Decision re state primary or prep schools in Oxfordshire/Wiltshire

[Onthecouch]

Hi, my job has moved to Swindon and DH already works in Oxford, both in full time jobs. We have started looking at houses and schools between Faringdon and Abingdon and they are expensive! I have thought hard about state vs independent schools and want my DD to go to indie. However, if we have another child, we will barely manage to send him/her to indie. The real problem will be when they are secondary school age. Ideally we want to have another child in the next couple of years. It is possible that if I work harder, I may be able to earn more. So for the time being my decision is towards indie but will prefer if it is a good school and cheaper.
I have looked at options around Abingdon but the prep schools are expensive compared to say Oxford high Junior school. By the time DD will be in year 3 we will be spending around 18k Per annum if she goes to Chandlings/manor prep/St Hugh's. And with 2 children , it will be a bit tight.

So, I need your advice to help me decide on location and school. How does Oxford high junior compare to Abingdon preps? As DH works in Oxford university, we could possibly live just outside Oxford near A420 and DH do the school run to Oxford high. This will increase my commute time though. Sometimes we also think of ditching prep school idea and save for good secondary. What shall we do? Please help.

Have you looked at Southmoor/K Bagpuize area? Really nice community and easy commute both ways. My friends daughter goes to manor & she loves it.

Yes Snowfire, we have been looking at that area as well. I am going to see the Manor and other schools soon. But, it's the expenses that we need to calculate as well. That's why was wondering about Oxford high.

Can't advise on Oxford High I'm afraid. Have you looked at the state options? If money could be tight at prep you could go state & have spare cash for extra curricular & nice holidays then save up for private secondary.

Yes, I have been thinking of state options. Which state schools will be the best in the area? Another problem is about taking DD to extracurricular activities as both of us are in full time work and can't go part time.

John Blandy school is the primary in Southmoor, from what I know it's a good school. I don't live in the village any more but there always used to be plenty going on there. I think the primary in Cumnor has a good reputation but don't have any personal experience of it.
The state Secondary for the area is Matthew Arnold. I went there in the 90s and loved it, most of my friends went to uni and I think it's doing really well now.

It's so hard working ft & trying to juggle childcare & extra curricular. Believe me, it only gets worse as they get older!
I considered prep for my DD but was lucky to find a great state school & she's doing fantastically. Go and visit, you'll know if it feels right

Thanks Snowfire. Yes, I think I need to start arranging visits to state schools as well! In the league tables (if one goes by them!), the school in Appleton features quite high. Anyone here, who has experience with that school?

I have PM'ed you

Thank you so much RoadkillBunny. Such useful info. PMed you back.

Any further advice and suggestion will be very welcome.

A friends children are at Appleton Primary she says it's very good and talking to people I work with most who live around Swindon I understand that most of village primaries are all pretty good , At senior we have children at work who go to a senior school called Farmers all I've spoken to are doing really well. St Johns Marlborough is very well regarded. You could commute to Oxford/Swindon from around Cirencester again I understand village sxhools are good and Deer Park Cirencester is well regarded ditto Burford i belive some of the areas around Witney maybe a little cheaper. Unfortunately the whole area bar Swindon which IMO amd that of many others is a bit of a dump is very expensive. Just a thought Highworth will be cheaper and not that bad. Good luck.

Thanks happygardening. We ruled out Cirencester because of long commute for DH and traffic on A40. His job is more flexible than mine in terms of timing and he will be able to help more around DD's childcare after school/extracurricular activities than I can. Thanks for this suggestion. Most of my future collaegues working in Swindon do live Cirencester way.

Onthe couch - I live in that area and we do the exact commute you describe - my DH to central oxford and I work in central Swindon.

I will PM you.

Cirencester to Oxford on the A 40 when the traffic is ok takes 50 mins but early in the morning you need to add at least another half an hour on but this will apply to all roads into Oxford in the morning the traffic is awful You could consider any village between Cirencester and Burford the journey to Oxford would be less tedious but the properties aren't cheap. Alternatively what about living near Oxford and commuting to Swindon good train links for Swindon although not cheap and if you were working at the great western hosp you would have to get a bus.

Thinking about it around A34 , junction 13 or even 14 of the f M4 would be the easiest Lambourne etc not an area I'm that familiar with so dont know about house prices etc.

You could live in Pangbourne and use St Andrew's. It's a lovely school and I think would cover extra-curricular activities for you. They have horses and do loads of outdoorsy stuff as well as music, swimming etc. It's not that cheap though.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think that it will be better for me to do the longer commute to Swindon and stay nearer to Oxford withDh doing the school run. That's why I was thinking of Oxford high junior as prep school for DD.
Any idea how would that compare to other more expensive prep schools?

I think OHS looks nice and if you are going to have another DC I think it would be a good idea to go for somewhere you can afford two sets of fees at from the off.

I imagine one of the differences between OHS and the others on your list might be swanky facilities/ extensive grounds.

What if DC2 is a boy? Do you have a central Oxford plan for him?

Oxford high is also incredibly academic... You need to be sure that it would suit your child. I know some children who have really struggled there and have been pulled out. I wouldn't put my daughter there unless I was totally convinced it was the right school for her iyswim.

Headington girls is a bit more balanced, but more expensive.

St Helen's and St Katharine's is cheaper, also very academic but doesn't take them until they're older (year 4/5 maybe??) but by then you'd have a better idea as to whether that is right for your child. That's in Abingdon.

Other private options (but less academic ones) are rye st Antony (at the back of Headington girls) and our lady's convent in Abingdon.

If you do a search for Oxford High, there have been threads about the school in the past. It has had mixed reviews

Thank you EBD and MrsLetch. You are right EBD, what if DC2 is a boy or something that I dread to think having twins! There are so many factors one can't plan for, yet we constantly keep planning for a predictable future!

I had a long chat with DH and he is willing to consider changing his hours, going early and coming back early to take DD for some extracuricular activities after school. So this will mean that we live near to Oxford than Swindon or max midway. That will give us few years to keep Dd in an outstanding primary, try for another child, cover maternity leave and then decide for prep in year 3.
What i dont know though is that will extra effort from home for extracurricular activities, tutoring etc be able to give the child similar experience for all round development like a good preprep?
Both me and DH dont have experience of British education so dont know much what extra to provide. Both of us are fairly academic and brought up with academics being the main focus. We dont want Dd to study in just an academic envioronment but the one that provides all round development so that all her talents are recognised and nurtured, something that didnt happen with me. And it will only be in the next few years that we will know what Dd enjoys more and where her abilities lie.