Tavistock schools

[SkiAlbert]

We are moving to Devon from Norway and want to station ourselves near the moors , this is close to our home land environment.
We have 3 children , 1 boy and 2 girls

Can any one suggest the best of the schools in Exeter and Tavistock ... Or Plymouth . We do not know the area but some info before we come over next Easter would be great.

A.lbert

You do not state the ages of your DC. Are we discussing primary or Secondary here?

Also state or private? You do realise that state schools will be largely catchment based here dont you? In and around Tavistock, the school will be Tavistock College. It is the only realistic choice in the area given travel and catchments etc.

Also, Exeter is quite a journey from Tavistock. If you are thinking of schooling DC there then boarding might be the only option. Are your DC clever? Exeter School is highly selective (independent). The others are very much nothing to choose between them.

There arent really many private schools to choose from.
Plymouth has one main independent (and a couple of additional preps).

Tavistock itself has Kelley College (and prep) and there are a few preps dotted around the area, all make for longish journeys (the roads are bending and slow and traffic ridden mostly if heading for town).

After that you have to travel further - upwards of an hour and over for any school - and if using a school bus probably much longer. This makes their school day very long.

I've heard great things about Mount House in Tavistock.

You might like to take a look at the local Devon website? Might be worth posting your question on there too. local.mumsnet.com/Talk/devon/local-active

State or private? And which age?

Plymouth has a grammar shool system (2 girls grammars & 1 boys) & children do travel to Plymouth from Tavistock to go to those schools. Although the majority would go to Tavistock college.

Our children are 4,7 and 9 . Here in Norway formal education starts at 7 like most Scandinavian countries as we feel it suppress the child's development. We want a school that will enhance them outside the classroom as well.
We have looked on many school sites , some now wanting very young children , is this correct !

We want if possible a school that is not too local as our children will have to move again in 4 years.

If you move to the UK your youngest child will need to be in full-time education by the start of the term following their fifth birthday. You can choose to home educate them if you wish, rather than send them to school. You can get more information regarding this from the 'home educating' topic area of this forum.

Regarding school choices if you can say whether you are looking at state education or private (paid for by yourselves) that would help people local to the area to advise you further.

If you can afford private then Mount House in Tavistock would be ideal.

For state there are quite a few villages with good primaries to the east of Plymouth. I have friends with children at schools in Meavy, Buckland Monachorum and Lamerton who are very happy. More central to Dartmoor there is Chagford and Widdecombe, but I don't know so much about those two.

It becomes much more problematic at secondary level. Plymouth has some good grammar schools, I have heard mixed reviews of the school at Ivybridge too, same for Tavistcock College. In this area the more rural you are, the more limited your choice will be, based purely on the practicalities of getting to and from school each day.