My hubbie may move to Bristol

[Pandabear2013]

My husband may have the opportunity of a very good job in Bristol. Only problem is I am not particularly sure that it would be a good move for me and my children. We live in a remote part of Scotland with good schools and a safe environment. Can anyone advise on where to start looking? Possible areas to live, we live in a small village on an island at present.

Bristol would definitely be a change from a Scottish island!. However it is on the small side as far as cities go and there are of course a lot of benefits from being close to a whole range of amenities. The countryside surrounding Bristol is very nice and there are plenty of lovely villages within a fairly straightforward commute of Bristol which would probably be less of a cultural shock! The schooling in central Bristol is of a very mixed quality both primary and secondary, and good schools are very oversubscribed. However if you were looking more towards the outskirts of Bristol and surrounding small towns/villages there are some great schools. Which part of Bristol would the job be based in? We may be able to give you some ideas of good areas to look at in terms of where to live/schools etc..

We would probably like somewhere very rural. Our children are used to fresh air and running wild I guess. schooling in the tough one actually. I have a friend who lives in Manchester who is a teacher although they didn't go to school until they where 5 and 1/2. She reckons they are way ahead on most of the kids she would see. They have been in a very small school and the teacher has let them go at their own pace. fast in some areas, slower in others. they have completed the set reading scheme and reading novels set by the teacher by the time they where 9. maths too they are away ahead. Spelling one of the kids struggles with so the teacher adapts things. I think we can be adaptable about location.

Obviously the more rural you get the longer your husband's commute into Bristol would be. Some routes in are better than others - hence why I asked where in Bristol the job may be located - Bristol traffic is pretty bad if you have to get into the city centre during rush hour, it could make quite a difference if you lived the same side of the city as you worked.
As your children would be in year transfer rather than Reception year starters you would need to call the LEA to find out which schools had places available in the relevant school years for your children. This could be any of the following depending on which areas you chose to look at, in and around Bristol; Bristol city council,South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset or North Somerset.
Villages within a relatively easy striking distance of the centre, with good primary schools would be Almondsbury (Lower), which although on a map looks extremely close to the motorway is actually very nice - and you wouldn't know the motorway was there in Lower Almondsbury.
Iron Acton is another small village within reasonable distance of Bristol with a decent primary school and access to good secondaries when the time comes. The primary school in Wick (East of Bristol) is very good and some of the villages between Bristol and Bath such as Pucklechurch, Doynton, Dyrham are lovely. To the South and West maybe Chew Magna, Pensford, Stanton Drew, Compton Dando, Wraxall, Tickenham although I don't know too much about the schools other than looking at Ofsted data.
Any good school should be able to differentiate work for children based on their needs - perhaps the smaller village schools may be a good choice as staff are used to mixed age group classes, and your children could work alongside those older/ younger depending on their individual needs? Once you have a possible shortlist people may be able to answer specific questions about schools.
I know I am probably stating the obvious but I think a visit to the area would benefit you greatly, so at least you can drive around to the surrounding villages and get a feel for where you would feel 'at home'. Children are remarkably adaptable and I am sure will find friends wherever they go - it's definitely harder for the parents!

Many thanks folks, I'll keep you posted when I know more. Kindest regards