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Original poster

Queen Ethelburga's Harrogate anyone?

396 replies

TessTing · 29/01/2014 17:36

We just had another prospectus brought home from DD's state primary for QE. The idea is quite appealing but not within our budget. It seems very expensive but mentions possibility of discounts through various bursary's and scholarships. Does anyone have any experience of this? Is the school to be recommended? (middle and high school age)

OP posts:
Hobnobissupersweet · 31/01/2014 18:31

Not harrogate high!

AWimbaWay · 31/01/2014 18:34

I live in Harrogate, catchment for Rossett, I'm more than happy for my children to go there when they reach secondary age, it's already a good school and seems to be improving year upon year.

However, many of my friends are moving to get into catchment for the grammar as they feel it is a better choice than Rossett. Harrogate High doesn't have the best reputation but again is improving and I've heard might be getting a complete rebuild in the near future. St Aidens has an amazing reputation but is VERY hard to get into. I have friends with Children at Rossett, Grammar and St Aidens and they all rate the schools highly.

Sonnet · 31/01/2014 18:39

Ha ha Op how lucky to live I the Leeds/harrogate area. I come from there and have family there. Shootingpigeons post has the harrogate schools summed up. Avoid QE unless you are trying to rid yourself of a few thousand.

I would give my right arm to be in the harrogate catchment area

MrsPnut · 31/01/2014 18:53

I'd be tempted to look at this one www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-29034669.html

AWimbaWay · 31/01/2014 18:55

I wouldn't want to live there personally MrsPnut, lovely house but a very busy junction, parking would be a nightmare and they're building a huge M&S food directly opposite.

AWimbaWay · 31/01/2014 18:57

This house would be Grammar catchment I think. Obviously needs a lot of work but good location.

PersilOrAriel · 31/01/2014 19:01

I can't believe the thread is still here. I've seen several in my many years of semi-lurking and they always disappear really quickly.

AWimbaWay · 31/01/2014 19:02

Also Grammar catchment

You'd need to be Hookstone / Oatlands way for St Aidens, but you also need to have very good church attendance for three years previous to applying I think.

Original poster
TessTing · 31/01/2014 19:02

MrsP: Good choice of schools in that area and the house itself is interesting. Is the area ok? Is it a busy road? We need parking for two cars + visitor parking.

OP posts:
cher31 · 31/01/2014 19:09

I live close by. Have you considered Tadcaster Grammar? The houses are much cheaper in the surrounding villages but your close to the motorway network for Leeds etc

Fozzleyplum · 31/01/2014 19:27

Is it just me, or is anyone else a bit Shock at a state primary dishing out prospectuses to a private boarding school?

I would add that I have nothing against private schools. Both my DC go to one, although it sounds nothing like QE's - certainly no stuffed tigers in the entrance hall. When my 2 were at a state primary, about 6 years ago, we never received any promotional material from the school for anything which was prohibitively expensive for most parents - I suspect there was a policy against it. Is this kind of thing commonplace nowadays

MrsPnut · 31/01/2014 19:37

It is a major road, and I don't know what the parking is like because we moved from Harrogate 6 years ago (and we lived on the other side of town) but I grew up in a house on st George's road.

The Harlow crescent houses are great but the third bedrooms will all be small. The area itself is great and I did see a few houses for sale at the bottom of cold bath road which again is a great area - very close to town and on street residents parking from what I can remember.

AWimbaWay · 31/01/2014 19:51

I agree Cold Bath road area is great, we nearly moved there when we first moved to the area 6 years ago, the only reason we didn't in the end was that we wanted a proper garden which are hard to come by in that area. If you're not bothered by that there are lovely houses within your price range in that area.

breatheslowly · 31/01/2014 19:58

I thought that to Fozzleyplum. I assume they get paid to do it, but even then it's a bit odd.

Blueberrypots · 31/01/2014 20:04

Our state primary does it too - we've had GSAL leaflets and brochures before, but not QE's.....pheeew...

AWimbaWay · 31/01/2014 20:05

Although having just checked prices have gone up a little sine we bought, this is in the cold bath road area, www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41507719.html

Original poster
TessTing · 31/01/2014 20:21

AWim: Wish we had that sort of budget, but really not sure how relaxing it would be in a bath with a great big airplane in view, though the rest of that house is lovely. Garden isn't necessarily a dealbreaker for us, just a minimal courtyard would be fine.

OP posts:
Original poster
TessTing · 31/01/2014 20:21

Sorry, I just realised that this is moving more towards a property porn thread than education.

OP posts:
MrsPnut · 31/01/2014 20:48

I've done a quick search from the grammar school postcode here

Original poster
TessTing · 31/01/2014 22:32

Thanks MrsP. What are those areas like? Those newbuilds look interesting, is the area ok? Not sure if the others are ex-council housing or not.

OP posts:
MrsPnut · 01/02/2014 07:46

Those areas are all fine, there aren't any particularly bad areas of Harrogate. It's far too genteel to have da hood.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a house near parts of Knaresborough road, Claro road, any where in starbeck or parts of jennyfields.

I don't think any of the houses on that list would be ex council housing, and the ones up at Harlow are up the hill. There is a wonderful park up there and you can walk right down through the pine woods to the valley gardens and into town.
My great grandparents used to own 2 shops at Harlow hill and my great aunt still lives in the family home on wharfdale.

AWimbaWay · 01/02/2014 09:43

The areas MrsPnut linked are all fine, sort after exactly for the reason you're looking, school catchment, many of the children that attend my Dcs primary school live in that area.

Agree again, although non of the areas in Harrogate could be considered bad I would also avoid the ones MrsPnut listed along with Bilton.

I would look at the following areas;
Cold Bath Road
Otley Road
Pannal Ash Road
Leadhall Ln
Wheatlands

MrsPnut · 01/02/2014 09:45

I sort of disagree with Wimba on Bilton, there are some lovely areas but they are miles from HGS, St Aidens and Rossett.

AWimbaWay · 01/02/2014 09:53

TessTing, I have pm'd you a bit of information about the area in which I live. Lovely area but as I mentioned earlier it is Rossett catchment not Grammar.

AWimbaWay · 01/02/2014 10:01

I think I'm put off Bilton as I rented there for a year when we first moved to the area, there were always a lot of hooded youths hanging around throwing wheelie bins around, spraying graffiti, smoking etc. Not the most heinous of crimes I know but it still put me off, plus although some of the children in that area choose to travel over to Rossett it is Harrogate High Catchment.

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