Help relocation 9 and 13

[Starshine6]

Hello there,

We currently live in the South and we are really looking for a more friendly vibe being Scottish I'm sure you can understand! Can anyone recommend good area and schools for my 9 year old and 13 year old in the North Yorkshire area. I really don't know where to start, so any advice would be great. we are really wanting somehere very family orientated, where it will be easy to make friends and have a life. Luckily we are in a position where we can move anywhere in North Yorkshire area. Please please help. We are family of four, me, hubby and two kids

Hi Starshine! I'm in Harrogate and both primary and secondary schools are very good here- there are masses of Harrogate school threads on MN if you search. It's also a very friendly place. Mind you, I think (though am probably biased) that anywhere in North Yorkshire will be pretty friendly! Do you want town or village, do you need to be near transport links, moors, dales or sea?

Hi FetchezLaVeche,

We need to be fairly near the A1 for hubby, I agree I think North Yorkshire people are very friendly. I really want a town, what is Tadcaster, Wetherby and Ripon like? Thank you for responding 😄

I don't know Tadcaster at all. Wetherby seems very nice, but I've only really driven through it and I don't know about schools etc. Properties seem to be a little more expensive there than Ripon, which is a lovely town- I went to school there. It's very small and laid back. Primary schools are all good, I think. Secondary schools- you've got Ripon Grammar, which is excellent, then Ripon Academy, about which one hears very mixed reviews. But it's possible for your DC to go to Boroughbridge or even one of the faith schools in Harrogate if you're a deeply committed and practising member!

Also thinking of relocating to this area, could move anywhere, but York or Harrogate appeal most. DD 7. Thinking of private initially and then once we're settled can look for state (so we don't have to worry about catchment areas initially - we're moving from abroad and it's just too much to factor in). So far most that I've looked at seem to have a religious bent - religion isn't something that we would want to feature heavily but if it's just a small part of school life then we would be OK. Any advice? Want to think initially about primary but also ensuring there are good (state) secondaries near by.