Bristol schools?

[Mollusk]

(I've just posted something similar in the Primary board)

We're thinking of moving to Bristol but aren't v familiar with the various areas. We've got an 8mo-old son so schools will be important. We'd be looking for a state school, pref non-CofE. Any tips to get me started?

This is one of those how long is a piece of string questions. Catchment areas tend to be quite small so basically you need to live as close as possible to a school.

Where will you work? There are areas within Bristol that may only be a few miles apart but would be impossible as a commute at 8am. What is your budget for housing? We could all give you a list of "good" schools but if you've only got £160k to spend on a house (or £650 a month rental) there's no point us suggesting Clifton.

Generally the better areas of Bristol are North of the river, unless you are going out to the villages.

The LAs that cover Bristol are Bristol, North Glos, Bath & NE Somerset, and (North) Somerset (but don't quote me on that one). Have a look at their websites for primary school admissions and see what they say. It's the right time to do it because the online admissions pages are live. You can look in the booklets and see which schools are where and how many pupils they take (and how many were refused last year). From there you can go to the Ofsted reports for those you like the look of.