Relocating out of London - where to though?

[MadHatter302]

My OH and I were thinking of relocating our family out of London for a slightly more relaxed way of life but we don't know where! We both work from home so are flexible when it comes to location but we specifically want to be somewhere with good state comprehensives. My two eldest DSs are already at high school so we wouldn't be looking to go private or try to get into a grammar. So where can you suggest? We have already been looking at York, Bristol and Brighton areas - what do you have to say about the schools there?

York definitely has a very good state education system. This is probably due to the fact there aren't any grammar schools so each school has a range of abilities. In particular I would recomment Fulford and Manor (CofE and only goes up to 16). However in Fulford housing is pretty pricey and Manor is quite far out of town, good bus links though. Also, if you weren't bothered about being in a city, Queen Elizabeth's in Hexam is great, as is Stokesley comprehensive.

What year are they in in secondary? Because I would be very very cautious about moving them after year 8 (lots of schools gear towards GCSE in year 9). Also I wouldn't go too rural as they will want a social life. What do they think of the idea?

I wouldn't bother with Brighton for secondary schools. They are ok, but nothing special, and if you are moving when they are already secondary age, you would be offered the worse achieving secondaries (I think around 40% a-c). We have just moved from Brighton.

Poole and Bournemouth have Grammar schools. Not sure what the secondary schools are like though. Good area for teenagers I would think.

Weymouth or Dorchester have good secondary schools: Thomas Hardye in Dorchester (upper school from year 9); Budmouth College and All Sants (C of E, no sixth form) in Weymouth.

Dorchester might be a bit rural after living in London. nice as it is.

There are good state secondary schools in Bristol and the results are improving year on year BUT the best ones are very oversubscribed so you would be dependent on somebody else leaving the area to get a place.
If you don't have to travel to work there are also good schools in some of the outskirts of the city which are in South Gloucestershire so this may be worth a look. Bath also has spare school places available but the single sex schools such as Beechen Cliff are more likely to have places than the co-ed schools.
Some schools start GCSE work in Year 9 so you will need to check carefully if your eldest ds is at this stage.

One would be going into year nine and the other into year eight. We have asked them about the move and they are in favour of it as London doesn't really suit them. Both would prefer to be somewhere more relaxed and my youngest has recently said that he doesn't feel safe in London!

I went to Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham ! Its a great school. Area is excellent too...although moving from London to Northumberland is a canny big move.

But I still live in the area so if you are interested in it, PM me.

We are still 3 tier system, so Year 9 is the first year of the High School.

NL

I live in Brighton and the secondary school has been very good although they are often over subscribed. There are a few to choose from if you live fairly close.

We have just moved to Downham Market, primarily for the school situation. Our little boy is due to start primary next week and 10 weeks down the line it feels like it has been a good move. We lived in SE16 in a nice house but you get so much more for your money out here. London is an hour and 15 on train direct to Kings X if you feel the need to get there.

Life is slower but that is not such a bad thing and getting stuck behind a tractor is par for the course!

The primaries feed into the local secondary school with none of that applying rubbish that you would have in London.

My sister lives just outside of York and her eldest goes to Fulford which is an excellent school and her middle son starts next week.

Moving out of London is well worth considering and don't forget the upheavel of the Olympics next year!!!!!

noddy we applied for ds1 recently - got offered HP. Not good! Very few people will get offered one of the good schools - there are huge waiting lists.

It is hard to know really beattie and it does depend on the child. I thought you had left brighton I am so out of date with everything. My ds has a couple of mates from HP and they have done v well at college A levels. The good ones are very good but agree it can be hit and miss.

Would forget Bristol for good secondary schools. Agree with Bath as an attractive (if much more expensive) alternative. Ralph Allen school is co-ed BTW - QTPie might be thinking of Beechen Cliff school - all-boys, takes girls in 6th form.

We moved to Bath 2 years ago (my home town) after 25 years in London. It is a lovely place to live, but seems, well, SMALL, and extremely mono-cultural after Norf Larndern.

I have friends in Brighton - secondary schoosl seem to get surprisingly mediocre results.

I am surprised flitter but then my ds has been very lucky and has been at probably the best state school. There are a couple of teachers in my book group and they say results have been consistently high and numbers going to uni increasing yearly. You do have to live in the right area though because although Brighton chose to opt out of catchments and do a lottery system it still seems to me that if you live near the best schools you get in.Otherwise I am not sure how well the schools do.

Have you looked at Lincolnshire. We moved ten years ago to Lincoln and have not regretted it. The schools are good, house prices are cheap you certainly get a lot for your money. If you want to shop then you can be in London within 90 mins on the train or head over to Sheffield Meadowhall. I really thought my eldest would move back to London but although he loves going down for the weekend he says he feels safer in Lincolnshire. Also we have lots of universities only a couple of hours away including York, Sheffield and Nottingham. Life is relaxed as we have been able to buy a cheap large house and there is more disposable income.

Hampshire has FAB comps - that beat many grammars into a %&%&%

Depending on budget
Winchester
Chandlers Ford
Basingstoke
Fordingbridge

and we have EXCELLENT road and rail links back to the big smoke

In Bathits absolutely not the case that you will get them into state school at all. Im looking for a year 9 place and there are only 3 secondaries for boysone is pretty awful looking at the reports and the other 2 are massively oversubscribed with waiting lists and of the the 2 suitable private schools, 1 of those definitely has no places and the other we will have to do entrance test for, clearly Bath doesnt have enough secondary places for boys in the state sector. Oldfield has just started taking boys but this is just at year 7 at the moment as its its 1st year, so please bear this in mind if looking at Bath and wanting to send to school in Bath at secondary level

Just outside Bath, how about North Wiltshire? Malmesbury and Chippenham both have very good state comprehensives, and links to London if needed. Bradford on Avon in West Wilts is also lovely and again has a very good school.

Cheltenham and Gloucester have good schools. Would avoid Bristol!

Watch out for Hampshire - we also have a lot of naff rural areas too - hopeless for teens as lousy public transport and minimal rural amenities, lots of rural poverty too.