Relocating to Edinburgh: schools and renting

[Janeywany]

(First ever post) I've just accepted a new job in Edinburgh that sees me start in April, but the family can't move up from London until August, due to lack of spaces in schools. Bruntsfield and Sciennes are the faves, so I am looking for a rental in the catchment for the first year, but all I can find are student-ey looking places.

Any tips?

I have a DD at P4 and a 3-year-old boy.

And what about nurseries too?!

Thanks in advance

Thanks Rhadegunde. I'll be at the NHS Lothian offices, on Princes Street (near the St James Centre). We're kind of working backwards - secondary=gillespies or boroughmuir primary=merchiston or sciennes. Equals where to live!

Had hoped to move at Easter, but no places 'till August. Have to get a flat lease signed to get on a waiting list for a place.

Boo hoo - the commuting mom!

Buckstone and South Morningside primaries are also in the catchment area for Boroughmuir. Here is a link to catchment area info, just in case you don't have it already.

Just in case you don't know Gillespies is about to be rebuilt so is facing a period of decanting & disruption, someone else may know start & completion dates.

Don't discount the other primaries that feed into Gillespies - Sciennes is over subscribed and I think the very good Head left recently. Dd is at Preston Street Primary and I'm really impressed with it, it's a lovely school with a nice ethos. Good luck with it all!

liath - I must live near you! My DCs are in the Gaelic Medium stream at Tollcross, but if they weren't there I'd definitely be sending them to East Preston Street rather than Sciennes.

I have no idea why so many parents are desperate to send their kids to a massively oversubscribed school. The class sizes are preposterous!

Janeywany have you considered the north? Stockbridge or Comely Bank. These areas also very good primary schools and great links to the city centre (bus or even walking)

Can anyone else believe that these movers all want exactly the same schools without fail when there are so many other good schools in Edinburgh? What are they all reading? Edinburgh really is not London...there is no north/south divide like London (mentioned on a similar thread) there are lots of good schools to select from...although to be fair, Edinburgh is becoming more like London every year :( but the weather will always be uniquely Scottish I suppose!

And I am stepping away from these threads now incase they discover my part of Edinburgh and my community's lovely schools!

Agree with BookSwapper.

Although I believe there are some significant discrepancies with the quality of schools at secondary level, with Gillespies and Boroughmuir (both centre/south of the city) coming out well in terms of reputation. Which other areas are good for secondary schools? (We're planning on moving and as my DCs are young, I;m not v clued up about secondary provision!)

I understand the best state secondaries in Edinburgh in terms of exam results to be Gillespies, Boroughmuir, Balerno, Royal High, Currie. But exam success isn't everything and what suits your kids is probably just as important

Bookswapper it is true that Edinburgh is not London, but I guess the North and South distinctions are purely to help people to locate themselves in the city, I don't think there's any prejudice when making that distinction. I agree that we tend to mention the same places and same schools, but maybe because that's what many of us know better. Maybe it could be a good idea to create a new thread and discuss all the other nice areas? :) I would be delighted to hear from areas I don't know much about.

And thank you cuckooclock for the tips on secondary schools!

Bookswapper, if you would disclose then maybe we would not all be chasing after these elusive schools.

The schools recommended to us were by dh's prospective colleagues and interestingly the OP is with the NHS as well.

Hi Everyone, thanks for really insightful discussion. I guess the problem for us relocaters is that as we generally don't have word-of-mouth and playground chat to go by, we have to rely on what is available, and unfortunately that's the blunt instruments of league tables and HMIE reports. Nothing would ever be decided without visits first!!!

And can I add Firrhill and St Thomas's to the list I put up earlier, they also have good exam results and I forgot them, sorry!

Fihill and St Thomas's are in recently rebuilt schools as is Holy Rood High
Portobello High is due for rebulding, from word of mouth it has a good orchestra.

From personal experience I like Leith Academy Secondary.
It doesnt feel like a school building with it slight airy atrium. I found the staff very supportive. Swimming pool and drama theatre onsite

Ok one last message to be polite before I ignore these threads forever...Corstorphine primary came second behind st peters in terms of numbers of kids meeting the standard in reading writing and maths last year. It feeds into Craigmount high, rebuilt recently, which h a great reputation for getting kids into Russell group universities. It was in a list of such establishments on the BBC news website a few years ago. Last year the debating society beat heriots in a national competition. And it has an award winning pipe band. And lots of placing requests! Just shows it pays to do the research behind the stats.

And when you are looking at those stats, factor in the number of children in the school against the percentages you are given. There really are only a few kids in it between the school at the top of the list to the schools in the middle! So ignore everything I said above!

I've never considered table standings to be the single most important factor in deciding schools although they are of some value. Our current head gladly accepts children with SEN unlike some other schools and we know that factors such as these affect results.

just back because I found the link...disclaimer: its from 2007. It has other Edinburgh schools on it too which is very good news.

research

Hi everyone again, and thanks for all the input. Thought I'd update,,,

Have got place in Sciennes (lovely head) for DD and Strawberry Hill for DS.

All boxes ticked, and looking forward to the move north

xxx and thanks again

Janeywany - good luck with the move! I am sure you will love Edinburgh

Glad to hear Janey - sounds like you got on with things and got what you wanted.

We liked Sciennes as well and agree that the head and deputy whom we met are lovely.

What did you like about the school?

Janeyway - good luck with the move! Hope everything goes well. x