Moving to Cambridge from NZ in January. Advice please?

[wellingtongirl72]

Hi there. sorry for another "moving to" post! I wonder if anyone can give tips? DH has got a job at Addenbrooke's starting in the NY, so we're coming with two kids (by then 5 & 2). We're looking at the southern villages as it seems a good option from what we've read?... DS (5) will be starting school (I have to try and get him in somewhere). We'd love a good school which might be good for a fairly bright boy who needs lots of outdoor play and which has good values and pastoring! (Not asking much then :)) Ideas?

Also: if we can't get a space in a local state school, I've heard good things of Sancton Wood, but also Friends School in Saffron Walden. Is the drive into town (to Sancton Wood from the villages) at school hours going to be dreadful? And also out to Saffron Walden? Anyone know anything about these schools? Others to recommend?

Thanks in advance. Moving is exciting and terrifying all at the same time!

The drives will be hellish, sorry. Some of the private schools do lay on minibuses from the Trumpington Park and Rides to the school sites, but not sure if Sancton Wood do. I have friends who moved their boy to Sancton Wood after (an Ofsted Oustanding...) state primary didn't do well for him (he's smart, and was in a class full of biddable, quiet girls) and are very pleased.

Are you set on private schools? The primaries in the villages are generally very good, although some of them are quite small. I live in one of them so feel free to ask more questions.

Sawston has good primaries and secondary, and is within cycling distance of Addenbrooke's.

Hi when is your DS 5 - if its before 1 September he would be going into Y1 -agree with Doctor Geek about primaries and would go so far as to say I havn't come across a state primary with in reach of Cambridge I wouldn't be happy to send my DCs . They all seem to have good values and outdoor play is offered by lots and all in early year - if you weren't set on the villages this looks amazing -know someone with kids there and they are loving it so far www.universityprimaryschool.org.uk/
and more importantly it is highly likely to have places as it is new

Whatever year your DS needs to be in, it is worth getting a sense of which village schools have places before you set your heart in anything. Some are full and I think it would be disappointing to have to send a child to the next school over, when all of your neighbours' children go to the village school or catchment school.

If you are looking at Saffron Walden, then I think Dame Bradbury's has a stronger reputation than Friends. Saffron Walden is a great place to live. I'd live there if I could. But I think that the state schools are pretty full (don't take my word for it).

Thank you all very much. I really appreciate the help. Sorry for the delayed reply - DS2 went down with pneumonia - did not see that coming! Anyway, all on the up now.

I'm just getting started on Mumsnet, so this is really helpful. Doctorgeek, thanks - yes i had heard driving could be a mare, so it's good to be informed. How do you find village life? I'm used to the city (or being close to it). Does Cambridge still feel accessible/close?

Thanks chestertoncharley and northofcambridge too. I definitely want to check out the state primaries, but as cammel says, they are likely to be largely full, so we'll have to visit where the spaces are, and may have to look at private (gulp) if we come unstuck. Do you find that almost all village kids go to the local school? I'd hate for my poor boy to be the odd one out.

I'll visit Sawston too. Am hoping to fly across for a week in November.

Thanks all!

Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary has quite a few non-catchment (non-village) pupils, if that helps at all.

We live in Melbourn and I know of 2 children in DD's academic year who go to private school in Cambridge, with a typical year group of 45 in Melbourn Primary School. There may be more at private school who we don't know.

Whether Cambridge feels accessible depends on the time of day. No traffic and it takes about 25 min to the very centre to drive. I think the same journey would take at least 1 hr in rush hour (but I haven't tried). Cambridge station isn't right in the centre, so whether the train is much use depends on where you are aiming for in Cambridge. There are also park & ride and cycling options. The thing I find amazing is how early the rush hour out of Cambridge down Trumpington Road starts.

The private junior/prep schools aren't right in the centre, though some are further out than others. I have no idea how easy it is to get a place in one mid year. If I was looking for a private school, I'd be careful to live on the right side of Cambridge for that school to avoid a long commute for my DC.

You can look at the initial allocations to reception year for past years here, though this won't tell you where has spaces now or for the correct year group. But you can see a bit of a pattern in terms of some schools being oversubscribed and full every year. There is also 2015 information here. You can also contact Cambridgeshire County Council Admissions Team for advice here. Though if you go far enough out you could be in Essex, Suffolk or Hertforshire.

I really like village life, and I say that as someone who I thought would have to be dragged out of London kicking and screaming! We didn't really do much village wise before kids but now we have theDC we are much more involved.

If you aren't going to work then I would choose one of the bigger villages - on some days our wee village can be quiet as I would say most parents work at least some days week.

Hi,
I live in one of the south villages too (Duxford). Saffron Walden is OK to get to in the mornings, central Cambridge not so!
But Central Cambridge is very accessible outside of rush hour - I dropped DS at the theatre this evening (took about 20 mins to get there)
I agree that it might be an idea to find out which schools have places and work backwards from there. There is a reasonable amount of movement in and out of school throughout the year, as Cambridge has lots of scientists, and they move around!

Hi Wellingtongirl - I am a NZer - moved to Cambridge 3 years ago. Now living in one of the villages just to the North. I would rather live right in town, but too expensive sadly. The bigger villages are nice. I would echo - get in touch with County Council and find out about places, then at least you'll know.

Will your DS be in reception or year 1? (Depends on whether he was 5 before 1st Sept, in which case yr1).

If he would be in reception, you can see which schools had spaces after initial allocations here: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions
(Bear in mind, this list will have changed since then, but it might be a start.)

If he will be in year 1, you would need to ask the Cambridgeshire County Council Admissions.

The new University Primary School, although new I suspect is full. I know it offered all its places, and was very oversubscribed.

Generally schools in and around Cambridge are pretty good, and not all children go to their village school, so I'm sure you will find something that suits you.

Good luck and welcome (almost) to Cambridge!