Moving from Los Angeles to Edinburgh

[NewChapterinUK]

What do I need to know? I am American from Los Angeles and my DH is Scottish from Glasgow but has lived in the stated for 10+ year. We will be moving this summer with our 2 year old daughter and I am looking for the best places to live, make friends, schools: nursery and things to do since my DH travels a lot for his job.

I was looking online at main door flats across from the Moray Palace Gardens but am open to other areas that have amenities for children close by like parks, mommy and me class and restaurants that are child friendly.

Both my husband and I went to private school but I understand things are quite different over there so perhaps I would be open to State schools. A friend suggested St Georges School for Girls? Any thoughts on it or other private schools. Would it be tough to get in this late to nursery school or do i not need to worry about it till 3 years old. How competitive are private schools and what are they looking for? I grew up in Los Angeles and I am pretty dialed in here so the prospect of figuring this out is a bit daunting and exciting all at once.

We live in Los Angeles but in a small community called Brentwood where we know the people at our local coffee shop, restaurants, market and stores. I would like something similar.

What are some cultural differences and differences in raising children in the Scotland versus the US?

Thanks so much for insight.

Hi and welcome to the Edinburgh forum. That's a lot of queries!
I would give this forum a search for some background and then ask the question .

Thanks for your reply. Sorry if my post was too lengthy. I have read through a lot of the posts but admittedly only from the past year.
There are a lot of questions posted about schools and places to live but I did not see anything on the specific area I mentioned near the Moray Garden nor did I see anything on the school that was suggested to us St. Georges.

Re schools: you're probably OK for now, but I'd suggest visiting as soon as you get here and registering with the ones you like where appropriate - some are first come first serve, others competitive, and the school results don't necessarily line up with that in the way you might expect!

St Georges is certainly worth looking at, thigh the last I heard about it personally was very negative, relating to the school achieving good results by encouraging weaker girls to leave, rather than by good teaching: don't know whether there's any truth in that though. I think it may be the only all girls option, if that's important to you.

Mary Erskine's-Stewart Melville's has a complicated together/apart system, mixed for early years and sixth form but single sex in between. I've heard both very positive and very negative opinions!

George Heriot's and George Watson's are often bracketed together. They are both much cheaper than many independent schools, with larger classes on average, but very well thought of. Watson's is huge, which can be a problem at primary level; Heriot's is smaller but has a very cramped campus. Good teaching at both I hear. Seems to be "what it says on the tin": the things I've heard people say they dislike have been the things that are obvious from that description.

Loretto, out at Musselburgh, attracts rave reviews from some. Cargilfield, at Cramond, ditto. Location is obviously a concern in both cases, but some parents feel it's worth the treck from central Edinburgh and there are school buses. Cargilfield is a prep school, going to age 13 - the only serious option if you want to leave your options open including your DD going somewhere else competitive for senior school, as obviously the places with their own senior schools aren't very into preparing for entry elsewhere. Loretto like the others mentioned goes all through. Of course there are pros and cons to both patterns.

Fettes currently takes children from age 7 I think, but I heard a rumour they were extending down. Very expensive!

I don't think any of these are competitive entry like London preps (or NY elementary schools) - maybe GH and GW are the ones with most serious entry procedures, as I have heard of people not getting in! Think Loretto and Cargilfield are both first come first served (but may well fill early). Others dunno.

You may be able to narrow your options significantly by deciding what's important to you (eg what it is at St Georges that appeals).

Oh, there's Edinburgh Academy too. I dare say I've forgotten one or two others as well. Don't know anything much about EA, sorry.

sigh, I can spell, but not on Friday night on my phone...

Thanks so much CoffeeCamelCase! I will research the schools you suggested. I went to an all girls schools and my DH to an all boys school so it is what we know but I am open. The friends who suggested St Georges have not lived in Edinburgh for years and did not have children. What you mentioned does sound very concerning.
Sounds like i have some time on the schools and will focus my efforts on finding a good rental and neighborhood.

Moray Place is lovely as is most of the west end/new town. If I were you I'd choose which area you want to live in then sort the schools from there. St Georges, Edinburgh Academy and Erskine Stuart's Melville College all easily accessible from Moray Place as is Fettes. George Watsons and George Heriots Schools are on South side of the city (Morningside, Bruntsfield, the Grange areas therefore closer)

I have direct experience of both St George's and ESMS schools. St George's you'll have no issue getting a nursery place, their website is advertising spaces available. ESMS is bigger but nursery and Primary 1 places can involve a waiting list. I know the nursery is full for this August intake as my DS is on the waiting list despite having an older sibling already at the school. Both schools good but quite different, visit them and see what you think. Both produce excellent academic results.

@BigRedBus44 Thanks so much for the information. Is your DS starting nursery at 2 or 3?

Are there other areas you would consider living other than West End/ New Town where there are things for children and myself to do ?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

ESMS nursery starts from age 3, St Georges takes girls and boys from 18 months though.

There are lots of lovely areas in Edinburgh and I guess you need to get a feel for them, and choose according to your lifestyle/preferences. I like being fairly central so west end, new town, Stockbridge which are all easy walking distance to main and local shops, botanical gardens, play parks, baby groups theatres etc. To the south of the city there's Morningside, Bruntsfield, the Grange and Newington which have big family homes, easy access back to the city centre and lovely local shops and restaurants, cinemas etc. To the west there's Ravelston, Murrayfield, Blackhall which are popular with families too and there are some beautiful houses, good transport links, good local shops. To the East of the city towards Portobello you are right by the sea, and the beach is brilliant on a sunny day.

Edinburgh is very different to LA, you can walk across the city here and if you choose a relatively central area you probably wouldn't need a car. You could choose an area to rent in to get started and easily spend the next few weeks/months just walking the city taking in the areas and spend time getting to see where you like.

Most Edinburgh properties are advertised via the ESPC website, have a look here to get a view on the different styles and types of property to buy. I like the traditional New Town style properties but you may prefer a new build house, the big detached houses in Murrayfield or the Grange or a flat in a buzzy area like Stockbridge or Bruntsfield.

Find out where your husbands job will be based - it gives you a point of reference to start with?

Hope this helps!

Hi, I can relate - I'm also American, originally from NYC, but my Glaswegian DH and I lived in San Francisco for almost 10 years. We have a 16 month old and a nearly 4 year old. And now we're in Edinburgh... we started out renting in Stockbridge, which is great for kids. We went to a lot of local playgroups at first, which usually cost just a pound or two for 90+ minutes of playing with toys (kids) and drinking coffee (not kids). But we had an eye towards the state schools (no advice on private from me, alas), so we ended up buying a place on the south side of the city. Which is also fabulous for kids - there are tons of kid-friendly restaurants and other places to go around here too. It's a good idea to start out renting somewhere fairly central, I think, and then you can take time to explore the city and figure out where you'd most like to be.

As for differences, I could go on for a long time about the differences between Edinburgh and California... they're not terribly difficult to navigate (if anything, there's a lot more support for parents and children here), but good to know about. I'd be happy to meet up once you're here. :)

Please don't discount the state schools in Edinburgh - particularly on the southside they are very good, and imo give children a more rounded school experience! I am sure you'll love the city.

If you're looking at Moray Place Gardens that would be catchment for Stockbridge Primary I think, which is a fairly small (about 200ish) primary school but quite well regarded. It has an attached nursery/pre school which generally has space and takes younger children (3ish) for the afternoon session and older (4ish - the year before starting primary) in the mornings. Something which is relatively common in Edinburgh is to use state for primary, but private for secondary school.

We're very close by to MPG and love living here, and there is a lot around the Stockbridge/Comely Bank type areas in terms of toddler groups and activities. No shortage of restaurants or similar either.

There is a catchment area map on the Edinburgh council website where you can put in a postcode and it will tell you what the catchment state schools are. You might find that useful for researching other areas as then you can check out the schools specifically - lots of info around.

I am also American and I have a child at Watson's (and another one to start there in a year and a bit) and we absolutely love the school. I think it has a very American feel - though I doubt they'd agree! - with an endless range of extra curricular activities and a great curriculum, including cross- curriculum blocks where the normal curriculum is dropped for a period to focus on group/project work.

The privates are very similar and I don't think you can go too terribly wrong. Each has a slightly different feel. I know parents with children at pretty much all of the Edinburgh private schools and everyone seems very happy with their choice. DS also applied to Heriot's but turned them down because he liked the feel of the large campus at Watson's. Heriot's has a slight disadvantage in that it's playing fields are some distance from the school campus and they have to bus the children to them.