Where to move in/near Leeds

[longestlurkerever]

Hello. I currently live in London though am a northerner by birth. Due to dh's chronic health conditions he may have to give up work for a while and we are considering a relocation to somewhere more affordable on one salary. I have the potential to relocate my job to Leeds and have a budget of about £600k for a 4 bedroom house (tbh I have no idea really about accuracy of this figure in future housing market but that would be ballpark figure based on recent market prices).

What areas would be good to look at? Priorities would be state schools for our 2 dds currently in y4 and reception - I think there are grammar schools in Leeds? Is that right? What kind of percentage of children end up at grammar school and what are the alternatives like?

It'd be nice to live somewhere with access to the countryside but with a reasonable commute to leeds central station - I think properly rural would be a bit of a shock to the system and dh doesn't drive, but it'd be nice for there to be some positive aspects to the move and where we currently live is a bit urban grit.

I have no real idea what I am looking for - I wouldn't be leaving where I currently live if circumstances weren't forcing my hand but trying to look on this as an opportunity/adventure. Please help get me excited, mumsnetters!

Thanks. How "concerned"? Where i live now is quite gritty and urban tbh, though it's diverse rather than deprived with a lot of inequality, which is less great.

Chapel A is very young professional, lots of bars. It's where the students move after they graduate and start earning! (That's what I did!) There's not really a family vibe and the schools don't perform well from what I remember. The secondary catchment would be Allerton Grange. That's the one school I ever walked out of when working as a supply teacher and refused to go back to; it felt downright dangerous.

Which school catchment area you end up in in depends upon where you live in CA. We are in Roundhay catchment area and that's outstanding. Also Allerton Grange has probably changed since you were there.

There's not really a family vibe and the schools don't perform well from what I remember.

Which schools?

The whole area of North Leeds has some very strong schools at both primary and secondary.

The Chapel Allerton schools! That's the specific area I was talking about.

Things change, obviously, I moved away from there 3 years ago. Roundhay School has always had a strong reputation but catchment area is tricky.

Also worth a mention that all these areas are really small, and often border much less desirable ones. So Roundhay merges with Harehills; Chapel Allerton with Chapeltown. Estate agents have a habit of stretching the truth about where houses actually are.

Fair enough, that happens a lot here too -and the cross boundary applications - the 6 secondary schools I might apply for here are in five different boroughs.

Having thought about it a bit more, transport has to be pretty key. Yes, dh might learn to drive but I can't put all my eggs in that basket as I don't know what his health situation will be like longer term. For similar reasons I don't really want to add a long commute on to my working day because although dh will be a sahd he is not always able to be as hands on as he would like. So a train station is a must and probably Leeds, Ilkley, Burley, Menston etc is better than some of the further afield places people have mentioned or Otley, lovely as they sound. That said, my current commute is 20 mins on the tube plus the same again of walking and I don't think of that as long. I also would be happy to cycle to a station.

cheri When you say "Menston schools are great" which secondary/secondaries do you mean, please?

If transport is key I would definitely put Horsforth at the top of your list.

For those who asked, I do consider education very important but I don't necessarily think this means only the very top schools will do. Obviously if I am moving somewhere afresh then I have the luxury of choice over catchment to a certain extent so that has to be a factor, but my general attitude is that you can't predict how things will play out and you have to go with the attitude of wanting to make the most of whichever school you end up at.

Re. Menston, I don't know much about the primary schools but St Mary's is the secondary and has always been very good. It's Catholic though, don't know if that would bother you.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-78176593.html

This one in Horsforth looks good. You'd be in walking distance of the station and both high street / bar areas, but away from the worst of the traffic and air traffic noise.

St Mary's in Menston gives priority to baptised Catholics, and to feeder schools from quite a wide area, so you are unlikely to get in otherwise.

The catchment school would be Ilkley Grammar (they are currently consulting on widening their priority area to include the whole of Menston) or Guiseley school, or Prince Henry's in Otley.

I think I would prefer not a Catholic school to be honest. They currently go to c of e primary but it's not one that gives priority to church attendance.

I am wondering about burley in wharfedale on basis it has in year places at ofsted outstanding primary, access to countryside a train station on wharfedale line and in
no risk catchment for Ilkley grammar which on paper looks decent. Those were all my criteria ticked, but it's not a specific place anyone has mentioned directly. Is it nice enough?

I grew up in Menston. Infant and junior school there is very good. Then yes you feed in to St Mary’s (catholic) or Guiseley school which was perfectly good back in the day. Not sure now but I think it has a good Ofsted.

Ilkley Grammar better if you can get in and yes Prince Henry’s.

Burley in Wharfedale is also very lovely. Small but then so is Menston and it has really good train links.

I work in Leeds, for a national organisation. Everyone with children who moves to our office seems to try to move as close to Prince Henry’s as possible.

Burley in wharfedale is lovely and ticks all your boxes, sounds like a plan

Great, thanks everyone. Can't wait to pay it a visit now!