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Original poster

Schools in HARPENDEN/ST ALBANS?

85 replies

granarybeck · 12/07/2006 14:42

does anyone know about the schools in this area?

I have received loads of helpful advice on another thread about where to move to around london. We are thinking of harpenden or st albans and are going have a look round at the end of this week. Does anyone know anything about The Lea school in harpenden? any thoughts would be appreciated.

There seemed to be lots of excellent schools in the area but lots seem to be full (i know, pretty naive of me not to guess). Otherwise could be back to looking at other areas.

would be really grateful for any advice.

OP posts:
Christie · 15/07/2006 11:37

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anorak · 15/07/2006 16:32

Christie, Parmiter's changed their rules recently and they give preference to siblings even if the older ones have left.

granarybeck if you are still in the area and log on in time you are welcome to come and visit us later today/tonight. Will not be around tomorrow though.

anorak · 15/07/2006 16:35

I've sent you a CAT with my phone numbers.

sylvm · 15/07/2006 16:45

Granary - re the review. The LEA in Hertfordshire has decided that there are too many primary school places unfilled in certain areas. The area we used to live in was affected and the review is well underway. Before we moved, someone had told me that Harpenden was also affected although the review was starting later. I did check this on the Herts CC website so perhaps you could look into this.

People do go to the Lea from all over because of its sen ethos. The Head is very nice but obviously you do need to meet her before making a decision. It is obviously difficult this near the end of term.

Good parts of St Albans (in my opinion) Fleetville, Marshalswick, Bernards Heath .. As I think I said earlier, I visited a lot of the schools and didn't come across one bad one.

Christie · 15/07/2006 18:00

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anorak · 15/07/2006 18:23

That's funny, Christie, because I could have sworn it was only when DD2 went there so only 3 years ago. Perhaps they've changed it back then.

Christie · 15/07/2006 18:37

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edam · 15/07/2006 19:01

This would be the LEA that is so bad at counting it left 60 children from Harpenden and Wheathampstead without secondary school places? That's two forms, FGS, that they 'forgot'.

(Granary, it is being sorted now, don't panic. The kids affected were from Wheathampstead and the south side of Harpenden, nearest to St Albans - so if you are looking at the Southdown end of town, check out school advailability very carefully.)

Christie, am v jealous if your friend lives in one of the big posh houses on Townsend Road. Ours is (ahem) best descibed as 'modest'.

Christie · 15/07/2006 19:38

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anorak · 15/07/2006 19:50

Ah Christie - I can't imagine Mr C saying my two dds are 'delightful'.

He did say he thought DD2 a lovely girl when I spoke with him last week, which meant a lot to me. He is a very nice man.

edam · 15/07/2006 20:44

Christie, my house probably backs onto his, then (next road, although our entrance is on a different street to his).

Original poster
granarybeck · 16/07/2006 21:19

Thanks everyone, have just got home. Am exhausted and my brain is frazzled!

Sylvym, I don't know where they get their figures for harpenden from as every primary school is full except for the Lea.

Edam I looked at those schools but are all full, only Lea has places. It is right at the edge of Harpenden, off far end of Westfield Rd, on Springfield Crescent/Moorland Rd. There were a couple of houses for sale up there, but wasn't sure of area. I think we came home a bit disheartened/confused as so hard to work everything out! What is redbourn like? We had a quick look there as seemed a tad cheaper than harpenden. Our budget is only about 375 which is a huge increase for us but estate agents there and in st albans just looked at us pitifully! We are just moving in wrong direction (north to south) for house prices! I can see why harpenden and st albans are pricey though as they are lovely.

Was thinking at looking at Hitchin too, any views?

OP posts:
edam · 16/07/2006 21:49

I really don't know that edge of Harpenden, I'm afraid, so can't help. I have an idea it's not particularly sought-after but that could be a false impression. Have you tried upmystreet.com? If you can get a postcode (first four letters) plug it in and it will give you the Acorn profile used by marketing types which gives you some clues as to the neighbourhood.

Were you asking estate agents for four beds? £375 is more than enough to get you three beds in a very good area. My neighbour's three bedroom end terrace just sold for £330 - that's in one of the best parts of Harpenden in terms of catchment area and distance from station. But no chance of four beds for that money.

Don't know very much about Redbourn, except that it's very close to the M1 and that when there's pressure on school places, it's children from the villages who lose out for some reason. Worth checking where children from Redbourn go for senior schools - it's about equidistant from Hemel Hempstead and St Albans. And, apologies to Hemel, but I don't think people move to get their children into those schools the way they move to get in to Harpenden or St Albans.

Original poster
granarybeck · 16/07/2006 22:27

No were asking for 3beds edam, 4 would be lovely as have more than that now, but we weren't expecting it. Maybe there just weren't many of that price/size on market at the moment.

According to few people I spoke to in Redbourn , the rules have changed about Redbourn (due to a disused railway becoming a bridlepath-which then makes roundwood secondary the closest school?!). I think this was apart from one bit of the town which would be closest to Hemel. Partly though, I can imagine that in a few years (not very far off), we could end up spending lots of time taxiing dd and ds between redbourn and harpenden!

I will try the acorn profile for individual postcodes rather than the town cheers.

OP posts:
sylvm · 17/07/2006 10:48

Granarybeck - I thought it seemed OK the area around the Lea when we were there. Not as desirable as some areas but I have been told that there aren't any undesirable areas in harpenden really.

If you do a search on Education on this site you will probably unearth my thread from last year by the way.

Tread carefully with Redbourn, re secondary as Edam has said. Also I understand there have been a lot of problems with Travellers. Having said that it's a very pretty village with a strong sense of community from what I gather. I like Wheathampstead but we ruled it out cos of the secondary school issue.

KTeePee · 17/07/2006 11:12

gb, have you looked at houses on Beech Rd in St Albans? It is a main road and so the prices are more reasonable but is close to many good schools. The New Greens area is also affordable (though lots of it is ex-Council - but I don't think it is a "bad" area iyswim)

KTeePee · 17/07/2006 11:14

Sandridge village is also more reasonable than St Albans and Harpenden and doesn't have the same problems with secondary school places that other villages do - many children go on to Sandringham School in Marshalswick which is walking distance from Sandridge

Original poster
granarybeck · 17/07/2006 12:26

thanks ktpee, i think we'll have to come down again this week to have another look. dh is in london today negotiating salary so we know that if not what he asked for there's no way we could afford it. so am sat waiting to hear!

OP posts:
edam · 17/07/2006 12:36

well, I think the estate agents were being crap, pretending you couldn't get three beds for that money. Unless there just isn't much on the market, but that could change, worth keeping an eye on agents' websites. We get local property pages delivered with free local papers and it's true there aren't a huge number of properties between £275 and £375, but there are some.

My other neighbour's house is still on a few weeks after he put it up at £325 - but he's turned it into two beds (could replace partition wall easily, though). And was unfortunate enough to live next door to end terrace which went up a week later, so anyone coming to view could see next door's sign, go and check with agent and find out they were only asking £10k more for end terrace with bigger garden.

I know the disused railway line (called the Nicky Line). Nice but I'd be reluctant to walk there on my own, just because, you know, it's a big hidden away. Although at school chucking out time it's very busy next to Roundwood, don't know what it's like further on.

edam · 17/07/2006 12:37

'bit' hidden away

southeastastra · 17/07/2006 12:40

the house prices seem crazy round stalbans, you could get a huge house here for £325,000!

edam · 17/07/2006 12:45

I had a vague impression Borehamwood was nice, but met a man at a party the other week who lived there, was a bit negative about it and said he'd move to St Alban's/Harpendent if he could afford it. Only one person though, not enough to write off a whole town!

anorak · 17/07/2006 12:46

granarybeck, did you get my CAT?

southeastastra · 17/07/2006 12:51

half is very affluent, there is also alot of council houses, seems to have a big mix of people.

edam · 17/07/2006 12:56

That's interesting SEAstra, maybe it's people being snobby about proportion of pcouncil houses, then?