Moving to Bath/Wiltshire - Schools?

[jelibeli]

DH has a new job in Bristol, so we thinking about moving from Midlands to Bath or Wiltshire. Have to apply for DS's primary school this October. Want an area with a good primary school, and good secondary school too so we don't have to move house again just to get into good secondary school in a few years' time.
Am I right in thinking that in Bath the areas would be Combe Down, Saltford (and East Keynsham)?
Also have no idea about Wiltshire.
I have spent hours with league tables and ofsted reports and my brain is overloaded. Any info much appreciated!

In Bath - lots of good primary schools! Best/most talked about are St Stephens (over-subscribed but you may be lucky), Widcome, St Marys Bathwick (people rave about this one), Combe Down okay, I think, and lots of good talk at the mo about Newbridge Primary and Infants. Saltford is outside Bath, but lots of good things about that one too.
Best secondary, according to rumour, is Beechen Cliff but don't have dcs this age.
Usually there are places, as Bath also has masses of independent schools for such a tiny city.

Thanks for the information! I wondered whether St Stephens and Bathwick (and maybe Widcombe) would be a big stress to get into (going to their church etc, especially with so little time before applications are due). Beechen Cliff seems v. good at A level but not at GCSE on the league tables. That is why trying to work out what is best overall is doing my head in!
Thanks for mentioning Newbridge, I had forgotten about it because it is not on the league tables (new school) but the previous one wasn't that great, was it?

No but new FANTASTIC head has taken over. I know he's great because he used to be at King Edwards, where DS1 is. Think you're right about St Stephens, but others are, I think, more flexible.
Have you found a house yet? Do you not fancy Bristol?

Ralph Allen is very good, and is great with less academic kids which Beechen Cliff is not- they select their 6th form which is why a levels are great but gcses are not. Also Ralph Allen is one of only 2 mixed sex state schools and the other is not very good.

If the job is in Bristol you could move to the Chew Valley/Midsomer Norton side. Lots of great village schools and Norton Hill has a consistently good reputation as a secondary school.

That's interesting about Newbridge, thanks.
Bath seems more manageable than Bristol (we currently live in a small town and don't want total culture shock). We thought finding a house in a good primary/secondary school area in Bristol would be hugely expensive. People in south/east Bristol seem to try to get their children into schools in North Somerset anyway (Chew or Keynsham). Maybe we'll look into it, but Bath is a nice town. Maybe we want the impossible!: nice affordable house in nice area, not right in the centre, near good schools.

Arriety - thanks.
Not sure we can afford Chew Valley!
My worry with Midsomer Norton is that the good school might be very oversubscribed and that might only leave rather less good ones. Need to look into it...

Bath is lovely but the good areas are very expensive. Avoid Southdown, Whiteway, parts of Odd Down, parts of Twerton, parts of Foxhill.

Keynsham is variable and Wellsway is a much better secondary than the other.

Look on the other side of the A37 to the Chew Valley- Temple Cloud, Clutton, Norton etc. I was told with Norton Hill you will get a place as long as you send the forms back as soon as you get them.

If you fancy being in town, Newbridge area might be good and more affordable than other areas? Have you contacted BANES to establish catchment areas?

Arriety - yes, you're right. The nicer areas in Bath are so much more expensive.
Ralph Allen does seem good. And thanks for ideas of areas to be looking in.
100times - thanks, we will look in Newbridge (hadn't considered it before).
I have print-outs from the internet of catchment areas. BaNES do seem to be good about putting all sort of information on the internet.

Re. Beechen Cliff- Has it got a good reputation because the good pupils do really well, but others don't? Maybe that is why it's overall GCSE results on the league table do not seem to be that great. I'm glad I asked on Mumsnet now because otherwise I would have discounted it.

It's the old grammar school and likes very academic kids and very sporty kids. Partly I think it trades on its old reputation as it used to be much better than Culverhay, the other all boys school. However Culverhay had a change of head and although its reputation has yet to catch up it is supposed to be a good school, especially pastorally.

One further cheeky question: are there any particularly good pre-schools or nurseries that you would recommend in this area?

Lavington excellent secondary school and all surrounding village schools very good. This is west Wiltshire.

I think that are quite a few good ones. Know more about the secondary schools to be honest but when you move let me know where you are looking at and I will run them by a friend who works for the County.

Try Chippenham in Wiltshire.
Really great place to live, superb for families. Housing not too expensive.

Schools good, several good primary schools and most don't have too much pressure on places. Many people choose non-catchment schools without any problems.

Secondary schools excellent - Sheldon in particular has brilliant reputation, and is in Ofsted's honours list of 'best of the best'.

Two other secondary schools - again, both do well with Ofsted etc.

Easily commutable to Bristol either by road or rail - 30 mins by train, regular trains.

exbatt + tootricky, thanks for info on Wiltshire! We are confused about Chippenham. The secondary schools sound good. Which primaries have good reputations? Must admit we have only been to the town centre and were really disappointed by the shopping area (although obviously DS's education is more important!).
Devizes does seem to have lots of schools near top of league tables. Will check with DH whether he would commute from there...

Don't know about schools in Devizes, but it's a nightmare place to commute to/from by all accounts. I do quite like the shops there though!

Chippenham - to be quite honest there isn't a primary school I wouldn't be happy to send my children to. Some are definitely 'better' if you look at Ofsted and league tables, but I'm not convinced they tell the whole picture about what the schools do with the children they get.

St Mary's (Catholic) and St Peter's (CoE) are highly sought after. Redland is newly trendy - 10 years ago no-one wanted to send their children there but it's now flavour of the month. My lot go/used to go to Ivy Lane and I think it's brilliant. It doesn't always do so hotly in league tables and has quite a mixed intake, but it is caring, has brilliant, innovative teachers and my gifted and talented children (not my definition!) thrived there and were supported and challenged.

Queens' Crescent and Monkton Park are supposed to be good, as are Charter and Frogwell which both have special needs/learning support units.

Probably the poorest reputation is St Pauls but to be honest a lot of that is historic and linked to the council area nearby. I know children and staff there and it seems to be OK. My own sister in law went there not so many years ago and did very well indeed.

As for the secondary schools, Abbeyfields is only 6 years old and mainly caters for the Pewsham area of town (which has a huge primary school, King's Lodge), and villages towards Calne and indeed Calne itself. Don't move to Calne!

Hardenhuish and Sheldon are right next door to one another, both very good statistics and reputation - Sheldon has the edge but I would be very happy with either. If you live in the town itself you're in catchment for both of these - some of my friends have children at both.

My children are at Sheldon and it is just fantastic. If it's statistics you're into, it regularly outperforms grammar schools and well-known private schools in the county.
It is hot on discipline, the work ethos, rewarding children. Loads of extra-curricular opportunities, great pastoral care.

I agree Chippenham town centre could be more exciting, but we have most day-to-day things. A great farm shop and a few miles away there is a lovely garden centre with kids' activities and a superb local food hall.

We tend to use Chippenham for most ordinary shopping, and have trips to Bath, Corsham, Devizes etc for a slightly different range.
If it's shopping malls you're after, people tend to go to Cribbs Causeway near Bristol or the Outlet Centre in Swindon, but I'm not keen myself.

Exbatt - thanks so much for your detailed info. We had kind of ruled out Chippenham, but you have got me interested again. Lots there to be thinking about!

I'd second Exbatt. I don't live in Chippenham, but happily would. Whilst it perhaps isn't as pretty as Bath, you certainly get a lot more for your money, and the train ride into Bath is just 10 mins. The schools in Chippenham do have a fantastic reputation, and if I had the choice, I would live there and send my children to one of the Chippenham schools. Chippenham isn't a bad commute from Bristol either, depending on where abouts in Bristol your hubby would be commuting.
HTH

Thanks Rarrie - reassuring to hear your endorsement of Chippenham. Maybe we should have a proper look around the residential areas.