Moving from London to Wales

[flowerxxx]

Hi
I'm new to mumsnet but I was hoping I could get some insight or experiences , my husband and I ( and my almost 2 yr old) are looking at moving to South Wales from London. Iv been researching the education in Wales, has anyone any experience of moving to wales and can tell me what they think of the education. My son will be going to pre school as soon as he's two for a couple of mornings a week.
Also how is living in Wales? Please be honest, I'm nervous but very excited at the same time!
Thank you and I appreciate any response

I was there for 6 months, working in Caerphilly and living in Llanishen on the outskirts of Cardiff. There's a mountain just outside. Caerphilly. I liked Wales, the valleys in particular were very interesting. You can sometimes see the remains of the old mining equipment. Cardiff itself is splendid, and not too far away are the Brecon beacons. Education I think you'd have to research, can't help you on that one!

Oh dear
I haven't experienced anything too negative about wales I'm back and forth as my mum lives there
We're looking around the outskirts of cwmbran as it's close to newport, Cardiff and M4 for work commutes
I hope it's not that bad!

What a horrible post from Hotdog full of sweeping generalisations.

Education in Wales is in a state of change - a new curriculum is being prepared and teachers are moving towards that.
Google Donaldson and 12 pedagogical Principles if you want to know more about it.

Cardiff is a lovely vibrant city and around the Welsh coasts there are some amazing beaches.

Welsh people are like people all over the world - some are lovely, some are not.

Thank you il have a google of that

I would love to see some of the beaches and to discover some of the hidden gems I know are around

The centre of Cwmbran is a bit run down and dated, but lots of people seem happy living in these large estates that are popping up on the outskirts.

Will you educate in English or Welsh? What will you do for work and where?

You'll probably be sat on a fortune by Cwmbran standards if you're selling up in London, so finding a house should be easy.

Have a look at caerleon or crickhowell. Crickhowell comp regularly sends to Oxbridge and has a 85% pass rate. Bassleg school also very good. Detached houses are around £250-300k . All within 20 mins of Newport .

Come West for amazing beaches - The Gower or Pembrokeshire.

If you love History Wales is full of castles - visit St Fagans for a fab day out.

The Welsh equivalent of OFSED is ESTYN so you can visit their website to read school reports, although like all these things the reports are a snapshot in time.
mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk might also be a good place for you to look.

@hotdogsjumpingfrogs
I expect the stupid and rude people of Wales are glad to see the back of you.
With an attitude like that I very much doubt you’d be welcome anywhere.
Op, some areas of Wales are beautiful and the people are friendly. As pp have said there are good and bad people everywhere.

Loved the castles! We also visited Aberfan, still sad after all these years but a part of important history. And Tenby is glorious, and Saundersfoot next door to Tenby is lovely! I don't think you'll regret it. As someone has already said, if you're selling in London, you'll easily be able to buy something lovely in Wales as house prices are so much cheaper.

It's not an attitude its stating a fact, I encountered alot of dappy people, not very good at their jobs. Probably because there are less people so less demand for jobs.

I have to say Iv always found the people in wales very friendly, more people say hello to you than than down here in London
I love walking to the shops near my mum and getting a friendly welcome

Il be looking at English schools for my son not welsh medium ( I think it's called ) however will be happy to learn bits of welsh and support any welsh learning in the school

My husband is a data analyst so wherever he finds work in the mean time he can commute but is applying for jobs already.

Il definitely have a look at the school reports and visit a few

Il definitely visit some castles, we love the outdoors so would love do some sight seeing and exploring!

You're right @Hotdogjumpingfrogs - Wales is actually the place where they ship the stupid and incompetent - we long to be like you superior English beings but can only watch wistfully as you show us how things should be done

With an attitude like that I very much doubt you’d be welcome anywhere.

Also what does that even mean.

They won't let me in the St David's centre because I think their town planning is done by a idiot. I'm banned from the leisure centre because in my head I think the staff are dumb.

There's no thought police in Wales stopping you enter places because you have a negative opinion on the Welsh.

Wow. I'm off to Wales at the weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. Went to college there and often holiday there too.
Gorgeous beaches.
Lots of history.
Stunning views.
Friendly people (can't say I've noticed being a Welsh person makes you more "dappy" )
Some great shopping.
It really depends exactly where you are looking. Like anywhere else you have some lovely and some more run down areas.
Hoping the Cwmbran locals find this thread for you.

abelmagwitch

Ops moving from London she needs to know what to expect. If you've lived there all your life your probably used to it.

hotdog we have more than one leisure centre! I don't think you have ever been here. Wales is fabulous. I've lived away and they did it up in my absence

South Wales covers quite a big area op. Do you have a particular town in mind?

I would say living in Wales is pretty good. There are lots of beautiful places to see and a great variety of castles, mountains, beaches, countryside and cities to please pretty much everyone.

It's a lovely place to bring up a family.

I'm sure if you are a bit more specific about house budget, your needs and wants, and what sort of place you'd like to live, lots of people would be able to offer advice.

Education. Same as anywhere really. There are good, bad and outstanding schools. Don't rule out Welsh Medium. Starting the children in Cylch will immerse them in the language. It just opens up your options when it comes to secondary school.
I chose Welsh Medium despite me not speaking any. I've never needed it to help them with homework. I discuss it in English they then work in Welsh. I made this choice as I felt they would have better employment prospects in Wales and my local Welsh comp is much better than the English speaking one.

Life long Cardiff resident... we have everything the rest of civilisation has and more. In fact the regeneration of the city makes it so exciting. My husband is London born and bred and loves living in Wales (has travelled the world and Britain) and there is so much to do.

Travel in the city is fine - we crisscross the city everyday for childcare and work and it's not an issue at all and transport links are improving daily. Just pick your area well, come and spend a day driving around and research areas well - like any city there are difficult areas.

Schooling, again is variable but there are some excellent schools in some more affluent areas as well as hidden gems elsewhere. You'll be able to research these from council sites.

Cardiff is fantastic and it's situation in South Wales means you're not far from a beach or a fantastic day out.

Actually Hotdog I have lived in both England and Wales, I'm not some Welsh yokel who has crawled out of my cave. I'm not sure why you have assumed that - I have even lived in London for extended periods of time

You, of course are entitled to your opinion but I wouldn't dream of going on a thread about living in England and vilify everything English.
As I said earlier, like everywhere in the world there are good things and bad things - sadly you seem determined to run down and denigrate all things Welsh.

Loved from London to Cardiff 4 years ago & have no regrets at all. Best thing I did. Everyone is friendly, areas feel more rural, and there is so much to do!

Thank you everyone I appreciate all opinions and experiences
There are many reasons why we're moving and It's lovely to hear all the positives views, it's a big move but I have welsh heritage my mum grew up in wales until her late teens and went back 10 years ago and loves it and has been wanting to me to move there ever since.
Education is very important and I just wanted to see how it compares but Iv looked at a few nurseries and primary schools and a lot of the reports look good so that's great

We moved from the outskirts of London to South Wales 6 months ago and we’re really really happy with our move. Everyone is so friendly, the place is beautiful and, even though winter was harsh (very windy where we are), the weather has been beautiful for weeks now.

For education, if you haven’t already, have a look at the government website called my local school. It will have all the information about the schools, including estyn report, attainment info, support category, and all the data is quite well explained.

DD moved in Y4 and, after the initial adjustment period, I think the school is being great at giving her work at the same level as her old English school and keeping her interested, and at the same time it feels a lot more relaxed, with more play time - but that might be because her old school was very big and now she goes to a tiny village school.

I have no complaints about life in Wales, if anything I wish we had moved sooner!