Moving to Edinburgh - ideas of best catchment area for secondary school?

[mumwithquestions1]

Hi there, can you advise me about good catchment area that also has a good sense of community in Edinburgh? We would like to be south side somewhere and out of the centre quite a bit if we can. We thought about EH10 and Boroughmuir High as it has good reputation but I do not really know as have not lived in Edinburgh before. We thought perhaps to try to live in Fairmilehead/Buckstone but it is expensive and not sure how much of a sense of community it has. Our child will be going into P5 and so we are concerned to be in a good catchment area for secondary especially. If you have any ideas or experience, I would love to hear from you. Thanks so much.

What about Juniper Green- great primary and feeds in to Currie high which is very good. Local community hall and church hall have loads of groups, little tennis club, Baberton golf club, easy access to the Water of Leith for walks and cycles. Decent park just beside the primary school. Some local pubs and restaurants and s few shops. Regular bus number 44 every 15 minutes or so in to town

I guess it depends on your budget? Boroughmuir is a good school; but you would need to check with the local primary school if they have places in P5. Or the Royal High catchment (Cramond, Blackhall, Davidson's Mains primaries); property is a little (but not much) cheaper than Morningside etc.

Thank you both so much for good thoughts. Can I just ask, if you or others know or have heard hoe Currie High is as a school, and Royal High? I hear that Boroughmuir is very good in terms of exam results but with not being in Edinburgh yet, I don't have on the ground knowledge. From the first comment Jumiper Green could be great, thanks for that. Anyone anything to say about Fairmilehead, Buckstone and in towards Morningside? I suppose if we moved in a bit, we would more likely have a flat as opposed to any other accommodation. I think I am trying to primarily be in a good area for school and nice living to really feel at home with some sense of community,even if we just have to live in smaller accommodation. Thanks everyone and any other input is really appreciated.

Thanks also for the advice about checking whether there are school places, for us,it would be for P5. If there is not places in a school, even if one is in the catchment area, can anyone tell me what happens? Does the child have to go to the next closest school, until a place becomes available? If so, then this does not sound good, I mean children having to move. Also, I suppose some of he primary schools must be pretty popular and large, for example I south side of Edinburgh...such as Bruntsfield, Buckstone and South Morningside, especially since the catchement would be I think, Boroughmuir High. I am just wondering if it is worth tryIng to live in those expensive areas with possibly over subscribed primary schools so that my daughter could go to Boroughmuir. Or, if she could get just as good education with a place if out say in Juniper Green as first comment suggested. Thank you.

A lot of primaries are over subscribed because in their wisdom the council shut a number of schools.

A number of friends send their children to Balerno High which for quite a while was popular and so is Firrhill.

I chose to send my children to my catchment high school. It's amazing how many people are stunned when they hear where we sent them but for us it is perfect and both children are thriving well and the recent parents evening for Ds had me stunned at just how well he was doing (we never hear anything) while dd is sailing along at full mast and their pastoral care has been fantastic as dd needed surgery last year and they really supported her.

Is Firrhill good these days from your or anyone's experience? Or Balerno or Currie?

Is it worth the effort and expense to try to get to Boroughmuir catchment area if one wants to stay south side Edinburgh some where? Or do you think other schools can be just as good?

Thank you GrooveeCar. I am encouraged to hear that you are happy with your school.

My DD is at Currie and we are very pleased with it- it is a Community school with a mixed catchment but prides itself on giving everyone a great education opportunity. It puts more students through Duke of Edinburgh than any other state school in the city, has high academic results for those who are academic and great wider opportunities for those who are more creative or practically minded. There are regular concerts, an annual school show/musical, range of sports teams and after school clubs and a good strong head and leadership team. My DD is in the academic stream and has just got straight As in her prelims in 8 national 5s ( other schools including Balerno are only allowing 6 or 7) and is on course to go to a top university with the full school support she will need to get there.

Fairmilehead is great! Lovely location with the Pentlands right on your doorstep. Swanston more affordable but still in catchment for Firrhill which by all accounts is a very good school (no DC yet but keeping an eye on the league tables!). Very happy here. Easy to get around - great bus links, right on the bypass but not too close to be bothered by the noise.

Agree Fairmilehead is great. Plenty going on and easy access to a variety of shopping, leisure facilities etc. The catchment secondary school for the area is Firrhill. Bucktone estate (very close) and school are in the catchment for Boroughmuir.

Have previously lived in Morningside and loved it but decided to move further out for a bigger house and garden and have never regretted this. South Morningside primary school is very over subscribed and currently housed in an old Victorian building with limited space. There are plans to move the infants to another building next summer which should reduce the pressure on space.

Thank you all for your helpful comments and sharing your experience. So glad to hear how pleased 3nationaedinburgh is with Currie and the catchment area and how well your daughter is doing there and also about Juniper Green. Also glad to hear positive things about Fairmilehead and Buckstone and Firhill High from others. This really helps me in deciding about which catchment area to try to locate to. THANK YOU.

I am espcially encouraged to hear from you that your children are doing well in Currie and Firhill school. I have only seen league tables, and know that Boroughmuir High is one of the best state schools in terms of exam results around Edinburgh area. And,wanting the best for my daughter, I felt the pressure to try to locate into that catchment area for that reason. I am encouraged to hear that Currie High caters for so well and widely for young people and so that would be a real option to go there.

I am not wanting to take too much more time from you all, but if any parents have anything else to add from experience or hearsay about Bouroughmuir High, Firhill, Currie, Balerno schools - then I would love to hear. Also, any morethoughts or advice about moving into these possible catchment areas? The comments have already been an amazing help. Thank you.

Just a thought: a very high percentage of secondary pupils go privately in Edinburgh (1 in 4) and the exodus from primary school can start at P4/5, so it might be easier to get a P5 place.

Also have a think about Royal High Catchment - it's definitely more suburban than Morningside, but I like it here.

Thank you lotsofcheese for your thoughts and recommendation of Royal High. So almost a quarter of secondary pupils go to private schools n Edinburgh. I knew it was a lot but did not realise it was that many. Can I ask any of you, especially those who have children at private schools, what you think the benefits are of having your children there as opposed to the state school? I ask, because I wonder if I should also look into the private school option. I have heard that George Watsons is excellent. I suppose we have to think of our budget of moving to Edinburgh and schooling. It could be, for example, if we lived in a less expensive area, that we could save some on living costs and put that towards school fees - since living in the right catchment area would not be such a priority if we had our daughter at, for example George Watsons. Thanks everyone for your thoughts as I try to see what will be best for our daughter and us as a family when moving to Edinburgh.

are private school fees roughly the same in Edinburgh, or is there much difference? I heard George Watsons is very good, but very large. Just as I am looking at options, do any of you have children at private schools and can you give any recommendations. Many thanks indeed.

My children's cousin is at Watson's in S3. They pay about £9k a year with extra for trips etc. Their son starts in August.

There are smaller schools like cargilfield and Clifton Hall. It may be worth reading back on some of the many private school threads on here and arranging some visits.

thanks, I have just actually been looking at some other threads exactly about private schools. Thanks for the thoughts of looking at smaller schools also. That helps. I still cannot decide whether it is enough to be in a good catchment area, or still best to go to private school. Private schooling would be difficult for us to afford, unless we lived in cheaper area perhaps and saved that way. thanks so much.

Could you have a week in Edinburgh to allow you to visit some of the private schools and possibly spend time in the areas you have your eye on?

I grew up in Chesser and never imagined living anywhere else. But when I met dh we ended up buying in South Gyle and moving further in to Corstorphine. It really wasn't somewhere I ever imagined I would live.

OP, do you have any idea of your property budget? Edinburgh is fairly expensive, and Morningside especially so. If your budget is 200K you're going to struggle to buy anything in catchment, 600k will get you something reasonable.

yes, budget would more like 200k - certainly not 600k! So, you pick up exactly my challenge - ie. buying something in good catchment area, or else being out of catchment area with lower property prices and trying to budget for private school. If budget is about 200k, what would the options be thinking especially for best schooling. thanks. Thanks for 3nations - saying about Juniper Green and Currie. Any other thoughts are welcome also. thanks

200k would be a challenge, especially in that catchment. But I guess it would depend on whether you would be happy living in a flat, and how many bedrooms you would need?

Have a look at ESPC www.espc.com (sorry am on phone so can't link) for an idea of prices, but do remember the Scottish system of "offers over" where the advertised price is much less than what the property sells for.

The Edinburgh council website has a schools catchment boundary map you can download too.

Yes £200k would be really tough in Morningside - perhaps looking at a 1 bedroom flat? Even as far out at Buckstone the choice would be limited. I'd still consider Swanston - something like this?www.espc.com/properties/details.aspx?pid=344590&sid=5058343013
I lived near here and it is a lovely little estate and in catchment for Firrhill. Not sure on the local primary though. It could be either Colinton or Pentland.

Groovee I'm afraid your fee information is out of date; senior school at Watsons is 10.5k pa plus travel, uniform, sports, trips, lunches etc etc. most of the other private schools are about the same price give or take £500 per year.

Also worth considering that borough use is about to move campus to the new school (and gillespies is mid re build too). I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a rejigger of catchments soon between Gillespies, tynecastle, firrhill and boroughmuir.

Personally I don't think it's wise to compromise on area to afford private school if it will be a struggle - for family life it would surely be better to settle into an area where school is close by and classmates live around about too? I live in Edinburgh and personally think state schools can be just as good. It might be an idea to see what you can afford on ESPC as this should guide your school choice as much as anything - as others say morningside is pricey but I'd you aren't too fussy about type/style of house there are affordable options. Flats are much cheaper than houses. Outside the city centre you definitely get more for your money - so swanston/buckstone/curry you're more likely to find property in your price range. Don't get too caught up on league tables either - if your daughter is hardworking and you are Supportive she is likely to do well in any school, although I understand you wanting the best environment for her!

You mums are amazing and all your comments help to reassure me and guide me. :)

I feel more assured to hear that some of the state schools in Edinburgh are good, and that my daughter could do fine there even just as well as at a private school. Really, I would like to live out a bit - ie. Swantson/Buckstone/Juniper Green/Currie and be settled and at home. And, lotsofcheese, the property you highlighted, I also saw on ESPC website, and yes, it is something like this that would be great for us IF the schooling in the area was good.

I want to know if Firhill or Currie High could be just as good schools as Boroughmuir High then? Just to establish that I don't have to especially try to live in Boroughmuir catchment area....

Thanks krusovice also for saying not to get too caught up on league tables because I have wondered about that. How much better is Boroughmuir High say, compared to Firhill High or Currie High? In terms of exam results and league tables, it looks like Boroughmuir seems well ahead with for example, 37% getting 5 Highers there, compared to 21% at Currie High and 22% at Firhill. So, how important is it to squeeze into the present catchment area for Boroughmuir High (would either have to be a flat in Morningside or semi in Buckstone which is expensive)? If Boroughmuir High is not THAT much better than Firhill or Currie (as some of you indicate), then I feel I would have more choice of where to live. Can anyone tell me any more about Firhill High? 3Nation said how good Currie was. How about Balerno? And, how about primary schools - looking at Primary schools for catchment for Firhill (where I would consider living) are Colinton and Pentland, and again just from league tables, they don't look great. Maybe fine from others experience, or not? Juniper Green Primary looks better as does primaries in Boroughmuir catchment. Anyway, my main concern is for secondary - for longer term as daughter would go into P. 5.

Sorry for rambling on so much and I appreciate all your good thoughts as I narrow down place to live and school. Hope you are having a good day :)

It's going to depend on what "good" needs to mean to your own DD, so tbh you should take what everyone says with a pinch of salt. Most people would not say Currie and Firrhill are just as good as Boroughmuir, nor, tbh, that Boroughmuir is as good as Watson's - but that may not be for reasons that matter to you. League tables don't tell you how your own child will do; they may reflect intake as much as teaching. Otoh, some children are really unwilling to achieve if that will make them stand out; if yours is one of those you need a high achieving school even if the teaching is no better. Or maybe your DD needs particular extra-curriculars, or whatever. It would be ideal to say go and visit the schools, but unfortunately at least some Edinburgh high schools don't even allow this! Maybe ask more specific questions, or go and stand around outside at school start/end...

If I were you and uncertain, I think I'd go for living somewhere I could very comfortably afford, choosing among the possible public school catchments on that basis, if that left the family budget with enough slack that switching to private school would be an option if you felt it necessary later. It's good to feel you have an alternative, even if you hope not to use it. Once you're in a primary school community, it'll be easier to get a feel for the local high school.