Banbury Mums - Advice please

[Jessie179]

Hi everyone

We are looking to moving to Banbury very soon. Viewed few places yesterday... I just need some advice on areas in Banbury and best schools. The area we viewed yesterday was Cherwell Heights. DH prefers to be south of banbury due to travelling to Kidlington for work. I also like the area of Hanwell fields. Any comments or suggestions as DH not interested in Hanwell fields as too "North"

My daughter is 14 months old.
PS: I am also a Registered Childminder

hanwell fields is very sought after - the primary school got an ofsted outstanding but I believe it isn't big enough for the housing so no guarantee you'd get a place anyway. hillview school (ruscote area) and the grange on cherwell heights are supposed to be well liked schools.

from a point of travelling into kidlington, it won't matter where you are in banbury to commute along the oxford road to kidlington unless you have to go through the town (banbury) at 830/9am. it's a good run and very rarely get loads of traffic. deddington can be slow at 830ish but usually ok.

if you moved into the catchment for orchard fields then I'd be interested in approaching you as a childminder from may

Cherwell Heights and Hanwell Fields are both considered good places to live. The Grange School on Cherwell Heights is much sought after, as are childminders to collect from it!

The newer housing estates on East side of Banbury (close to M40 junction) are also good - quite a few children attend the primary schools in Chacombe or Middleton Cheney (need to drive).

(Hello twinklytoes!!)

Hi thanks for Twinklytoes and ThePrisoner

Firstly i am still renting not ready to buy yet. I heard about the school in Hanwell fields and obviously as a mum quite interested. My daughter is just over a year old so am sure still have time to wait for places. Hope so anyway. There are quite a few nice properties for rent there.

Cherwell heights on the other hand is a nice area and we had a drive around there as well. I heard about the schools but being a new mom "wanted" to see an "outstanding" report for those schools as well. But went on the website and it did interest me. Hubby really wants to live there and anything else he is dismissing so far.

Twinklytoes not sure how catchment areas work. Say for instance we do go for cherwell heights and I see orchard fields school is just on the other side, would that still fall under the catchment area or not. Sorry but only been in country 4 years and not clued up yet how that works. Because if we did stay in Chipping norton she would have attended one of the good schools here without a doubt as ontop of it her grandma is a teacher at the school

no, they are totally different catchment areas. For me to use a childminder outside the schools catchment - my children would have to be the only mindees so that I could ensure a pick up from school - that is unlikely to happen.

cherwell heights is a good area of town in relation to its walkability to the town centre, an established community, is close to a range of activities etc. hanwell fields is a bus ride away and is still to establish as a community.

why don't you visit one or two the childminder drop-ins at the children's centres - TP will no doubt know where they are! You could suss out where childminders are needed and use that to help you focus your search. Though, TP has said that childminders are in much demand at The Grange on cherwell heights.

evening TP! must catch up for a coffee sometime. are you still doing fridays at rugrats?

Oh yes, I know where everything is!

I will, as always, be at Rugrats on Friday morning. You probably won't see me because I don't get to sit down much!!

We should all have an unofficial meet-up. Jessie - have you been to Rugrats yet?

Hi TP

Thanks again ladies for your helpful advice. Thats my husbands argument as well that Cherwell Heights is nice and near to Town Centre. And maybe I should visit first and have a look. I would love to meet up as well.

On Monday I almost went to Rugrats but had no idea where it was as i viewed a place near the station and happened to pass Wizzkids instead. Decided to pop in there instead for my daughter to have a little play otherwise i might be tempted to shop. And when i left to go home I popped into nearby shop to grab lunch and all my money was taken out of my pockets. It did put me off a little and me & DH actually just had a little disagreement as I didnt expect that. I was so surprised but hey DH always say that I can be careless.

If someone can advice me from Town Centre where Rugrats is then just maybe I might make it in on Friday oh and depending the time of the morning as well.

Hi TP

Thanks again ladies for your helpful advice. Thats my husbands argument as well that Cherwell Heights is nice and near to Town Centre. And maybe I should visit first and have a look. I would love to meet up as well.

On Monday I almost went to Rugrats but had no idea where it was as i viewed a place near the station and happened to pass Wizzkids instead. Decided to pop in there instead for my daughter to have a little play otherwise i might be tempted to shop. And when i left to go home I popped into nearby shop to grab lunch and all my money was taken out of my pockets. It did put me off a little and me & DH actually just had a little disagreement as I didnt expect that. I was so surprised but hey DH always say that I can be careless.

If someone can advice me from Town Centre where Rugrats is then just maybe I might make it in on Friday oh and depending the time of the morning as well.

Check out the map here - Rugrats is on the corner bit of Beaumont Road. If you know where Tesco is, you're practically there.

I'm usually there from 9.30 - 11.30/12.00. If you're coming, just ask any staff member where the mad childminder is - they know me

can't make tomorrow but should be able to the following week.