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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To even consider buying a beautiful house on the same road as a school?

165 replies

GinDaddy · 07/05/2019 14:13

Just that, really -

Have seen a gorgeous house become available; period, driveway (with marked “no parking” white lines from council) , right amount of bedrooms, short walking distance to town which is important to my other half.

The only snag? It’s four doors down from a local primary school, on the other side of the road.

We’ve been looking for this kind of house in the catchment for over two years now. Both of us keep wondering, “will my driveway be parked over (or even on?!), will I be blocked in constantly, will unreasonable behaviour be a daily occurence”?

OP posts:
whyohwhyowhydididoit · 07/05/2019 15:01

Parking will undoubtedly be a total nightmare at pick up and drop off times but that’s a max of an hour a day for 38 weeks of the year. If you really love the house it might be worth it.

We live on a rat run between two schools and traffic can be horrendous at certain times of the day but I’ve got into the habit of avoiding driving anywhere at those times. It’s a bit of a nuisance sometimes but worth it for our dream house in a very convenient location.

If bad parking really started to bother you maybe you could park across your own drive at the crucial times?

BettyDuMonde · 07/05/2019 15:02

Another plus point is that if the school is popular (as your post implies) you will a) be guaranteed a place (most schools calculate ‘distance as the crow flies’) and b) you will have no problem selling on at a later date, as another family will buy for the same reason.

mollyblack · 07/05/2019 15:04

I live by a school and there are a ton of cf parents. However with a bit of forward planning its fine. If i need to go out at peak school time i move my car out on to the street (either a space or over my own driveway entrance) the night before or early morning. I probably wouldnt choose to live next to a school again but its fine while my own children are at the school and get to enjoy use of the playground facilities etc.

BikeRunSki · 07/05/2019 15:06

I live 2 mins walk from a primary school. CF parking was so bad that we campaigned for residents’ parking. I was regularly blocked in.

It’s very handy now that my dc honyo the school though! And very quiet out of school hours.

Moondancer73 · 07/05/2019 15:08

Don't do it! I live across the road from a primary school and it's absolutely carnage twice a day despite the parking restrictions. I'd never do it again.

GrannyHaddock · 07/05/2019 15:09

I lived opposite a primary school for ten years; there was never the slightest problem with it. Hearing the children at breaks was cheery.

TurquoiseDress · 07/05/2019 15:09

YANBU

Do you have young children who will be able to go to the primary school? will make the school run a doddle!

Others have suggested going there during the busy times- you will get a strong picture of what life would be like living there during the busy times.

But then dont forget half terms and school holidays when it will be much quieter

If you love the house, it would be a shame if the school being there put you off

Is it a decent school? Thinking of demand for buyers when you come to sell one day

Dragongirl10 · 07/05/2019 15:09

Op you could get those pop up barriers....

Abcd3 · 07/05/2019 15:10

If people parking in front of a drive turns out to be an issue, I wonder whether it’s an option to ask the local council for a bollard to put on the road just in front of your drive? It would hopefully not be too heavy for you to move when you needed to get in or out, but might deter people from parking there.

NKFell · 07/05/2019 15:11

I live in the same road as a primary school and I don't mind at all. The staff all park in the school car park so it's only busy at drop off/pick up times and the odd evening, I can always get parked and I've never had a problem.

I wouldn't live in the same road as a secondary school but for me, primary is fine.

HazelBite · 07/05/2019 15:23

From 1972 until 1994 I lived next door to my local Junior school, then in 1994 i moved round the corner and now live next door to the local primary/infant school.
Okay over the years there have been occasions when the driveway has been parked over but a polite phonecall to the school usually results in a letter to parents. When the DC's were small there was no distance to go to school, and now my grandson is due to start there in September.
The advantage I have is my house is the home I always wanted and I overlook playing fields.

ParkingIInPlainSight · 07/05/2019 15:24

I live opposite a primary school. It's a small school.

I just time my leaving for work to make sure I'm not trying to get my car out in the 20 mins around arrivals or departures!

Also let delivery people or anyone who might be working on the house know the same thing.

The kids used the playing fields when school was out for the summer or at weekends.

It's not one of the reasons I want to move.

Letsnotusemyname · 07/05/2019 15:25

There are worse places to live near too.

I live near a school. For 15 mins twice a day it’s busy then it’s a quiet road.

Occasionally the odd bad parker but it’s not really a problem.

Hiphopopotamous · 07/05/2019 15:28

Depends if the timing will affect you - we live near a primary and secondary, but leave the house for work at ~7.30 and return after 6, so it's never a problem. On days off I just avoid coming and going at peak times, more so toddler is out of the way of crazy pavement driving/parking!

pushingdaisies · 07/05/2019 15:30

We live in a little square of maisonettes/houses across the road from a school. Never gave it a second thought, went to view and moved in and as I leave for work at 7am and come home about 6pm I never see the school run. However, when I have been at home, it's horrendous. There are signs everywhere saying residents only/no parking etc. but nobody takes any notice!

If I was at home more during those times it might bother me but as I'm not there most of the time during school runs it's fine.

flowersWB · 07/05/2019 15:32

I live opposite a school and as others have said, 20 mins of madness twice a day for 39 weeks of the year. Depends on your schedule whether this will actually bother you. We are almost always gone for the day by 8.30 when the morning madness starts and home after the 3.30 madness so not fussed. Benefits are not being overlooked at the front at all and 13 quiet weeks a year. Plus a very handy caretaker who lives on site and helps with all our (and everyone else's) diy etc!!

speakout · 07/05/2019 15:32

How big is the school? Drop offs and pick ups only happen for a short time- maybe 30/45 minutes at a time.

Consider also break times and lunch times- 300 kids playing outside a couple of times a day will be noisy.

You may also have a problem with litter in your garden.

ilovecherries · 07/05/2019 15:33

We live about 6 doors away from a primary school. It is very chaotic morning and afternoon (more so in the afternoon when all the buses are there at exactly the same time as well). However it doesn't last long - again more so in the afternoon as people arrive early to get their parking slot, and there is one annoying person who sits right outside my living room window, on the pavement, with engine running and music on full blast. She pisses me off big time (mainly for the engine running), but again, its not for long. We are frequently blocked in during these periods though, and again, because of the pavement parking, I've sometimes been unable to open my little garden gate, which for some reason opens onto the pavement rather than back onto the path. No one has ever parked completely across our driveway, but they do park right up against it on both sides, and directly opposite it on a narrow road, so entering/leaving is impossible. Kids also tend to walk along the top of our wall, and have managed to dislodge a couple of the tiles. But...its less than 40 weeks a year, 5 days a week, for no more than 30 minutes each time, so we choose just to live and let live, and we can manage to avoid these peak times, or plan for them by nabbing street parking before the onslaught. However, there is enough selfish and entitled behaviour that I COULD certainly froth if I wanted to do so - I just choose not to. Plus our road is very quiet the rest of the time. There is also a bit of a litter problem - mainly sweetie wrappers, juice cartons and fruit peel. Only you know how much it will annoy you.

IvanaPee · 07/05/2019 15:33

I live beside a primary school.

I park over my own drive rather than on it so nobody can park there or block me in.

It’s a little chaotic and drop off/pick up times but I’m not there in the mornings usually so it doesn’t bother me too much.

We get the odd cheeky fucker blocking the entrance to our road. It’s not an estate just a row of houses so more a private road than estate entrance IYSWIM.

But someone’s moved in right at the top of the road so doesn’t happen as much.

If the house ticks all the boxes I’d do what Arya suggests; have a look at a few different times but I would also park over your drive!

IvanaPee · 07/05/2019 15:35

Oh and forgot to say the kids playing doesn’t bother me. Sports days are a bit louder but it’s not life-changing.

I work from home a lot and it’s actually quite nice to hear sometimes!!

SkaterGrrrrl · 07/05/2019 15:36

I live right by a school. We have a set of traffic comes we put out if we don't want to be parked in. Some people are CFs.

Weirdly, apart from 9 and 3, there is ample parking. Suppose this is because the school takes the place of houses with cars.

SkaterGrrrrl · 07/05/2019 15:36

cones

Kedgeree · 07/05/2019 15:37

We lived about 200m from a busy primary school for 12 years. It was hell for 30 mins in the morning and an hour in the afternoon during term time. We didn't have a drive, only on-street parking, so it was pot luck, which is ok, but it wasn't ok that some of the mums would use our front garden as a nice spot to sit and chat - on our bench - after morning drop off. The school itself was entitled - one memorable occasion the head letter-dropped every house in the street to ask that we all park "elsewhere" on Bonfire Night so that the "school community" could enjoy their fireworks display without having to worry about parking Hmm.
School holidays were bliss. I would live near a school again, mainly because the inconveniences are predictable.

Notonaschoolnight · 07/05/2019 15:39

It only work if you’re whole household is away from the street 8am to 5 pm everyday so you can live in ignorance of the mayhem that goes on 2/3 hours every day

Hiddenaspie1973 · 07/05/2019 15:39

Yabu.
I live on the same road as the primary.
Parking.....ghastly. blocking and chugging out fumes for 30 minutes so they can get their space. Filthy.
When i moved in, 600 kids.
Then 900 so extended with ZERO extra parking provision.
The field was separated from my rear garden by scrubland. Lovely.
No longer!
They extended field right up to my back fence and included a lovely hillock for the kids to nose into my back yard. I wear headphones when they're out in spring and summer.
I never minded the noise, but playing right against my back fence and nosing is not good.
Always be aware that the school could extend.

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