Schools and life in the Cotswolds (and beyond)

[Bigmove25]

DH thinks it's the perfect time to quit the big smoke and semi-retire (although we still have young children). We failed to pull the trigger when we started looking in 2018-2019, then Covid hit. Other than a few day trips we haven't really been back and don't know if finding a nice house, in a good location, with access to great school is an even bigger headache than in 2019.

Is it better to live with easy access to say Oxford or Worcester for access to (state and private) secondary schools rather than in the middle of Gloucestershire or are there good state and private secondary options in Gloucestershire?

My biggest concern is the growing reputation for the Cotswolds being over-run with billionaires and rich celebs (a lifestyle we certainly can't afford). We have a decent budget so could afford something in most areas but I don't want to move out of a big expensive city to a country lifestyle that is even more expensive (access to a big name Supermarket and good council run gym would be more use to me than having Daylesford on my doorstep). Perhaps would we be better off looking in Oxfordshire or Worcestershire for a nice non-Cotswold village or even moving the search somewhere like Bedfordshire or Northamptonshire?

Will also post in property as think I've rambled my way into a 2 question thread!

TIA

@Bigmove25 🤣, I’ve honestly never heard it mentioned. You get the occasional tourist but that’s all!

None of the big ones with decent finances will even hiccup. It really depends on what you want out of it for your kids. State schools are just so massively underfunded. I think you need to look very carefully at what GCSEs/A-levels are on offer and if they have full time qualified staff to teach those subjects. For state secondaries I'd consider Burford, Downs and Cherwell.

What about Thame? Lord Williams might work.

Is this Bourton on Water you are talking about?

@Dbirk Thame ruled out, too many murders!

🤣 🤣🤣 We do love a bank holiday special of Midsummer. My (tiresome) family would definitely play dead at least once a week if we moved there!

Honestly I reckon you're more looking at places in Sussex. I'm not sure you'll find what you want that far out.

@Bigmove25 the areas used for filming are definitely identifiable if you know, if you see what I mean! The locals are used to it and don’t bat an eye. But I can understand the excitement!
Good luck in your search.
Lord Williams is a comprehensive in Thame with a very good reputation, just in case you change your mind!

Funnily enough I did suggest this to DH as I quite fancy being near(er) the beach in my dotage. Any suggestions?

Worcestershire has some really lovely villages. Worcester is great for families and if you want private schools looks at RGS and kings, or if you wanted boarding look at Bromsgrove or Malvern. For state schools I would avoid bromsgrove, Redditch and Droitwich. Evesham has Prince Henry’s which has a very good reputation and the De montford school which was always one to avoid, but I have heard it’s greatly improving at the moment, and has just had a good Ofsted. There are some lovely villages which would be in catchment, the Lenchs to the north or Evesham, or Elmley Castle, the Combertons and Cropthorne which are west/south west of evesham. If you wanted to be closer to Worcester, pershore and Hanley Swan near Upton are also good schools, I would avoid living the Upton side of Hanley swan as Upton floods and it can be a long way round when this happens. As others have said Chipping Campden is just over the boarder in Gloucestershire is a very good school, but very over subscribed.
i think in terms of value for money, you would get a lot more property for your money in Worcestershire, and there are certain villages in the Cotswolds which have a lot of second homes in them, which drives the price up.

Have you considered Malvern in Worcestershire? Was in the top 10 places to live in the UK recently. Good schools, beautiful countryside.

Great post @Applesandpears58 I definitely want to check out Worcestershire. Flooding is a concern, so thanks for the warning.

I would say some of the schools mentioned are resting on their laurels tbh and aren’t actually that good. chipping campden for example gets good results because most students get extra tutoring. Pershore used to be very good but isn’t all that at the moment. Droitwich just has a good ofsted, bishop perowne in Worcester has a good ofsted. I am a teacher myself though, so have a different perspective on schools.

It does look beautiful. Is it quite remote though? Seems very far away from what I know.

I’ve been ready to move for 20 years! I’ve spent the last 10 years convincing DH to move to Cotswolds… if I try and persuade him to move to the other side of Worcestershire I may have to stop looking for a quintessential English village and just start looking for a retirement village!

Yes, Schools do change. That’s why MN is so useful. I know near where I am a school rated as ‘needs improvement’ only a few years ago got a new SLT, was regraded to Good and will be Outstanding at next assessment. It is now oversubscribed and getting your child in gives you middle class bragging rights.
I'd far rather a school on the up, with a good SLT, than a middle class school that is resting on their laurels.

Chichester? Not Sussex but Winchester would tick most boxes.

On the basis of results esp maths and behaviour, Matthew Arnold is not so hot now. Everyone seems to have noticed too as it’s no longer oversubscribed despite this year being the record number of kids overall year.

OP if you move to Oxford itself, make sure you’re in catchment for one of the good schools. South west Oxford is not great. Being in the Cherwell/Swan/Cheney/Spires catchments is best.

Bartholomew is still great by all accounts.

OP - another consideration is SEN. There is no funding in Oxfordshire to provide SEN support. It’s one of those councils where you have to take them to court to get anywhere in a timely manner. If you think your kids may need that support, another county may be better.

Going totally rogue, have you considered Chester or environs? Amazing access to the countryside, the city is lovely and there's a direct train to Euston which only takes two hours.

Private schools - King's is your best bet
State schools - Tarporley High has a very good reputation

For flooding, avoid Eckington, one of the main routes into the village is always the first place to flood and Fladbury, between Pershore and Evesham and Upton as I’ve previously mentioned. The Centre of Worcester can be bad, the racecourse always floods, and occasionally onto the roads, but there are alternative routes to take. Good luck in your search, feel free to pm me any questions you have shout Worcestershire.

I don't think it's remote! We're 10 minutes from Worcester and the motorway, half an hour from Hereford, and about an hour from Brum. The town is busy with a popular theatre and swimming pool.

What aboutFairford or Marlborough? Good schools and some amenities.

Agree re the lovely villages in the Vale of Evesham: try the Littletons, Cleeve Prior and Bretforton, although as mentioned up thread check out which of the Evesham schools you might get into from those locations. It's also worth flagging that parts of Worcestershire still have a middle school system, (Evesham for one).

I'd definitely say Evesham is more remote than Malvern!

I didn’t mean to offend. I don’t know the area at all. It’s heading into Herefordshire which just seems a bit far. Will check it out though as it does look lovely.