Tell me about South Manchester/North Cheshire. Where to live?

[cushioncover]

DH's job is relocating to Manchester. We've just had the house valued and we'll be moving in the next few months.
I've heard south of the city is best for areas and schools (true?) DH has been told that Cheadle is a good area and also wilmslow. Any views, recommendations appreciated. Need 4beds and good primary school for the lads.

We liked Poynton, but heard there are slow queues of cars at rush hour.

inshoes/paddington...

I love Sale, have lived here about 6 ish years...also moved up from the midlands (nr. Wolverhampton) for a fab job.

M6 link and M60 links are fantastic.
15 min drive to Mcr city centre
4 riding stables close by
Altrincham 8 min. drive (swimming pool/great shopping)
Trafford Cntr. 12 min drive
doctor, dentist and chemist 5 minute walk (Really!)

Chorlton?

Cheadle is nicer than Hazel Grove. With your budget though look at Bramhall, Wilmslow, nice parts of Cheadle Hulme (CH is all over the place, lots very unremarkable)

Didsbury

Poynton also nice

Oh, and Cheadle covers quite a large area as well, some bits not great, lots is very nice. Ditto Gatley. You'd really have to drive around the whole area to get a feel for what felt right

I loved Didsbury as have lovely tall, older houses with establihsed gardens.

Cold feet was filmed there...

Alderley Edge and Wilmslow are really expensive
We live in Macclesfield
Wouldn't recommend it

Thanks, I'd heard of Didsbury but seems almost city centre.
Think I'm leaning towards poynton/bramhall area, though Wilmslow still a consideration. We'll need to go up for a few days and have a good look around to get a feel. This thread has really helped me narrow the search though. S M'chester, N Cheshire is a very big area to put a pin in!

Oh PB really!! I can still be convinced!
Tell me all the good bits.

Most of teh secondary schools around Cheadle/Bramhall have recently had Ofsted inspections - you can read up on them there.

Thanks, will do

I'm just bumping this to ask if any of you know about any local nurseries in the area that you could perhaps recommend. I've posted in the 'nurseries' section but no replies yet.

I've been told that Kids Allowed in Cheadle is good. Any thoughts? Though perhaps if we're no longer looking at Cheadle then that's out. Any suggestions gratefully received.

nurseries for under 3's?
I can't help with that sorry! I know an amazing childminder though

If you're looking at Wilmslow & thinking of getting into Manchester then Wilmslow Park is a good area to look at as easy walking distance to the station - you should get a reasonable house for your money round there.

Trafford is very good for schools IF your child passes the 11+, not so sure how they do if they don't. We are outside the catchment area but are trying for Alt Grammar for dd2. Didn't try for dd1 as they tend only to take v bright children & she's not in that league. Be warned, pressure to get in from Trafford is v high and a lot of the prep schools in the area prep specifically for the Grammar. If you will be thinking of ind at secondary (or want to keep your options open) then Wilmslow/Alderley/Altrincham has a v good choice to cover the full ability range, from 'needs help' to high flyers.

You also need to be aware that where you live will determine which high school your children go to. All the high schools around here are oversubscribed, so you really do have to make a choice and then live near there. Most of the high schools in N Cheshire are good, some are v large though (Wilmslow has 1900 children) although all that may change by the time you need to think about it.

If you need any more info you can cat me on
deborahk at btinternet dot com, have lived in S Manchester/N Cheshire for 20 years now (gulp) and have dds of 10 & 11 so reasonable awareness of schools etc.

No nothing about nureries but cat me as well if you need any more detailed info

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Thanks everyone for all your help, really very useful.
Berries, the whole 'over-subscribed schools' thing really fills me with dread. Not looking forward to it at all.

DDT, yes, we're coming up for 4days in Sept without the kids so hopefully we can cram as much fact-finding into that as possible.

MoM, thanks. I'd be looking at CMs if they were a little younger but as they're pre-school, I'd rather they went to nursery.

If nothing else, all this 'help' has reassured me about moving.

You just have to be aware that although you can 'select' up to 4 schools on your list, in practise, you need to live within a certain distance from a school to get in. There are odd 'holes' where you won't automtically get into Wilmslow/Fallibrome/Knutsford & will end up with about the only poor school in the area. If you are looking at Wilmslow/Alderley Edge etc I can let you know where the 'unofficial' lines are.

Thanks. Just received some schools stuff from stockport LEA which says that if you live in a school's catchment and put that school down as your first choice then you automatically get a place there. That's good to know. It doesn't seem to be the same in tafford though as the woman on the phone says that almost all the schools are oversubscribed.

I think we've narrowed in down to either bramhall/poynton or wilmslow. Alderley seems a bit out of our price range.

I don't think most people in the SE (including us before this ) realise what an expensive and affluent bit of the country it is up there. Most people I've spoken to about our move assume we'll get a house 4x the size for the budget.

Cushioncover - when I moved up to Cheshire (in the 90s) I was amazed by the wealth - and I had been brought up in Esher, Surrey! A Zimbabwean friend told me she had not seen so much gold, this sice of Jo'burg. I expect you know that the area is known as the "Golden Triangle". The good thing is that people are quite friendly (apart from those who call you "bloody southerners" etc) and there is a great dynamism in the area which you can see particularly in the primary schools where parents really want their children to do well and (most) schools are very good.

The Thresher in Alderley Edge sells the most Champagne per capita than any other in the UK

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