The East Midlands

[weekfour]

We're looking at an impending move to the East Midlands for work. It's looking like the office is likely to be in Mansfield and we'd like to be within 90 minutes commute by car.

My daughter currently attends an excellent comp which I'm really torn about leaving. She didn't sit an 11+ because it's not relevant where we live at the moment. I'm after some help finding where the good schools are.

We're currently in a relatively expensive part of Greater Manchester and am hoping we'll be able to get a bit more house for our money too. Looking for a 4 bed house with space for two people to WFH. I'm happy for us to share an office.

Hit me with your recommendations of areas to visit. Good schools, don't mind being rural-ish but need decent supermarket relatively close and decent shopping with 45 mins. We like cycling and dog walking. A nice pub would be a bonus!!

Mansfield is deprived. Newark secondaries get very poor results. Toot Hill is Bingham has a good reputation.

I'd also say Southwell and look at Minster School.
With the grammars in Lincs there is a lot of info (via Google) about the general admissions and in year transfer process. BUT you'd have to be in Newark or villages around there to make the travel to grammar school in either Sleaford or Grantham compatible with also being in sensible distance of Mansfield, I think.

I commute to Mansfield 2-3 times per week from North Warks - it’s a lot of miles but time wise it’s a pretty consistent 75 minutes each way as it’s all motorway/A road bar the first and last 10 minutes. Villages off the A42 corridor could suit you? Lots of schooling and housing options, particularly around Ashby

@weekfour you need to identify particular schools and look at their websites for info on in-year admissions. Depending on the school there may be a test (probably different to the 11+ tests) that your child will need to sit if a place becomes available.

Edwinstowe? ex-mining village Edwinstowe, is "lovely" ? Well gosh, aren't I out of touch.

I thought the whole area (north Notts) was blighted by the ex-coal-mining legacy, tbh.

@lljkk

It’s 1 hour 45 minutes from Derby to London St Pancras on the train. Regular train from Duffield station to Derby. Or plenty of parking at Derby station. Definitely doable a couple of times a week (friends do).

Apologies, was replying to @Stealthtax

No grammars in Nottinghamshire.

All of the secondaries in Rushcliffe Borough are over subscribed (or at least they all were 6 months ago, I assume they still are) and so you will struggle to get an in-year place even if you're in catchment. Rushcliffe is the most affluent area in Nottinghamshire.

Anything South of the Trent will be over an hour commute in rush hour to Mansfield, possibly knocking on 90 minutes each way.

Best school in the immediate locality of Mansfield will probably be Selston High. It's by no means fantastic, it is a relatively rural area tho. Selston would also likely be oversubscribed (because many of the schools in Mansfield are avoided if possible).

If I was looking to move to thar area, I'd look in the villages to the East of Mansfield.

Littleover on the south side of Derby in the catchment for Littleover community school which is a very good school. It’s about 25 miles from Mansfield, which of course could be hellish in rush hour - it’s not a route I’ve actually done. If you want to go to Chesterfield then Brookfield Community School is the good school in that area, the other being the Catholic Secondary. You are very close to beautiful countryside round there.

I’m in Notts
Honest opinion
Mansfield is a shithole
West Bridgeford is known as Bread and Lard Island, my mate lives there, big house plenty of money and a big time drug dealer caused a lot of issues who lived down her street. It’s over priced as an area.
Duffield feels a bit claustrophobic, also know someone who lives there.
Chesterfield is ok but local accent is so strong you may need a translator.

@Stealthtax some resentment towards Southerners pushing up house prices. I am a southerner but have lived here 30 years and worked in education locally . It’s the WFH but command a SE wage pushing up house prices that’s annoying people. Mansfield is not diverse at all.

Southwell and surrounding villages.
Has an outstanding secondary which has at least 12 double decker buses each morning, collecting from miles around.

This Telegraph article is behind a paywall, but will give you an idea.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/nottinghamshire/southwell-nottinghamshire-perfect-market-town-in-england/

I live in a village next to Belper and all our villages ( and Belper town itself ) are lovely! Our village has a great community feel to it and has a couple of great pubs, it has a village primary school and the main catchment secondary schools are John Flamsteed and Belper school but I believe you can also get into Duffield from here too!

Check out Duffield, Little Easton Milford, Coxbench. Holbrook, Horsley, Denby and Kilburn if you’re after villages or Belper for a town!

Don't even consider North Leicestershire the road network is a shitshow.

Hey OP, Derby girl here (well I am from S Lincs but hey) I work in Mano and a commute from north Derby or anywhere along the A38 is fine, takes me about 40-45 mins - so Duffield would be fine for commute, also great school (never mind about the Ofsted) tho you do need to live in catchment. Also you would be relying on an in-year place - no idea how often that happens tbh. Mind you that could be an issue anywhere. £600k+ should find you a four bed, tho not loads of choice and your money will go further elsewhere. I'm laughing slightly at those who are calling Ecclesbourne re the Ofsted - it was bc of the safeguarding issues but I think you will find plenty of people are keen to send their kids there. It has good teaching and gets great results. And no my DC didn't go there (it would only have suited DS2 really).

West Bridgford is great with excellent schools but a bit further - commutable tho, a number of colleagues of mine live there, commute more like an hour or so. Kind of depends where in Mano as well - which side? WB also probs more £££ than Duffers tbh.

Agree Sheffield may be a shout, or Chesterfield? Not the loveliest town but good secondary schools and the Peaks on your doorstep. The accent is fine as well, just somewhat diluted Sheffield. Or maybe I have lived in Derbyshire too long 😆

Agree with a PP getting from J21 on the M1 on a daily would not be my choice.

I see a PP mentions Littleover - while I deffo rate LCS there is no way I would do that commute - would take about 75mins I reckon at rush hour. Mind you I do it daily and the OP is only going twice a week.

Belper is a lovely town but I hear not-great things about the secondary, and you certainly cannot get into Ecclesbourne from Belper or Milford (next village along).

@weekfour you mention grammar schools - there aren't any in Derbys and Notts as far as I know (apart from private schools - is that what you mean?)

West of Sheffield. Amazing schools, lovely safe areas and very rural.

Some of the villages around Retford are nice. Retford itself, as with most market towns, is struggling a bit but still has a very handsome market square. Schools can be iffy - Tuxford is very good.

Toot Hill? When I was at secondary school in the early 2000’s thats where apl the rough kids went.

There has been a lot or regeneration around Bingham and the school is now part of an academy. It’s now over subscribed.

It must have been a very hefty amount, 15 years ago Bingham was a haven for drug dealers and pimps!

There is a grammar in Gainsborough, the villages between Gainsborough and Retford e.g North Wheatley are within catchment and it’s a doable drive to Mansfield.

I'm not keen on Newark. The surrounding villages are nice such as Collingham.

Tuxford Academy is a good secondary school and Tuxford itself is lovely. plus surrounding ones are nice, quite rural. You'll easily get a lovely house for your budget

Tuxford
East Markham
Walesby
Sutton on Trent
Dunham on Trent
Egmanton
Ossington
Caunton
Laxton
Wellow

Southwell is a larger town, but very nice with good schools. Slightly more expensive

I'm laughing slightly at those who are calling Ecclesbourne re the Ofsted - it was bc of the safeguarding issues

Yes, @clary thirteen year olds being sexually assaulted in school by a group of boys and then reporting it to their teacher only to be told that it couldn't have happened, that those boys came from homes where that sort of thing just wouldn't happen, is definitely something that we should all slightly laugh at.

I don't know what my thirteen year old niece was thinking. She should have slightly laughed. She might as well have done for all the good it did her telling her tutor what had happened to her.

I travel north up m1 in am and south in the pm. The East Midlands bit of the M1 is normally ok. It’s 4 lane now, and most of the 23a-29 stretch is lit which helps in winter. Junction 28 is the pits and I’d never live anywhere that required me to exit/enter the m1 from that junction. I’d never willingly give myself a 90 min commute, but the M1 is ok on the stretch. I unfortunately then have to use m6/m42 which are nightmarish!

It's been a long time since I lived in that area so it may have changed but I don't think QEGS is a school I'd want my child to go to. A lot of my friends went there and there was a lot of promiscuity and general naughtiness. Thomas alleynes was also a hell hole but nicer children.

Would you consider Doveridge/uttoxeter? It's a bit of a shit as it's right in the middle of the m1 and m6 and not too close to either but there are some new builds that are lovely and well within budget. There is an amazing pub and some great places to dog walk.

Alternatively, closer to the m1 - Ilkeston, mickleover, Hatton, Hilton