Advice on schools in North Yorkshire!

[Nemosnemsis]

Hi! I'm new to mumsnet so sorry if this sort of topic has come up before.

Hubby and I have been renting a house in Ripon for over a year while looking to buy in the area - he works in Darlington but we are keen to stay near the dales while keeping his commute reasonable. We are hoping to start a family ASAP, and would ideally like to not have to move house again (unforeseen circumstances aside)

After much searching, we have potentially found our perfect house near Bedale. The only problem is, we don't know what we would do about schools. Ripon Grammar is the obvious choice, but we would be well out of the catchment. Other than that I think we would only consider private but can't find one nearby - Barnard castle would be 45 mins away, QE was considered but discounted after reading previous threads on here... So we're a bit stuck. Are we mental for worrying about something so far down the line, or should we forget the house and look to move further north?

I'd really appreciate any advice on chances of getting into ripon grammar from that sort of distance (albeit many years in the future!) or recommendations for schools in the area. Sorry for rambling!

I don't know the area at all but as your children aren't even born yet I wouldn't worry, buy the house you like and enjoy it worry about schools when you've got children. I've been to the Yorkshire Dales once, Swaledale, I think and I thought it was one of the most beautiful places in the world to live.

Thanks happygargening, my feeling was the same, it's the hubby that's panicking a bit as he is so desperate to never move again after this one. But we love the dales too, that's why we don't want to leave Yorkshire!

I don't know what Cundall Manor's like any more, had friends with kids there several years ago who absolutely loved it.

Queen Margaret's, Queen Mary's and Ampleforth aren't miles away either I don't think.

Could you go to a good local primary, then think about secondary at a later stage? You may be fed up of your house in 10-15 years time!
Older kids can train into York, so that St Peter's, The Mount and Bootham come into consideration.

Don't know how far over you are but allertonshire in Northallerton and Stokesley are both brilliant schools.

think Stokesley will be too far (about 40 min drive)

whereas Allertonshire will be a lot closer.

There's some good schools in North yorkshire,I live in York. There's some good schools in Harrogate especially John fishers it's state but achieves excellent results and has being published in the tatler state schools guide! There's also Harrogate ladies college which is really good! Cundall manor is an excellent school dd is looking there for 6th form next year. York has some good private schools,

Thanks for your suggestions. I should probably have said, the house is actually 20mins from bedale into Wensleydale, so York and Harrogate would be a bit inaccessible. There are a few nice local primary schools, but I can't see any good secondaries that would be near enough. I think I'll have to try and persuade hubby that moving again in ~10 years wouldn't be the end of the world!

ah, maybe a little different then.

I know bedale to Northallerton run a school bus, but unsure about wensleydale.

I grew up a little further away just near Stokesley, still here. Wonderful part of the country - bloody love it :)

I hate to be negative but assuming that you do have children straight away if you are still in the gorgeous depths of Wensleydale you might find they are revolting in around 14 years time and you might want to move nearer or even in a town for a bit of peace from the endless chauffeuring, moaning etc. unless you can cultivate a love of shepherding or similar...... You might have even got a bit fed up of the trek to Ripon Morrisons. In any case different schools work for different personalities and ability levels and you certainly can't know that in advance however brilliant a gene pool you and DH might come from. I have two entirely different DDs and their genes were certainly fished from pools we didn't know existed

Ripon Grammar is becoming increasingly the target of the tutoring racketculture and the catchment is shrinking and fewer getting in from state primaries, it is becoming less of the community grammar it once was, that is now, who knows what it will be like in 12 years time.

I would move to your house, get names down wherever you can and then relax, enjoy raising babies in the gorgeous countryside and leave the schools stress for 5/11 years time when you will be ingratiated in the mother's Mafia and can play the system know better what is right for your child.