To want to move south?

[Oohlalaaaaaa]

Currently live in Central Scotland. My partner is from Dorset. We have primary school aged children with one due to start high school this year. I think we would enjoy a better quality of life down there.
I'm a bit worried my kids would be picked on and not accepted for having scottish accents or for being outsiders. Is this silly? 🤔
Also is it cruel to uproot 3 perfectly happy children, especially one at age 12 (she has strong friendships, the other 2 not so much)? Am I being selfish? I'm scared that if it goes wrong for them it will be my doing. Any advice would be appreciated.

Oh how exciting! We moved from SE England to Northern Ireland three years ago and the kids are fine. It was work related and we will probably head back in a few years. God, I miss the weather.

Move to Portobello or Joppa then.

Err, you do know that Scottish student’s struggle to get into Scottish universities due to the extensive cap the Scottish government put on places. Last year, all 170 places for Scottish students studying law at the University of Edinburgh were solely given to those in the most deprived 20% of postcodes in Scotland. If you were remotely middle class, you could have received all As in every exam you have ever sat, you could have a noble peace prize, your application would have been immediately binned as you were not poor enough. You couldn’t even offer to pay fees. Binned without consideration. It’s utterly appalling the way Scotland is being run. The Scottish education system treats our kids like shit on a shoe. Standards anre utterly anppalling. And you think the OP should stay???

Yeah, you are right, those pesky poors should stay poor. How dare they not let the rich people buy places! Outrageous.

You do realise how much harder those who live in the bottom 20% had to work to get those grades than the “middle class” people?

Im very, very aware about the Scottish education thank you very much.

Thank you for all the advice and opinions. Can anyone recommend specific schools in the areas mentioned?
Thanks

Bye! Enjoy the sea swimming 💩😂

And you think the OP should stay??

She should definitely go - and it would be great if she’d take you with her! 👋 👋

Lovely area , bit tricky with parking etc in the summer with lots of visitors.

English people aren’t eligible to get free education in Scotland, Scottish people are, but OPs children will no longer be eligible for it if they move to England.

This isn't strictly true, English people are eligible to get their tuition fees paid if they are resident in Scotland - I think the criteria might be for 3+ years. It's correct that Scots who move down to England are not eligible. It's about residency rather than birth.

Doubt gets be picked on. Will they be able to get free uni though if they haven't lived in Scotland for x years? I'd double check that first

I did say Ringwood and Burgate. Highcliffe maybe. Wouldn't particularly recommend Twynham or Grange. Ballard or Bournemouth Collegiate if you are willing to pay.

Though for lots of them the catchment areas are quite tight in recent years. Even more strict at Junior schools if you need those so if you choose a school you then narrow your house purchase area somewhat

Me too. There would be a notable difference in climate plus you have the lovely Dorset coastline.

I grew up near where you’re looking to go. The towns are nothing special - lower middle class suburbs with pockets of deprivation and - certainly when I lived there - very middling schools, with the exception of the grammars in Bournemouth and Poole. Though if your DC are bright that may not matter, and my info may be a bit out of date.

House prices are very high there, higher than Scotland. If you sell up in Scotland can you afford a decent sized home near Bournemouth?

Fast forward 10 years- how will you feel if you’re settled in Dorset but your DC never like it and move back to Scotland? They are very different.

What do you both do for work? Aside from some big firms based in Southampton and Bournemouth there aren’t many big employers and employees typically don’t earn huge amounts in relation to house prices.

But yes, the beaches and the countryside are lovely once you get away from all the scrubby heathland near Bournemouth and London is only 2 hours away, but it’s a big ask to move DC from their schools and friends.

Tbh I think you are mad to consider this. I'm in the borders and wild horses couldn't drag me south. More crime, pollution, crowds etc.. its a better standard of living up north and far more for your money.

If you are set on England then Northumberland or Cumbria would give you the best of both worlds and obviously Scots accents are ten a penny.

secondary

Bournemouth and poole have the grammar schools but they’ve rested on laurels a bit

Glenmoor/Winton/Avonbourne all run by United Learning. Very strict but getting good results

livingstone academy in Bmth town centre

christchurch you have twynham

dumping ground is Bourne Academy

ringwood school is good

Primary

lots of church ones

we went private so I’m unsure how good they are

check out catchment areas over the past 3 years from LEA. They get smaller each year. We live in a black zone with none nearby and neighbours kid has to travel all across town as didn’t get one nearer.

Boscombe is on the up. Bournemouth town centre is a bit full of homeless now. A no go area is the gardens at night I hear.

Christchurch or Highcliffe or ringwood would be a good starting place for houses

expect to pay £££££ tho average 4 bed is about £650k now

Then surely they apply to English universities? 🤷‍♀️

Seriously? You've already decided to move?
There are lots of areas of Scotland that might be nicer than where you right now - what about Dumfries & Galloway for example?
Lots of 'pretty' towns, decent coastline, good weather, dark skies, easy to get to England... and your kids would still be eligible for free university education in a few years...
Or somewhere on the East coast? Fife? Angus? Loads of sunshine, not as much rain as the West coast, not so much litter (in my experience)...
I'm a bit baffled about the idea that Sunday roasts are only available in England.

I’m more baffled by the lie claim that the schools where OP lives teach about tartan and haggis.

But I agree, lots of lovely places in Scotland and thanks to the tories England is becoming a bit like a third world country, I unfortunately have to go to different places there for work and I wouldn’t move there if I was paid to.

Thanks for all the useful info.

We did this a few years ago - moved from big Scottish city to the SE with dcs 10 and 12 - and have not regretted it. Like you I was sick of the crap weather, the politics, add to that the misogyny of the government.

It is more expensive but not unmanageably so. The weather is so much better. There is so much to do and see - London less than a hour away, France in three hours drive, lots more job opportunities, huge diversity, and the better school education system - dc are thriving, feels like they are encouraged to achieve a lot more than in Scotland where it was just ‘do your best if you can but don’t worry if you can’t’

Going to be honest and say it did take older dc about nine months to really settle and there were tears and entreaties to please go back to Scotland but they love it here now and have said many times they’re so glad we moved. It helped not to go back to Scotland in that settling in period as we did two or three times in the first few months for visits and each time dc felt upset and wanted to move back, so we stopped doing it for a while and it helped them settle.

Good luck!

PS all of us only ever had positive comments about Scottish accents - no teasing.

For those talking about uni fees, bear in mind that it’s become harder for high achieving Scottish kids to get those free Uni places. Scottish universities don’t make money on Scottish students, but RUK and international students. I know three kids this year with 6 As who were rejected by Edinburgh and St Andrew’s. All going to English universities now where they will pay fees. So it’s not that straightforward.u work in the education sector and this has been happening ever since tuition fees were abolished in Scotland.

Thanks violaofviterbo. Can I ask - do your children go to state or private schools now?

Kids will tease about anything, but it’s unlikely to be much more than teasing, not bullying.

These days, and you might find this a bit more of a shock, that England has become much much more diverse over recent decades, with the playground and other areas, spoken languages being very varied. Walking down my local high street English is the first language in the shops, but not outside. I found it very strange when moving from Cumbernauld to Kent and spend a lot of time in the South West…. You’ll either love it or find it uncomfortable. And you’ll also likely come to your own conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the different peoples you’ll meet. Be aware that in the south west, I’ve always found that it takes a very long time for people to be considered locals, indeed some of the real old sticks will never view you that way. It never bothered me, proud of my Scottish heritage, have never lost all the accent, but I have English friends who moved to the SW who do resent, after 20 years in the area, are still considered outsiders. But all areas are different, and I’m sure individual actions have a lot to do with this, so onus will be on you to integrate with the community and play a part in it.

I think a better question will be how will your children adapt…. Do you and they make friends easily, when on holiday etc. if so, no worries. If they struggle, I have found the old adage about colder temperatures warmer hearts to be quite true, and it could take a little longer for them to adjust.

i couldn’t go back to Scotland, and my journeys now take me to further flung places, maybe one day this rolling stone will find a resting place.