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Original poster

would you or do you live directly across from a school?

76 replies

wwidn · 28/03/2025 21:38

I need to make the decision to either take or leave the flat by monday morning..

Flat is directly across the road from a primary school.

Context: Desperate to move away from truly horrendous new neighbour that has made me ill since they moved in just over a year ago, Parking wouldn't be a problem for me as I don't drive, flat is two minutes from my mum's house whereas now I'm over an hour away, Not sure the noise from the school would bother me, thinking it would be much better to hear kids playing than neighbour constantly screaming at her partner when they are both drunk which seems to be 24/7. flat allows pets and I have a cat.

Any problems/issues I might be missing apart from noise and parking?

thanks

OP posts:
1000DayChallenge · 29/03/2025 00:04

My little road is opposite a primary school, and you can get a lot of cars, especially when it’s raining, but it’s not for long. Apart from that I’ve never had any problems. I’ve never seen any litter at all. It’s not noisy - in the summer I can hear the bell for lunchtime, just distantly. I guess it’s the same as living quite near a church, I don’t mind it, and hardly notice it.

Redrosesposies · 29/03/2025 00:08

Ophy83 · 28/03/2025 22:04

It'll be lovely and quiet in the evenings, weekends and school holidays

Ah no it probably won't. It's noisy from very early in the morning - deliveries, bin lorries, gardeners with fucking strimmers and other workmen. Then the breakfast club arrivals, then school arrivals. It kicks of at 6am across the road from me.
Break times are now dominated by horrendous screaming following the construction of a new special needs playground right by the gates. After school club means noise goes on until at least 6pm then we have lots of events so we can have car doors banging until 8 or 9pm.

No respite at weekends either as they have a massive playing field and every football team for miles around comes to play and they troll along the pavement from the car park to the field entrance in their studs. It makes the ground shake.

School holidays are when they have building work done. The last two years summer holidays have been taken up with replacing the flat roof. Generators starting up at 7am and burning tar all day.

That said, I wouldn't live anywhere else and it's a million times better that having nightmare neighbours and the head brought me a bunch of flowers last week as an apology for the green bin lorry coming at midnight😊

Sparsely · 29/03/2025 00:19

I live near a secondary school. Even there, the sounds are just joyful. The kids are so full of energy, it's infectious.

I will note that there are a lot of foxes. I always assume they live off the sandwiches the kids drop in the playground. They get very hungry in the holidays.

The number 1 most annoying thing is parents sit in their cars with the engine running waiting for the kids to come out. I guess you'll have less of that with primary school.

But all of it much easier to bear than what you've described.

HMW19061 · 29/03/2025 00:43

My parents live opposite a school, the only issue they have is with car parking during the school
drop off/ pick up times as people often double park opposite their driveway or park over it. But if you don’t drive and don’t plan to learn whilst living there then it wouldn’t be a problem. When I used to live there briefly I used to have to wear ear plugs when I’d been on nights due to the playground noise at intervals during the day but it was never really a problem and when awake during the day we don’t really hear it or we’re just used to it now.

WearyAuldWumman · 29/03/2025 00:47

I live close to two primary schools: there's only a shop and the old HT's house between my place and the school.

At pick-up time the street is very busy and I had a spate of my driveway being churned up - but that stopped years ago.

I once had a neighbour telling me that some children had been picnicking on the front lawn in good weather while I was at work! I'm usually an old curmudgeon, but no damage was done. (Yes, the front garden has a clear boundary hedge.)

Apart from the parking, I've not really had problems. Once had boys climbing a tree in my garden. They were very polite when I told them to get down.

BlondiePortz · 29/03/2025 01:09

If you can handle that ear piercing scream that happens randomly in playgrounds you can handle anything

Ophy83 · 29/03/2025 16:15

Redrosesposies · 29/03/2025 00:08

Ah no it probably won't. It's noisy from very early in the morning - deliveries, bin lorries, gardeners with fucking strimmers and other workmen. Then the breakfast club arrivals, then school arrivals. It kicks of at 6am across the road from me.
Break times are now dominated by horrendous screaming following the construction of a new special needs playground right by the gates. After school club means noise goes on until at least 6pm then we have lots of events so we can have car doors banging until 8 or 9pm.

No respite at weekends either as they have a massive playing field and every football team for miles around comes to play and they troll along the pavement from the car park to the field entrance in their studs. It makes the ground shake.

School holidays are when they have building work done. The last two years summer holidays have been taken up with replacing the flat roof. Generators starting up at 7am and burning tar all day.

That said, I wouldn't live anywhere else and it's a million times better that having nightmare neighbours and the head brought me a bunch of flowers last week as an apology for the green bin lorry coming at midnight😊

Show quote history

Ha it probably depends on the school! The one down our road is fine, but it is relatively tiny, just one form entry. Breakfast club starts at 8, and after school clubs are done by 4.15. No one is there over the summer until the final week of the holiday when teachers are preparing their classrooms. The only out-of-hours noise is the security alarm that occasionally goes off

Ddakji · 29/03/2025 16:16

I once lived in a house near a primary school. Noise wasn’t an issue, having crisp packets in my front garden all the time was (astonishing, they weren’t there during the holidays).

Lindy2 · 29/03/2025 16:28

I lived next door to a primary school. It was absolutely fine.

15 minutes of parking madness at 8.30am and again at 3.15pm but if you don't drive it's not a problem for you. I just learnt to time any journeys I was doing either side of the pick up and drop off times.

Playtime noise was absolutely fine. I quite liked it. Happy children playing as a background noise was no problem for me.

Sports day was surprisingly loud but that was 1 afternoon a year.

At weekends and after school there was a dance class but that wasn't very many children or for very long.

I'd take the flat if I was you.

Schoolchoicesucks · 29/03/2025 19:12

If parking isn't a concern then yes go for it. Playtime and lunchtimes might be noisy, buy it's a happy noisy and quiet weekends and holidays.

34NotDeadYet · 29/03/2025 19:14

I’ve purposefully bought houses right next to schools twice. We have the easiest school run in the world, I am very smug. No complaints here…

PlumBear · 29/03/2025 19:19

Find out if there is a school streets policy (or similar) in operation. It means the street is closed to traffic during pick up and drop off times. I live on a street like this and it’s great. Zero school run traffic, the road is extra quiet for 1.5 hours a day and I can always find somewhere to park. And to echo a PP, it’s lovely to hear children playing during the day.

CheeryPenisBeaker · 29/03/2025 19:24

I did. Only issue was mad traffic for ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the afternoon. I loved the sound of the kids playing and it weirdly made me feel more part of the community.

bowchicawowwow · 29/03/2025 19:30

Take it, we share our garden fence with a primary school. The noise isn’t that bad and it’s a few blasts a day at playtime. We get a few footballs in the garden and the occasional school jumper. We had some damage to the asbestos garage roof from a football once but the schools insurance sorted it quickly.

SnoozingFox · 29/03/2025 19:33

We do. Minimal noise and it's not annoying noise - it's kids playing noise which we get 10.30-10.45, 12.15-1 and for a short time at 3pm.

Parking is a fecking nightmare though.

TheAmusedQuail · 29/03/2025 20:18

There is a primary school at the end of my road. There is a lot of traffic twice a day, but other than that no issues. And TBH the traffic is avoidable too.

AmyByTheTrain · 29/03/2025 20:25

Just echoing the others. We have lived opposite a primary school over 10 years. It's fine, as long as parking or getting into into a dive at certain times of the day isn't an issue for you. Really, totally fine.

InfoSecInTheCity · 29/03/2025 20:55

I love hearing the kids playing at lunch and breaks, it’s a happy background noise. Parking around drop off and pick up is a bit of a pain and you do find yourself despairing or the stupidity of people, watching them drive like morons or wandering about in the road, but overall I’ve had no issues living across from a primary school.

MrsMoastyToasty · 29/03/2025 21:07

Our house backs onto a secondary school. The Good thing is you know when it will be noisy.
It isn't always quiet during the holidays the playing field still needs the grass cutting, and the tree surgery takes place. Ours also has a mobile phone mast on site so we often see contractors on a raised platform accessing the equipment. the maintenance work takes place in the holidays - last time it was the installation of solar panels.

Luzina · 29/03/2025 21:09

I live next to a secondary school. It’s good - schools have long holidays and it’s briefly busy at start and end of school day. No parking issues (probably because it’s a secondary school and most of the kids walk)

LightCameraBitchSmile · 29/03/2025 22:15

I do it and I wouldn’t again. Children SCREAM when they play and it’s grating 😂

JenniferBooth · 29/03/2025 23:06

I do but if i had my way i wouldnt

JenniferBooth · 29/03/2025 23:15

on the bus this week which stops directly opposite the school where two selfish parents and their offspring nearly knocked me flying because they couldnt wait five fucking seconds for me to get off the bus when i was sat nearer the front before rushing from the back with their equally rude kids and scooters, treading over bags that i had in my hand they were in such a rush
Someone with mobility problems would have stood no chance They park in the car parks that are provided with our flats from 2.10pm onwards and just sit there

PersianStar · 29/03/2025 23:21

My back garden backs onto the infant playground… it’s a lovely sound in the summer hearing them all playing while I mess around with my plants/sit enjoying the sun. Not intrusive at all unless you are particularly sensitive to noise?
as others have said, it’s the parking that’s the main issue. I live enough around the corner from the main gates that it doesn’t really affect me but I imagine the road it’s on isn’t a great place to live if you leave/come home at school time

SpringIsSpringing25 · 30/03/2025 00:11

If you want to be that near your mum, I definitely take it. I love not opposite but very near three schools and it doesn't bother me at all in fact I like to hear the children playing. I can quite often hear announcements made so know when they're having an event sports day or something like that I actually really like it.