Bristol Schools

[lullabymummy]

Dear All,
We have two children, a boy and a girl, both under 3. We're thinking of moving to Bristol, but we have a budget of around 325K and have heard that the state school situation is difficult with very small catchment areas. We would so appreciate some local knowledge about possible areas with decent schools for that price range (if there are any?!) We are especially looking at secondary schools, as it's a long way off but we can't afford to move again between primary and secondary. We are also considering Bath.
We're currently in Kent, but I have a part-time job at Bristol Uni and would love to live nearer and the west country is so beautiful!
Thanks so much in advance everyone
x

It depends what you want to buy for your 325K. I am presuming as you don't want to move again in a few years then you would like a house, not a flat? You could try to search in Redland/Cotham but the catchments are quite tight, especially at senior level- Cotham & Redland Green schools are very oversubscribed. Are you a particular faith? both St. Mary Redcliffe (CofE) and St Bedes (RC) are outstanding, but there are faith based requirements for entry.

At primary level there is also a problem with lack of places, but the council is currently looking at opening new schools and expanding existing ones to cope with demand.

I am sorry I can't help with schools in Bath- but I am not sure how far 325k would go there, properties are generally more pricey!

For your budget you should be able to buy a property in most areas of Bristol, apart from Clifton. Living in Cotham or Redland would be close enough to walk to the university but most properties in your price range would be flats rather than houses. Other possibilities would be Bishopston and St Andrews.
There are other secondary school options: Bristol Free school is still relatively new so no GCSE results yet, but is becoming very popular with parents. Assuming you are looking at co-ed schools there is also Bristol Cathedral choir school which is an academy with banded lottery entry.
If you are prepared to commute a bit further you could consider Keynsham which is between Bristol and Bath. You should be able to afford to live in the Wellsway catchment for secondary schools. Keynsham has a Bristol postcode but the LEA is Bath and North East Somerset (BANES). You can commute to Bristol by train or use the Park and Ride in Brislington.

Thanks for the advice, really helpful :)