PLEASE help!! Info on primaries/living in Bath

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Hope this isn't too wide a subject, but I'm looking to move to Bath (or very close by) by the end of 2013, and could do with some help on schools/areas to live.

I have one DS aged 2, so a big priority will be a good primary. I seem to read a lot about the primaries in Larkhall - St Stephens? St Saviours? - but are there any others that get people's vote? Larkhall sounds lovely but am LP so budget might not be up to it. Am scanning Rightmove for affordable properties and Oldfiedl Park comes up a lot. Does this have a decent primary? Is it a nice area? Seems to be close to Twerton which people advise avoiding, but not sure. What about Widcombe/ Batheaston/Bathampton?

Fwiw, I work from home so won't need to tackle traffic/rush hour etc. Have wondered if I'd be better off in one of the villages close to Bath, but don't want to be too isolated. Currently live in Brighton and am an ex-Londoner so quite like the bustle!

Thanks so much for any advice.

Hi,
We live by Oldfield Park, and my son has just started at Oldfield Park Infants. It is such a lovely school. He is getting on really well there. The junior school is about a 10 minute walk away. The area of Oldfield Park is lovely. A great local shopping area called Moorland Road, with greengrocer, bakery, butchers, cafes and a small saisnburys. Has a library, hairdressers, banks, pet shop. Lots of nice houses, originally family houses but more recently a lot have become student lets. However, it's great to be able to walk to school, pop into the shops without having to go into town. You can easily walk into town though, good bus service as well. It's a great area for families. I wouldnt say it was that near to Twerton, it's certainly not right on your doorstep.

Hi

Short message, but also look at:

• Bathwick St Mary's (excellent, but very over subscribed)
• Batheaston (very good, but a little alternative I think)
• Widcombe supposed to be good
• Newbridge (supposed to be up and coming)
• Bathford (neighbour sent first two to King Edwards, 3rd one here)
• Box (further out, might not be in Bath catchment area for Secondary?)

Box is really nice - I personally prefer that side of Bath as you can get to other local towns eg Corsham and Chippenham easily as they are easier to get into and parkings easier if you want to just pop to get something - bath can be quite a challenge to just 'pop' into! I live just by town but still find it a royal pain sometimes when you don't want as much hassle and go to the other local places to run errands as its less stressful!

Oh and just to clarify - I didn't make it very clear - in terms of popping into somewhere - theyre a bit of a drive away but easier to navigate/less stressful etc with parking, the road network isn't great in bath centre at peak times at all but if you're used to London I'm sure it'll be like a Sunday drive to you haha - maybe pop was the wrong word though!

Thanks everyone for the advice. That's all really useful, I shall check out the Oldfield Park Infants pixietails, and QTPieToo and CMAHAH, some good suggestions too, thanks, especially Box as I've heard it's a nice spot. Not sure I'm ready for the village life but I guess it's pretty close to Bath, and has a good primary I think.

Any more tips anyone? Also, it's hard to gauge distances without being there, are places like Widcombe and Batheaston within walking distance of town? If anyone can help further, I'd be very appreciative.

Hi

Widcombe is walking distance from the city centre, Batheaston is not (in my opinion), but is on a good bus route.

QT

wrt to catchments, there aren't really any.

Places are generally awarded by distance (although criteria are slightly more complex than that) so it's perfectly feasible to be living in Wilts and attend a Bath school or vice versa. Of course for over subscribed schools you need to be living pretty nearby. At secondary level, there are a lot of children living on the east side of Bath (Batheaston, Bathford and even Larkhall) who go to Corsham School, for example.

You can walk into town from Batheaston but it's a bit of a trek! On the up side there's talk of a path being built to connect Batheaston to the canal, which will make cycling more palatable. It will be a longer journey in terms of miles, but a more pleasant (and flat!) one.

Widcombe is pretty central, and Larkhall isn't at all far. The main issue with Oldfield Park is the high volume of students living there. Weston/Newbridge are nice and have well regarded primaries.

The only areas I really wouldn't choose to live in are Foxhill and Whiteway.

Oh, have a look at the Admissions booklets here although bear in mind that all they can give really is an indication as to how things might be when your child reaches the age at which you'll be applying.