Looking to move to Exeter

[Lucie390]

Hello

We are looking to move to Devon but I have always been keen on Exeter. Since covid we are having to downsize/cut out mortgage in half and Exeter seems more manageable financially. We both work remotely.

We currently live in north london, have 2 children at a very good Grammer school. Older child is off to college next year so we would time it with that, younger child would be going into year 9 but isn’t particularly thriving at school and keen to move also. We currently live in a nice area, but regularly have drunks and druggies loitering/ cars been damaged 3 times now and have generally lost the love for the place, no parking, new driving charges to drive around london etc etc.

Whilst I have some knowledge of Exeter this is from years ago. We very much plan to spend lots of time around the different areas of Exeter and Devon itself over the next few months but any advice where to start would be great. Also with covid we’re obviously going to be seeing a much quieter version of everything as our first visit will be in the new year.

We are looking for somewhere around £350k mark, close to Exeter, not too far to drive to a beach. Husband and children are very keen on swimming / open water swimming a plus, safe, nice bustling community with pubs etc. Basically a north london vibe but safer and cheaper lol.

Thanks

Exeter college is decent. We would've private schooled up until 16. We lived in Exe for years - feel free to PM me with any questions. What sort of house are you looking for as if you want IN Exe that is not going very far at all budget-wise. Villages around Exe area are incredibly mixed. Some of wonderful, others (particularly the more coastal ones) are very deprived, bored teenagers, lots of drugs. You'll need to be a chauffeur for the kids in many of them. Exe itself is a wonderful place to live (my family are Devon based and always have been, so I know all the surrounding areas too). I would recommend places like Topsham as central enough but with a good vibe.

Topsham is £££££. St Leonards is a lovely area walking distance to the Quay and city centre. Heavitree reasonably nice.

Agree re St Leonards. Heavitree is mixed and would depend on side and road imo.

Thank you, we will head to those areas. Can I ask if any of you have teens ? Is there a culture of hanging out on beaches/drinking at night ? One good thing about london is that’s not an option ! Also do you find it rowdy being a university town ? I’m thinking my teens would like the hustle and bustle of students.

I don't have teens but I was one there back in the day From Exeter for low key beach stroll we had places like Dawlish but I preferred the 40 min train to Torquay personally (most of my friends took closer option). There were a lot of BBQs on the beach and skinny dipping etc back in the day, but I only have the insight of a very school-focused teenager who didn't touch drugs. I did sometimes go to Torquay to study with my revision notes. I was sad.

Hello! I live 20mins from exeter city centre and happy to answer any questions! I’m in my 20s my siblings are late teens now but we’ve lived here all our lives.

If your children are at a grammar school be aware Exeter has none. However, children from Exeter and surrounds do travel to both Colyton and Torquay for grammar schools.

I love Topsham but as previous PP says Topsham is £££ but outskirts might be cheaper, you can easily cycle into Exeter, or take the train. Topsham also has a lido for the swimmers I would move there in a heartbeat.

Thank you

We’d be looking at private for younger and a good collage for older 16 year old. Thank you for all the recommendations.

We are heading down in the new year so will be taking some notes from here, looking forward to having a good drive round everywhere and hopefully some house hunting : )

Does anyone have experience of Queen Elizabeth’s school Sixth form and the kings also please ? These seem closest to her current school and is doing her GCSEs this summer. Thanks

I imagine you may get a big shock moving from North London to Exeter. I found Exeter very small when I moved here from a very much 24/7 city. However, I like living in Exeter now I have kids as both Dartmoor and beaches are 20/30 minutes away. Prior to the pandemic Exeter was pricey compared to local salaries but since the pandemic the property market has gone insane! £350k will probably get you a much smaller property than you think it would down here.

Since the pandemic

We can up the budget if needed for £400-£450, we are very much looking forward to a smaller city. We like St Albans/ used to north london subs so used to smaller town locally.

My relatives moved to Devon a few years ago with teens. They've had lots of issues with nights on the beach taking drugs and drinking etc.

They wish they hadn't gone costal although said Exeter college wasn't too bad. Not sure if they just have wayward teens but they said it's rife compared to the part of London they moved from.

Have a look at Kenton / Exminster / Starcross. Not far out of Exeter but have a nice village feel and are a short drive to a lovely beach at Dawlish Warren.

All 3 have good buses to Exeter (for the teens being independent) and Kenton & Starcross are walking distance to Starcross station which has regular trains to Exeter too.

Kings 6th form is very good. Still part of the school community (house system etc) but housed in their own block with a cafe and great pastoral support. Also got Exeter Maths School. And can apply to Colyton Grammar for 6th Form also. You need to visit really as all feel very different.

Have a look at teignmouth it's great. There's a lovely school at shaldon I think it's called trinity.

Exeter is so so - bits of it are quite deprived. Lots of options a short drive away though. Sidmouth is stunning and Beer farther up.

No grammars as Devon isn't a grammar district. Torbay has 2 I think and Plymouth has 3. You might want to look at Plymouth college (private) and also Mount Kelly (Tavistock)

Colyton Grammar 6th form is good but you will be unlikely to get your year 9 dc in to the lower school, as the places are already full. Exeter college is great. King’s school for your younger dc is good or Uffculme but there is no 6th form at Uffculme. Look on rightmove for house prices because you might be surprised at how expensive houses are in Devon.

I grew up in Devon and as a teenager loved beach parties over clubs- I actually think now, as a parent myself, they are probably much safer really as not lots of dodgy people, just generally you and people from school with the odd passer by. Had a great time! (My rule would be no drinking and swimming though.)

Also went to Exeter College it was great, but this was years ago.

Bit late to the party. I think a plus point for Exeter is that it doesn't have grammar schools - so the comprehensives are all pretty good, in my opinion and my kids did well at St James' and St Luke's. Exeter College is highly ranked and there is lots of choice for what to study as it is so big (most schools in Exeter do not have a sixth form)
There is also Exeter Maths School which is an exceptional specialist state sixth form (with boarding for pupils from surrounding counties).

Most places around here are 20-30 minutes drive to different beaches to the east and west. Teenagers do get the train/bus to the beach and hang around, but it depends on your child what they get up to, like anywhere else! It's no different to hanging around in the park anywhere else.

I moved down here from London when I was pregnant and I think it is a great place to bring up a family.

I'm happy to answer any questions too, my youngest is 17, so similar age to your eldest.

Hello,

We are a family of 4 who currently live in London and looking to move in Exeter. We are looking at the schools as our daughter will start reception next year. They've told us that Catholics schools are generally very good and people are really nice. Does anyone have any experience in St Nicholas Catholic school and what other schools in Exeter would you suggest please?

Thank you!

@LunaNek where in Exeter are you looking at moving to? Where I live in Exeter the schools are undersubscribed so you are likely to get your first choice of school. However, north of Exeter primaries are massively oversubscribed due to the amount of housbuilding (Pinhoe, Broadclyst, Monkerton, Titlebarn, etc). There is only one RC primary school in Exeter which is St Nicks. I’ve heard good things about it but it had a Ofsted where almost everything was RI. It sounds like it has recently undergone some changes but they have not yet fully embedded (which means the RI may be a blip).

Hi @SlayDuggee
We don't know where exactly to move to Exeter yet as we are looking for schools first. Could you suggest any good schools and areas please?
We are planning to visit Exeter in March for first time to see the place and then move in October. How is the life with a family there ? Everyone tells me positive things that's why we've chosen this place. We want to live somewhere safe and quite but have access in the town.

If you scroll down and click on offer day then scroll down again you can click on 2024 primary school allocations and you can see what schools where oversubscribed for 2024 or not.

I moved from a large city to Exeter and I can say that the areas that some people say are rough in Exeter would be considered rough where I am from. I would say that Exeter is generally a very safe city. I found Exeter quite dull before I had children but it is a good place for you to live when you have a family. You can live in Exeter and be 30 minutes from a beach and 30 minutes from Dartmoor easily.

Public transport is no where near as good as London so I would say ease of commuting to work would be more important than living by a particular primary school. Most primary schools in Exeter are good and if you don’t like you catchment school is is not normally difficult to get into a different school (except where there is massive amounts of new builds being built). Both my children don’t go to their catchment school. Secondary schools are more of a concern in Exeter but my children are no where near secondary age so I may be prematurely worrying. Exeter has a rather odd system where none of the state secondary schools have a sixth form (nearest is Clyst Vale Community College just outside of Exeter) so pretty much every goes to Exeter College.

Would you prefer to live in the city or more rurally? St Leonard’s is seen as the poshest area of Exeter and is not too far from the city centre. I live in one of the cheaper areas in Exeter (some may say less desirable) but it’s still feels a million times safer than where I grew up and I feel very safe living here.

www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/school-information/apply-for-a-school-place/apply-for-a-primary-school-place/

@SlayDuggee clyst vale’s 6th form is sadly gone.