Moving to Glasgow

[HappymummyKZ]

Hi. Last year I became a widow and a single parent to a 3 year old. My DD is due to start school next September. I'm selling our house in Midlands and looking to move somewhere else to have a fresh start. I'm considering a move to Glasgow or somewhere around Glasgow. There are no special reasons why I want to move there other than that I've been there before as a tourist and loved the city and also Ayrshire countryside. Any advice, tips, experience that you can share with me?

Hello Happymummy. There is actually a scotsnet section on here where you will get lots more traffic if you post there. They normally like a good property hunt for posters. 😁

We do love property searches

Also, if your 3 year old is due to start school next September (reception?) then you'll probably find that they'll only be going to start school in Scotland the following year (no reception year). But there is nursery - which I think by next year will be funded for more hours (ds is 20 now so I don't know the detail )

"Cut off date" is March, so all those turning 5 between March 2021 and February 2002 will be starting school in August 2021 - although it's common for January and February birthdays to defer (also possible for November and December birthdays and in theory October and September but very unusual - although you need the support of the nursery to continue to get funding).

Good luck with your move

Hi @HappymummyKZ. I'm close to Edinburgh and I can't give you detailed advice on Glasgow and its surroundings - Scotsnet will be the place for that. I'm replying to say that I moved here from southern England 20 years ago looking for a new start as a single parent with two young DDs and I haven't regretted the move for a moment. I hope the move north of the border is just as successful for you.

I was also going to say post in SCotsnet. I’d be thinking about schools before fixing on an area.
One thing to think about if you have no ideological objections is that some Scottish private schools offer means tested bursaries or free education to the children of widows and widowers. I think Hutchesons (‘Hutchie’) in Glasgow does and George Heriots’s in Edinburgh definitely offers education to ‘faitherless bairns’ - a friend who is a widow has two children being educated virtually free there thanks to their charitable foundation.

If you are thinking state in Glasgow, the best state schools are generally thought to be found in East Renfrewshire - Mearns Castle, Williamwood, St Ninians and in Bearnsden/ Milngavie areas. I believe there is an old statistic that one in four Edinburgh children are privately educated and only one in 200 in East Renfrewshire ( which is a wealthy area) because the state schools are so good.

@HappymummyKZ

Hi. Last year I became a widow and a single parent to a 3 year old. My DD is due to start school next September. I'm selling our house in Midlands and looking to move somewhere else to have a fresh start. I'm considering a move to Glasgow or somewhere around Glasgow. There are no special reasons why I want to move there other than that I've been there before as a tourist and loved the city and also Ayrshire countryside. Any advice, tips, experience that you can share with me?

Hope this helps

We did the opposite
Born and bred in Glasgow and moved to South East in 2019.

Glasgow itself (unless going private) doesn't have a fab reputation for schools but like someone mentioned East Ren & East Dunbartonshire do. My daughter attended Bearsden Primary and loved it, was a great school.
I'd also recommend looking into Stirling area...Balfron, Killearn etc. All really beautiful villages and excellent schooling but more rural so depends what you're looking for.
Edinburgh does have the best private schools and is a wonderful city.

I have to say though, having moved down To England the education system is better here in my opinion. Far more in depth than the curriculum of excellence the SNP have been pushing for years. In Scotland you do a broader range of subject but in England it's less subjects but deeper into the core ones.
If your child happens to have any SEN then again..England trumps Scotland on that stakes. More funding here. But these are all ifs and buts.
What's most important is family happiness and if Glasgow makes you happy then go for it...you can always move back, at least it will be an adventure. That's his we're looking at our move

Can't comment in Ayrshire too much as I don't know it that well but any friends who do live there send their children private. Not sure if that says something or not..?!

Good luck deciding :)