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Education

Moving to England - Which area to live in..?? Which School To Choose...?

131 replies

NewBee2011 · 12/04/2011 16:54

Hi Everyone, We are planning to move to England from Thailand in 3/4 mths, but very confused as to where to live, as we want to live in a good and safe place, not too much fond of city live but not too rural as well and not going too far away from london..But we dont want the place to be too expensive either...Prefer newly built estate...My kids have to join in Son (Yr6) n Daughter(Yr8), they will join private school but which one to choose as I want a good school with good results over the past years n with good reputation. Every suggestion will be of gr8 help.

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LIZS · 19/04/2011 16:04

Would n't be my choice of area to live tbh (if from a SE perspective lol)- some nicer towns a little further afield but property not especially cheap (Footballers' territory)

LIZS · 19/04/2011 16:07

You can find data on crimes etc here and here

NewBee2011 · 19/04/2011 16:07

LIZS - I saw another school - Queen Ethelburga's - York - England, what you say about this....?
Is Bolton a very muslim oriented place...as I can see on the web...?

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NewBee2011 · 19/04/2011 16:08

I did a search on these websites for crimes...Thanks

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LIZS · 19/04/2011 16:14

It sounds like you are clutching at straws. York and Bolton (Manchester) are poles apart, physically and culturally. Not come across QE tbh, St Peters seems to be the one highly regarded academically. Nice area and touristy city but anywhere not central is rural.

NewBee2011 · 19/04/2011 16:21

I am just following someone's suggestions given here in Thailand...So thats why wanted to confirm...I did not see the location on the map...But thanks for your advice..

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LIZS · 19/04/2011 16:28

oh I see , it just all comes across as a bit random ! Have any of the staff currently teaching your dc got experience of teaching in Uk so could advise which may suit them ?

NewBee2011 · 19/04/2011 16:35

No, my kids are going to a school that follows american curricullum n most the staff is from USA + Canada, no one from UK, thats why seeking a help here on mumsnet.
TBH I feel I cannot make it for Sept.2011, may be I should postpone things for next Term - Jan.2012, so that I have enough time to find out everything and may be visit myself to see what is what..

Seeing is Beleiving - They Say..

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diabolo · 19/04/2011 18:21

Also NewBee2011 a lot of MNers are pointing you in the direction of where they live (if they like it) - I am guilty of that. There's nothing wrong with it per se, but you are going to get some very diverse opinions.

York is a lovely small city, Cheshire is lovely (around Hale / Altrincham), so are most of the Home Counties (but more expensive to live).

Use the Good Schools Guide, perhaps buy a property guide to best places in England to work / live / be happy, and see them for yourselves.

The relocation companies someone else suggested would also be a great idea (for a fee of course).

beanlet · 19/04/2011 20:49

According to news today, South Cambridgeshire is the happiest and best place to live in the country...

ChateauRouge · 19/04/2011 21:39

York is very lovely

If I could choose anywhere in UK... I would choose to be a millionaire, and choose Central London I think.

Harpenden 2nd maybe- v good schools, v easy access to London. £££££ for housing though.

Clary · 20/04/2011 00:50

YY I agree with diabolo, we are all sayign "ooh come and live here where I live" which is understandable.

I think you need to consider how near to London (ie how many hours away) you need to be, as this will make your options clearer. York to London and back I would not personally want to do in a working day. Possible tho I'm guessing. Does it need to be a driving commute for your DH?

It's just that the nearer you are to London, the more the house will cost to rent or buy. More or less anyway.

Please don't worry so much about the safety aspect - despite what you may have heard or read, most people in the UK are not witnessing drive-by shootings on a daily basis. In other words, most towns and cities here are pretty safe (tho of course all big cities will have areas you may prefer to avoid).

beanlet · 20/04/2011 09:39

Clary, OP's DH only needs to be in London occasionally. And yes, York is a doable commute in a day, and plenty of businessmen with families do it (though usually not every day I'm assuming!)

A particularly irritating man gets on at my station in one of the leafier bits of Yorkshire at peak time and asks the conductor ostentatiously for an open first-class return to London ("that will be £400 sir"). Must be on expenses.

diabolo · 20/04/2011 11:42

beanlet my MIL lives in a gorgeous little village on the East Herts/South Cambs border.

It is utterley gorgeous, but SOOO expensive house-wise.

Good schools nearby like Haileybury too.

bitsyandbetty · 20/04/2011 12:35

OH xenia! You do make me laugh with your extreme views.

Newbee I use relocation specialists and they are OK so worth a short. Quite reasonable fees. As mentioned early not all private schools are worth paying for and may be more suitable for your child than others based on academic, music or sports interests. It also depends on how much life you want. Some parts of Lincolnshire are quite cut off. York is easily commutable by train to London. I know somebody who does it every day.

Madsometimes · 20/04/2011 14:00

When my friend relocated to the UK she chose the school and then found accommodation to fit around it. It is only possible to do this with private schools. She made a short list of schools, checked about vacancies and came on a whirlwind tour of them.

Private schools often do have occasional vacancies and are happy to take students on at unusual times. They also allowed her dc to take the entrance exams at their own overseas school.

My biggest question is whether the OP can afford a private education. It seems that housing costs here are much greater than she is accustomed to paying.

NewBee2011 · 20/04/2011 14:21

Madsometimes, Thanks as I am trying to do exactly the same as your friend has done, looking for a good school and then a decent place to live around there...Even I have been offered an entrance exam at the present school my kids are going now....But its easy to say doing all this n really very hard to actually do it..I know how I sit pulling my hair everyday...

And for the affordability, I would say, if something has to be done then there is always a way for it, where theres a will...theres a way...

Very truelly said - No Pain No Gain...

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grovel · 20/04/2011 14:24

You've got the whole country to choose from and you consider Bolton? Crikey.

NewBee2011 · 20/04/2011 14:38

Grovel, that was a suggestion given by someone, not my own choice...But its out now.

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cory · 20/04/2011 14:40

Relocation agent may well be the way to go.

Also, I think you and your children are going to have to accept that there will be a culture shock, things will be different, you may not be able to give them exactly everything they had at their old school- and at the end of the day it is still their responsibility to work hard and do well.

A private school with big grounds and state-of-the-art facilities is going to be very expensive in a small overcrowded country like the UK, and living near such a place is also likely to be expensive. So look for the best you can manage- but be prepared to compromise!

Safety, I would say, is not usually a big issue (unless in some very run-down areas). Mostly, the UK is a fairly safe place to be.

I myself live in an urban area which many Mumsnetters would probably turn their noses up at, and where the local schools are not particularly good. But even so, my children are safe to go into town or off with their friends, and they are getting an education which will enable them to access higher education if they themselves choose to make the most of it.

Best of luck with your school hunting!

NewBee2011 · 20/04/2011 15:49

Cory, Thanks and I highly appreciate your kindness...

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cory · 20/04/2011 16:48

First I would sit down with a spreadsheet and think about expenses. Your budget seems quite modest, so I would start thinking about areas where cuts could be made. If you are unwilling to give up the idea of private education, then maybe you could save on housing, by looking for a smaller house. The house prices some posters have mentioned have been of 4 bedroom houses- do you actually need a 4 bedroom house? A 3 bedroom is often considerably cheaper, and semi-detacher, or even terraced, is cheaper than a detached house. How decent does the place you live in have to be? On the whole, in England houses tend to get more expensive the greener the surrounding area: could you cope with a dull suburban street? And so on and so forth.

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NewBee2011 · 05/07/2011 09:22

Hi Everyone, I am back again. I would like your opinions about Milton Keynes - Buckinghamshire..How is this place. Also any reveiws about - Bury Lawn School in Milton Keynes....Please advice...Thanks

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NewBee2011 · 05/07/2011 11:53

Please Reply......Thanx

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sue52 · 05/07/2011 15:43

I don't know the school but Milton Keynes is not an attractive town.

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