. Carrickfergus, Hollywood, Helens bay and possibly Bangor and advice would be really appreciated. Thank you

Carrickfergus is likely to be cheaper than the other areas you've mentioned. I don't know much about the schools there. I've friends with children in Bangor and Hollywood and they are pretty happy with the schools in those areas. I'm sure someone with more knowledge of those areas will be along soon.

I'm English living in North Down and I love it. I personally wouldn't want to live in Carrick but I know people who do and like it. Holywood is lovely. Helen's Bay also lovely but quieter. Bangor is a little bit tired but it's on the up and the schools are mostly fantastic. It's really friendly round here. Will be a bit of a culture shock when you first move but I promise you'll love it once you're settled - I don't think I could move back to England now. No 30 free hours but you will get 15 free if you can find a nursery with a funded space, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the price of childcare I suspect! Best of luck OP, NI has its quirks but it's a great place for kids to grow up and you'll never find nicer people.

This is the link to the education authority website

www.eani.org.uk/

It has a search function so you will be able to find the schools in those areas, you could then contact them to see who has the places you need which may also help narrow down the search

I don’t live in any of those places but I know people who do enjoy living in all of them. All are on the train line which is a bonus.

Thank you so much ladies! I really appreciate it.

Peachgreen thank you. How did you find it moving over? Can I ask how your children settled in please?

I'm near Holywood. Lots of great schools in the area - primary, grammar and secondary and school buses run to schools outside the area. It's a lovely little town and has a nice high street. Great for families.

Helen's Bay is lovely but a bit quieter, no high street and schools aren't as close.