Schools for year 5 & year 9 - where in Plymouth

[Love2dunk]

I'm relocating with my family to Plymouth in the summer - I know it a bit as my mum grew up there, but she died suddenly last summer, hence wanting a fresh start from our current home. I'm struggling to find the right area to live with decent/ok schools for DD who will be year 5/DS who will be year 9.
I wanted to be in Peverell/Mannamead but worried about secondary schools for DS. Is Eggbuckland any good? DD is a little grafter so I know she'll be ok wherever, DS needs rather more encouragement to do anything! Now looking at Elburton as more houses available but I know traffic etc is bad from City Centre (DH will have to get train now and then to Reading/London for work) and not sure how Sherford development will impact it. Any ideas/views much appreciated - thank you X

Hi. Have you thought about Plympton or Ivybridge at all as I think their secondaries are good. Plymstock has a great reputation as does Heles too. Eggbuckland OK I think but different catchment area. Some kids will do well almost anywhere as you say but others may need more thought. Don't forget we also have the grammars if that might be an option for your children. Sherford may well cause some initial problems but I think there will be some new link roads and even new schools as I can't see the existing ones being able to cope.

Thank you so much for replying. I've rung Ivybridge and it is full for ds year group but will definitely consider the grammars for my dd. We drove through Elburton over Easter and the traffic was crazy so I think that is what put me off. Good to hear they are planning new roads and schools - when they built new estates where I live now, they built a new school but the council then closed the old one that needed repairs doing! Will check out the ones you mentioned, thanks again.

My DD is year 5 and there is one space in her class. She goes to St Andrews. Both the grammar schools are good. The 11+ exam is in September so make sure you register.

What about the Plymouth School of Creative Arts for your son?

Yes do check out PSCA. It's very different (& not about being arty).

Bonnies has nosedived in popularity due to problems with the previous head but we liked it when we looked around it & it's lack of popularity means there are spaces.

And peverell/Mannamead easy for bonnies

Hi op I work within lots of Plymouth schools. Ivybridge is vast that puts me off. I work in ridgeway in plympton it's excellent. Eggbuckland was the desired school before they lost Tom Daley but on the plus side it's small. I have mixed feelings about it.
I wouldn't touch all saints (kitto) or Stoke damerel due to the areas.
I moved out yo plymstock because both the secondaries are amazing and not over subscribed or huge.
I think elburton is a good option plymstock is lovely. Yes there's traffic but it's not that bad - it's the commute in over the bridge that's a bit heavy sometimes.

Also think objectively about peverell/Mannamead - there's always traffic to get anywhere because of mannadon junction and parking is a nightmare because of argyle.
Also Hyde park is an awful school which has managed to evade ofsted since about 2007. Compton is full.

Thanks so much for your feedback. I knew Compton was full with 6 on waiting list for her year group. My 2 have been in a school that wasn't visited by the big O for 9 years, (some round here are pushing 11 years since inspection - lack of inspectors ), so I get your drift. We were down at the weekend looking and camping on Dartmoor next week (God help us) but have now sold ours so the pressure is really on. We've only been down weekends and holidays as I teach (but not for much longer yippee) so have never seen horrendous traffic in Pev/Mannamead but the parking puts me off a bit - can't park at the best of times! Will check out the other secondaries mentioned - do people send their children miles on buses etc in Plymouth? We're currently spending c£1000 to get DS to a semi decent comp 4 miles away so would like him to walk ideally to new school. Think I need to give admissions a call again. Thank you x

Wotsit why do you say Hyde Park is awful? I thought it was highly rated.

My kids aren't in Hyde park but I live in mannamead/peverell area & everyone who uses it seems reasonably happy with it. Head of juniors has changed fairly recently though so it may go either way. I'm not sure it's ever been good for kids with SN, but I think it's good for able kids (that's the feedback I've gleaned over the years). Like anything you just have to look really for your own child.

Mine walk/bus to (different) secondaries - depending on things like the weather. An advantage of living in mannamead/peverell is you can get pretty much anywhere easily.

There's also Montpellier close to peverell. I've heard mixed things about it but ds2 has a lot of friends who went there for primary & they're all nice kids. Worth checking out.

I thought Hyde Park is fantastic school and has great OFSTED reports?

I wouldn't go by OFSTED anyway.
About two thirds of the kids at Hyde Park do the 11+ so it's possible that it's too geared towards the more academic ones.

My older children go to Eggbuckland and are happy there. Eggbuckland Vale is a great primary school and I have heard good things about Hyde Park.

Compton, Eggbuckland , Hartley and Hartley Vale are all nice areas to live too.

Oreston primary is a great school, as is Elburton. Plymstock is a lovely place to live and the traffic's actually not that bad, well no worse than anywhere else. Though I take your point about Sherford..

My kids go to Tor Bridge Primary & High School which is in Estover (near Asda if that helps). Would recommend both.

Thanks so much for the replies - all the plymstock schools, especially primaries, are now full for the year groups that's DS and DD are in (apart from Coombe Dean for my DS). Just filled in the school forms as admissions have a meeting tomorrow and are starting to allocate September - they've been really, really helpful and told us to apply and just confirm address later so at least the kids will be in the system/on waiting lists. I didn't really know anything about Tor Bridge area but will take a look. Thanks again X

Pomphlett is going up to 2-form entry from September so I would have thought they'd have space.

Tor Bridge High used to be Estover Community College, not sure why they changed the name, makes it sound like a grammar school which it's not. I doubt you'd want to live in Estover anyway.

DD is year 4 currently going into year 5 so prob wouldn't be any good. DS is year 8 going into year 9 and so far stoke damerel/plymstock/ridgeway/Ivybridge are all full - high birth rate year the council are saying - and he won't get into the grammar schools so very little choice for him. Still am hoping it will be a better lifestyle for them and us long term rather than growing up within spitting distance of Slough.

Coombe dean is a very desirable school. Plymstock schools are geared for navy families so places will come up.

Oreston Primary in Plymstock is probably going from 1.5 to 2 form entry throughout KS2 classes from September, so will have Y5 spaces.

You won't go far wrong with Plympton or Plymstock. All the secondaries are good and the primaries are either good or on the up. Generally (and this is a very sweeping judgment) the further West you go across the city the more issues there are which can impact on schools ability to get themes out of the kids.

My kids are at oreston I'm v happy. Agree about not going west across the city. Dunstone school is also nice and elburton. In plympton I'm v impressed with borringdon. Plympton and plymstock are as genteel and leafy as Mannamead but with more green space and less urban issues. And the car insurance goes down!

Shallis you don't have to live in Estover to attend the school you know!!

Just heard today that DD has been allocated Eggbuckland Vale - hoping to see it next week. Should hear about DS in the next couple of weeks. Still need to find somewhere to live though!

Are you planning to rent or buy? Any areas in mind yet?