Moving to Belfast - help?

[Olliephaunt4eyes]

So, looks like DH and I are moving to Belfast from London. He is from NI but moved away at the age of 12 and I'm English, which means we're totally clueless about where to start looking.

Needs to be in commutable distance to Queen's University, and have primary schooling for DD, ideally non religious schooling. We would be renting for now, probably not buying until we know if we are staying long term. I also will need to be able to get around on public transport as I can't drive, so that's relevant too.

Any advice welcome.

I immediately thought of Lisburn, small city with good rail link to the university. Otherwise the Ormeau Road (leafy streets near Forestside as opposed to inner city where we lived but it has become a student ghetto now, as opposed to mix of students and others), Rosetta, Stranmillis. NICIE should be able to supply a list of integrated schools, but all teach religion aas part of curriculum I think.

I don't mind religion on the curriculum but don't want a school which is specifically affiliated to any one faith if pos. We're a mixed faith family.

Lisburn is somewhere that's been mentioned before so is definitely on our list!

Googling other places now. Thank you so much.

Traffic from Lisburn to Queen's is pretty bad in the mornings. What is your rental budget? I'd go for Lisburn road, malone, stranmillis - if you can afford it. This would be a short walk/ cycle/ bus journey to work and town. Compared to London you'll find it very reasonable. Quite a few integrated schools around that area (Forge integrated school) as well. School s generally excellent.

We would like to spend £1000pcm or less on rent but can push to £1200pcm if we have to. We'll be living on one salary for the first short while so would like to be careful.

I wouldn't go as far as Lisburn tbh. Rosetta, ormeau, ravenhill, stranmillis and Malone would be good areas and easy access to Queens.

Have you been to Belfast?

Agree Stranmillis / Malone / Ormeau are your best bets. You will be looking for a maintained school ie not a catholic school or an integrated.

ormeau

beech heights

What about Queen's staff accommodation? Does that still exist?

cute apartment!

Lisburn has the train station- it’s only 10-15 mins into the city centre from there, so if you find somewhere within walking or biking distance you’d be well set.

Lisburn isn’t the most cosmopolitan of places but it has some good schools, including two prep schools (which are extremely cheap by English standards) with attached grammars. It’s near enough to Belfast as well so it’s still v convenient to nip into town at the weekend etc.

There’s Hillsborough as well, which is 4 miles beyond Lisburn- it’s more rural, and we don’t have a train station, but there’s a bus into Belfast every 20 minutes from the middle of the village. The village primary school is excellent, with a massive forest park, the Castle which is the Ní Royal residence with fantastic gardens and the village it’s self has a good choice of pubs and restaurants for its size.

My dsis lives in Belfast. For proximity to Queens on your budget I would suggest Upper Ormeau/Rosetta area. A few minutes on the bus or you could even walk/cycle in. Rosetta Primary school and Forge Integrated are in that area and both very good schools. Properties in Stranmillis are very expensive for what you get. Stranmillis school is outstanding, but long waiting lists. I know as a matter of fact that the school are selective in the sense that if you introduce yourself as a doctor/lecturer then they just might find you a place . Upper Ormeau is very up and coming, loads of nice cafes/restaurants, close to Forestside shopping centre and great public transport links. It is also becoming very ethnically diverse.

Google houses in Hillsborough, there are always some amazing places for sale. Not to mention royal garden parties, it is beautiful if rather expensive.

I've spent a few weekends in Belfast - DH's GP loved there and were still alive when we started dating and we've been there on holiday and for a scouting weekend before we decided to move. So, probably not nearly well enough, but professionally it is a really great opportunity and not one we can pass up at this stage.

How do you know that about Stranmillis PS @cardamoncoffee ??

My friends live in the area around Cutter's Warf in Strandmillis, it's nice, close to Queen's and not too studenty.

You might be best looking at Google maps for a few places then ringing the education board to ask about primary school places in schools nearby.

Here's a list of different types of schools www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/types-school

hope let's just say personal experience! It's not the only school that does this I must add. There is a catholic primary in south Belfast that is the same.

We will have a couple of weekends to view housing - that's just such a short amount of time - we want to be able to target our house hunt as much as possible.

What age is your dd OP? I ask because the good schools are often full in most years, ut P1, P6 and P7 are particularly difficult. I would phone the schools to see if they have availability in the year you need and base your search around the school. Make sure to say that your DH is joining QUB...

I'd agree with cardamoncoffee, if you've only a couple of weekends, pick a school then house hunt in the area around it.

You might have to compromise. We're in a mixed religion marriage but DS goes to a Catholic (maintained) school. It gets great results and has a lovely atmosphere and teachers and parents. We'd no chance of getting into my old education board run primary school and I didn't like the other one that we could have got into.

She's 6 now, turning 7 in Jan. Phone calls are a good idea.

Here is the link to the Education Authority who you can contact about school admissions www.eani.org.uk/parents/admissions

It may be worth finding a school before working out where to live.

East Belfast around Belmont, Ballyhackamore, Stormont and knock is nice and there are a lot more school places per year in this area than in south belfast so you may be more likely to get the places you need. You’d be better off cycling from here or you can get the bus into the city centre and walk down to Queens.

Also note that in NI we start at P1 rather than reception so P2 = year 1, P3 = year 2 and so on. Also if your child is born in July or August they will technically be in the year below the year they are in England as our cut off is 2nd July rather 1st September.

I would have a look at East Belfast around ballyhackamore area. There are about 5 really good primary schools within about a mile radius of each other or a couple of preps if you wanted to go down private route. Great public transport if you don't drive and good cycle network that would take you up to queens.

In Ballyhackamore/Belmont the non private primary schools are split between 3 schools that do P1-P3 and Strandtown that does P4-P7 so that would be another move for your DD next year. Strandtown usually has spare places I believe, there's enough for those 3 schools then some places left over.

Belmont has been oversubscribed the last few years and my friends DS got a last minute place at Greenwood after initially being placed elsewhere. I don't know anything about Dundela PS.

There's a private girls primary attached to Strathearn girl's.

There's Holywood which is a nice little town and is on the trainline though I think you'd have to change trains to get to Botanic for Queens. It has a big primary school, a private primary and a Catholic primary school.

It's a straight line from Hollywood to Botanic. And it is indeed a nice wee town!

I know someone who cycles from the Antrim Road to QUB, there is a cycle route? We don't live in Belfast now - is that correct? The new buses seem excellent.
I'd suggest asking on here if a house is in an OK area before signing a lease, and ignoring me completely because I live so far away!