A little bit of advice needed for good areas in Manchester ...Follow on post

[shouldiorshouldinot]

Hi everyone,
I posted a couple of weeks ago about moving to Manchester and got some helpful responses, but still need a little advice...
Previously almost everyone suggested south Manchester, sale, Hale , Altrincham, as well as the moors and parts of Stockport.
I have 4dc and like I mentioned my budget is ideally max of £310k for a 4 bed, but that doesn't seem to get me much in those areas.
I was wandering if you guys could enlighten me on Eccles ( seen lovely affordable new builds there) , which parts of Stockport and stretford and prestwich (again lovely new builds) are good in terms of schools including secondary? I'm after good family locations not too rural.
I've noticed checking school checker on right move most primary schools seem good but secondary are touch and go, although they all seem good in the south but again just more pricey.
Any help would be appreciated?
Thanks

If your kids will pass the 11+ then Trafford is great. If not, you need to pay attention to what secondary schools you are in catchment for.

Stretford is a good budget option IMO. House prices booming at the moment, great community, good primaries. Just have an eye on the secondary situation.

If secondary school is your main priority, then you could do worse than look for houses as close as possible to here:
www.whgs-academy.org/Contact

You would need to be within about a mile to be sure of getting in I think, but it used to be a private school and then turned into an academy. Area surrounding it is definitely urban, and lots of people will probably come on and say it is awful but in many ways it meets your brief.

I've notice primary schools are good in most areas but that's not the case with secondary. My eldest is already in year 8 in secondary and the middle one will be applying next academic year, that's why I'm giving it so much importance. Thanks for that school link ill check it

1poppy1 thank you feeling a little overwhelmed today

I would look at the bus routes to Knutsford Academy then. Very hard to get a decent in year place in Trafford and Manchester. See my thread on this very subject!

Although actually St Anthony's in Urmston has been historically undersubscribed and is apparently very much on the up.

Swayingintime thank you, any chance you can link the thread?

Daughter reminded me of something this morning that happened last week. I was on a bus going through Marple when a lady got on. She was from Urmston and had dropped her granddaughter off at Ludworth school. She commented how lovely it was round here and how there was hardly any litter. I'd never thought about litter previously but since she's mentioned it, she's right, there is hardly any litter. I can't comment on Urmston as haven't been there since about 1990 ish but it was an interesting observation.

Ah, so your Y8 is unlikely to be able to get an in year place in one of the grammars (although I know it can happen).

Are you coming up to have a look around? We are moving south, & found looking at the secondary schools to be really helpful in clarifying area.

Where do you live now & what do you like about it?

High we are coming up very soon. We are south west London at the moment, near a shopping centre, close to all the retail parks Ikea John Lewis etc. It's a busy place. I live being local to everything. And all the kids are in 'outstanding ' schools.
Where south are you moving ?

Just a tip, the housing market moves FAST in the M41 area. My biggest tip is to register with all the local estate agents for text alerts when properties matching your requirements go up for sale. A lot of the time, they sell before they even hit rightmove. When we bought ours we got a text alert and I offered asking price on first day of viewings. This is pretty standard in this area.

Local estate agents to contact:

HOME estate agents www.homeestateagents.com

Vital Space - vitalspace.co.uk

Trading places - www.tradingplaces.co.uk/mobile/

There is also a branch of Bridgefords and Reids Rains

Also is your Yr 8 a boy or girl? Sorry if I missed that up thread

Babaaw oh that's a great tip I will
Do that. My A girl in year 8.

As PP said, it may be difficult to get her into grammar in year 8 but not impossible.

However, Flixton Girls is a very good school!

Boys is slightly trickier as the options (outside grammar) aren't as good in Urmston/Flixton, but Trafford is a large area so there are some schools in Altrincham too which could be considered. Quite a lot of kids from my DCs primary school (border of urmston and Stretford) go to high schools in Altrincham. But your younger DC will have chance to take the entrance exams. If you're serious about grammars though you will need to invest in a tutor. It's pretty much the norm to be tutored for the entrance exams so even the brightest kids will be at a disadvantage without tutoring, sadly!

My d h daughter went to Bedford high school Bow ,she did fine academically but I know she had some bullying .

Urmston Grammar will allow you to begin the in year assessment process before you have moved to the area.

www.urmstongrammar.org.uk/in-year-admissions-to-year-7-11/

I would keep away from Atherton, Tyldesley, Boothstown and Leigh House Prices might be cheaper.

But if you have to commute the Trains are ridiculous, Roads are a nightmare, even with the new Bus Lane the V bus is always packed out standing room only. With absolutely No sign of things improving.

And all areas are dealing with really bad crime rates , unruly teens. Robberies, Petty Theft, Car Vandalism, Even Car Parts Theft. And then there is the Knife Crime as well

And the best Schools (Not many) Over Subscribed.

Might be worth looking at broadheath which is right next to altrincham with great public transport for your children to and from school, also places like Flixton and Partington are still within Trafford.

To Add to others

The Best HS is ST Mary's Catholic High School. They have to accept a small percentage of Non -catholics in however they have to be confirmed.

Fred Longworth 2nd best in area My son just left - But Bullying is rife. The School is oversubscribed. And head has changed criteria for admissions. She prefers kids from Mosley Common. That is now there main catchment.

But if you live in Mosley Common and plan on driving to town - East Lancs is a nightmare. V Bus often at Standing room by the time it gets there.

If there is a accident on M62 or M60 which is often - It affects ALL the roads round these areas and literally becomes a car park. More so in WInter and in the run up to xmas (Xmas Markets etc)

If Swinton or Mooreside - Trains are often rammed full and often ends up leaving passengers stood on the platform waiting for next train which can either be 30 mins or 1 hour depending on the time of day.

petitprince, that Cheadle do-er upper is spectacular property but

A) has an undisclosed reserve price, so will probably go for much more than the guide of £200k (plus fees).

B) is for cash buyers only (does that mean it’s unmortgageable or is it just because it’s an auction property? Why has it gone to auction?)

C) Will cost an arm an a leg to renovate, especially as is Grade II*, so heritage people will be all over it and everything will cost more because you will need to use specialist materials and conservation specialist builders/craftspeople. MONEYPIT

Thank you to everyone for the information on schools I'm going to sit down and go through everything.
I've added this link before for advice and pp has also, I've been told the area is rough but also told it's 5 mins into worsley which is a great idea. I really love this house. Does anyone know this area well and can you advice please. Also schools on right move don't seem to be so bad there either.
Barton Lane, Eccles, Greater Manchester, M30
www.rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-80112452.html

Bump

I found if you type the postcode into google, you can get information on the general area and demographic. and therefore a feel for your neighbours and neighbouring streets.
Also try putting it into the GMP website for crime statistics.

I posted on your last thread talking about areas in North Manchester. Shaw, Royton and parts of Ashton under Lyne would be well worth considering- you would certainly find houses in your price range. Mossley would likely be too rural and Saddleworth too expensive

Fir the link you posted...St Patrick's is an excellent school but its faith based and its heavily oversubscribed, All Harrow is good too.
Theres this house too www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-58035795.html?utm_content=v2-ealertspropertyimage&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailupdates&utm_campaign=emailupdatesinstant&utm_term=buying&sc_id=27818678&onetime_FromEmail=true&cid=69f6bdd6-3575-4da1-8b52-157d9af1a092&csg=1049bd73cd6d8da6ebd6699ae95c80d669d8c1ba2aa76cae463e77d68624bf86
It states 3 bed but has a loft.

I don’t think that Shaw Royton or Ashton are going to compare favourably with the Heatons or Didsbury. Houses are cheaper for good reason.