Moving to Edinburgh - sorting out schools

[maggiethecat]

Looks like we will be moving and am trying to figure out schools. Dd1 was 7 in Aug (currently in yr 3 at RC school in England) and dd2 was 4 in Nov (will be reception in Sep 2011 in England or P1 Scotland I think).

We will visit as a family end January and am putting together a list of schools we'd like to see when there (I should add I've never been to Scotland).

DD will work in Little France area so need to find home/schools within reasonable distance.

We've heard about St Peters RC and have appointment to see them. Also heard about Flora Stevenson which sounds good since dd1 is very musical. James Gillespie and St Marys also mentioned by dh's friend.

I'd love to hear if anyone has dc attending or otherwise knows anything about any of these schools.

I'd really like to know the answer to this too!

www2.jpscotland.co.uk/EN/en02schools.PDF

The above link gives an idea to the popularity of the schools.

Personally, I wouldn't want my Dcs to go to Sciennes - it is completely over crowded with reports of children being taught in corridors.

IMO people living in one bed flats to get their children into Sciennes/ morningside or whatever need to have a chat with themselves as they could have a better standard of living and their children would be equally successful and potentially more happy at another school. There are , actually, very few horrific schools in Edinburgh.

IMO if you see a flat/house you like go and make an appointment at the local school and go with your gut instinct. I don't know anything about Preston St but I am sure it is absolutely fine.

I think you should calm down a bit and put things into perspective - your eldest still is some way from starting school and you have time in your favour to get a feel of Edinburgh including neighbourhoods and schools.

We have to move soon and place 2 children without having much firsthand experience to guide us. I must admit that I have had my share of panic attacks but I keep telling myself that things will be fine.

Your mention of Preston St primary made me recall a recent conversation with dh who told me about a prospective colleague who has recently moved from overseas to Edinburgh to take up an academic position. As it goes dh was telling colleague about his concerns of getting our dds into a good school. Colleague calmly said that his son was going to start Preston Rd which was on their doorstep. His rationale was that it was near to their home, children looked happy there and it was not ridiculously oversubscribed.

What seemed to have struck dh was how relaxed colleague was about the whole thing (in contrast to our nail biting episodes). Dh also remarked that colleague was extremely bright and I came away thinking that people who are very confident about their ability to direct and influence their children's development probably don't pay much attention to popular opinion of which schools ones children MUST attend.

Go and visit the school yourself and try to rely on your own instincts.

South Morningside is very overcrowded and reputation has fallen a lot, i know a teacher there who sends her children to oxgangs primary as she thinks it is better

Greenbank is in catchment for st peters which is a fantastic school. There are lots of good schools in edinburgh i wouldn't worry.

Bonaly
St peters
St marys
Oxgangs
Blackball
Roseburn
Davidsons mains
Brunsfield

To name a few

If it's any help, I went to Preston St, (as did all my three siblings) albeit a very long time ago. Because it is placed near the university housing you do get a lot of overseas children, with well educated parents, who enrich the overall educational experience. My parents are still in the area with friends who send their parents there, and who all seem very happy. As an academic indicator, everyone I still know who went there (about 30 in all) went to "good" universities, several to oxbridge, most via Boroughmuir, although I know the catchment is now Gillespies. There is unreasonable school snobbery in Edinburgh, visit and make up your own mind ( while keeping the inspectors reports in mind!)

I don't have children yet but I am involved in a sport that coaches a number of after school groups from a selection of Edinburgh schools and I know a number of parents. There is very little between the schools unless you are far out of town, honestly. I think Edinburgh has quite a lot of people who would like to make decisions with loads of data in front of them, but the absence of SATs and the council's attempts to adjust catchments to ensure a variety of socio-economic groups at each school mean they are clinging to tiny straws when making a choice. At my after school clubs there is no way I could tell one group of students from another. The schools we coach are:

Bruntsfield, Craiglockhart, Sciennes, Preston St, Tollcross, Corstorphine and Fettes (okay, they might stand out slightly)!

I work at the university/hospital (in academia) and the majority of people I know just send their kids to the local school, whichever it is, with very little stress, as do the teachers I know. All my neighbours' children go to the local school and every parent I meet through sport is happy with the school their children attend. As the children pass from after school club to sport club, they are all mixed up and I hear very little between the kids of "my school is better than yours," or staying separate from each other. So basically, relax, the tiny differences between the primaries is unlikely to be enough to make much difference in anything other than commute IME.

Not sure if AbiT is even around anymore to take in any of the advice

Did you sort out what you are doing Maggie?

Thanks for asking Owl. We got places for both girls at Mary Erskine which eased the concern about them getting into the same school.

We put in an out of catchment application for Sciennes although I doubt that we would get places. The features that you mention above about Preston St are some of the things that appealed to us about Sciennes ie diversity of nationalities through University employee connections, broadmindedness etc.

Might see you at Ravelston in August then - ds2 starts P1 then!

Maggie have you got a house sorted out yet? Godd news on the school front, one less thing to worry about.

Of course, Owl. I remembered the name but couldn't place you - you're going to have 3 there I think?

Not sorted house yet as we will rent first and it's still a bit too early for moving end July.

Girls not happy that they will only have 3 weeks summer hols (school finishes here 21 July)

Yes, three spread over the two sites!

Gosh, they are losing out holiday-wise, no wonder they're unhappy about that!

Hope the move goes well and you're well settled for the new term.

Thank you

Hi,

I'm one of those overseas parents whose kid will be going to Preston Street next year. I had a really lovely chat with the head teacher and found her to be kind, friendly and very helpful. Call her if you have questions.

Parents I've spoken to whose kids go there, are very happy. We want a friendly, kind, engaging place and from what I've heard Preston street will be just that.

good luck on your search.

Maggie, I would be interested to know how you managed to put in an out of catchment request when you don't yet have an address in Edinburgh? I was told that you had to have an address before you could apply to schools. Thanks and good luck with the move.

I spoke with the council and they said that I could put in an application and as soon as I have an address I would need to inform them. I don't know that there's anything that says you must have an Edinburgh address to make an out of catchment application. Reality is probably that you don't stand a chance until you can cough up a catchment address.