Relocating to North West Region

[feministmam1]

Hi all, this is my first time on mums net. At the moment I live in Durham with my partner and son (8). I've just been offered a job in Prescot so we are relocating and we have no idea where to start looking!

I'd really appreciate any advice about good areas to look into. We're pretty flexible but I'm looking for a nice area for my son to grow up in, with good schools. Ideally I'd like to be within public transport reach of the city.

One last thing.......my new job begins on 1 September, so I don't have much time!!

Thanks!

I used to live in St Helens so not far away. IIRC Whiston and Rainhill are ok. Can't advise on schools unfortunately.

PS Avoid Parr.

Yes, Rainhill is a decent area, Whiston IMO is less so.
Both have train stations so commuting is good.

Eccleston is a lovely area in St Helens, with a selection of good schools - it also has a train station for easy commuting.

A little further away are nice villages called Billinge and Garswood. Billinge in particular has good schools, but isn't directly on the train line (I don't think ...)

The other side of Prescot are Huyton and Roby. Huyton is a little hit and miss - some great areas, some not so great. Roby is nicer, but I don't know anything about the schools in either area, sorry.

Hope this helps - Good luck.

Ps. I completely agree re Parr! ...and would also add Derbyshire Hill, Earlestown and Fingerpost to the 'avoid' list.

Hi i'm in knowsley village,4 miles from prescot, good primary schools, one catholic. A nice area between kirkby and huyton, both of which i'd avoid. Second rainhill and eccleston being nice, better secondary schools than knowsley, catholic schools have better reputation than others though, too. No use for us :( Not great public transport to liverpool but reasonably connected with prescot and kirkby, from where you can get the train. Some new estates of nice houses towards widnes but don't know about schools that way. Slightly further afield Maghull has a good reputation for schools, and falls into Sefton not knowsley. So probably cheaper car insurance etc.

You could consider living in Liverpool suburbia near the Knowsley border so being in Liverpool for schools, but convenient for Prescot. some parts of Liverpool - Broad Green/Old Swan/Childwall are v near end of M62 and so would be convenient for Prescot. Public transport links in Liverpool itself are pretty good, especially if you live near a train station. Prescot has a train station and regular trains into Liverpool.

Wrt to Eccleston having a railway station, it's Eccleston Park that has the station, which is one stop away from Prescot rail station.

Meant to say that if you/your DP drive then both are lovely areas to live in.

Hi. If you want to be in Liverpool, mossley hill is great with fab schools.

Welcome to the North West .

Would probably try to avoid living in Knowsley itself due to schools (though Knowsley Village is nice). There are some ok bits of St Helens - Rainhill and Eccleston Park are particularly handy for Prescot - where the schools generally better. Further afield in St Helens are Rainford, Eccleston and Billinge. Would be ok to commute to Prescot from if you have a car, but not as easy as Rainhill and Eccleston Park by public transport.

You do need to be a bit cautious with St Helens in general though -agree with the areas already identified above as being ones to avoid!

The alternative would be going nearer to Liverpool, but I'm not as familiar with the surrounding area as some previous posters.