Saffron Walden primary schools

[KindSwan]

Hi, we are thinking of moving to Saffron Walden and have seen a house in Newport that we like. I'm unsure what the local primary schools are like though, and are we likely to get into and of the schools in the town?
Thanks in advance!

Hi there OP, have only just seen this post. Just hopping on to say that we’re in the same boat - we are moving from London and are just starting to look seriously at houses in Saffron Walden (the town itself, not outlying villages).

From my own research, I think you’d be unlikely to get your child into SW schools from Newport - pretty sure they’re all oversubscribed, and the village schools are probably your best bet.

Hi @TempsPerdu thank you for your message. Are you looking into primary schools as well then? I hope you manage to find a house you like!
We are starting to look in the town as well now, as I think you're right about how oversubscribed the schools are. The village schools seem to be absolutely tiny and Im not sure if thats what we would want.

@KindSwanYes, we’d be looking for an in-year admission for Year 2. I know what you mean about tiny village schools - there are aspects that appeal, but (as an ex-prinary teacher myself) I do worry about lack of facilities and activities. I’m used to big London schools! We’re also looking into the possibility of a place at Dame Bradbury’s (local prep school) if there are literally no spaces in the state schools - it would cripple us financially and isn’t what we’d planned for DD, but it does look like a nice school with plenty of opportunities.

Early days for us anyway- we are only just prepping to get our own house on the market. We had previously been looking at Bishop’s Stortford due to the amazing schools there, but after several visits we concluded that it was too similar to our current London suburb, with many of the same issues. We want a change of lifestyle, and I think SW would offer that.

Name changed for obvious outing reasons. I live in Newport. I don’t have kids and can’t comment on the primary, but several friends have children at Joyce Franklin and their kids are doing extremely well academically and socially. Know of a few just going to Uni this year and have all obtained first choices, so anecdotal evidence is that at least the secondary seems good.

Newport is a lovely village (we moved out from London a long time ago) with Saffron Walden also being great and having good amenities and Cambridge on your doorstep. Train station in Newport itself, whereas SW has Audley End which isn’t really walkable from SW town, it’s quite a distance away along country lanes.

@TempsPerdu Yes I felt the same about Bishop's Stortford. Saffron Walden seems much more like the Surrey town we live in at the moment, so Im hoping it will be just as friendly!
We have had our house on the market for a while now, I really didn't think it was going to take so long. So Im not sure when we will actually be able to more. I hope your house sale goes a lot smoother than ours!

Hi @Nameychangeywibblywobbly thank you for your message. It's good to hear that the children are doing well at the secondary school and that you enjoy living in Newport. It does seem like the most convenient nearby village to be in!

Hi, you are extremely unlikely to get into a SW school living in Newport as they’re all oversubscribed, especially now with the amount of new housing in the last few years (we have lived in SW all our lives and have children at the high school). It’s pretty much unheard of unless there’s a reason like a parent working at the school.
The primary in Newport has had a lot of issues in recent years but from what I understand is now improving.