Considering a move to York with children, best areas and schools?

[Shlr]

Hello, I'm wondering if any people who live, or have lived, in York are able to please give me some insights.

We're thinking of moving there with our two primary aged children and would love to hear what people know about different areas to live, primary schools and, also importantly, secondary schools.

To tell you a bit about us and what were hoping for:

I currently live in East London with DH, DD and DS. DH and I are hoping to move somewhere where we can afford a little bit more space, with a reasonably sized garden. We'd love to live somewhere pretty, clean and safe, with character. We're hoping for a nurturing primary school with lovely a community and a nice secondary school (results are important but a happy place to be is more so).

We have been considering the whole of the UK for a while but are really excited about York. It's hitting a lot of boxes as we think it's small enough to be walkable and easy for our children to have a bit of independence as they grow older, while also being big enough to be interesting. It's full of character and also close to beautiful countryside.

We've literally only been once so are almost clueless! We got a good vibe there and that feels important.

If I had absolutely all my dreams come true we'd live in a 4-5 bed house with a decent sized garden on a pretty, quiet street with friendly neighbours, other families and a community, village feel. Ideally some nice local shops or something. The area would be walkable into town, or at least easily connected by public transport. Maybe near a beautiful park and within the catchment areas of well-suited (state) schools. Our budget can stretch to about £750k.

I read that Fulford school is well regarded. One person I spoke to said it was a little hot housing so I'm intrigued about that. They also recommended Millthorpe but I know absolutely nothing about it (or any other schools)!

I'm probably asking too much but maybe something close is possible. Please help me find the best areas and schools to explore?

Thanks so much!

Where are you planning to work?

I don't live there, but I have family there and I really like the area around Scarcroft Road and Bishopthorpe Road. There's lots of lovely Victorian houses and green space, nice local cafes, it's walking distance to the city centre and I believe the state schools are decent.

I work in York about 50% of my time. Pretty much everyone I work with who has kids lives in Acomb & Fulford. Tadcaster Rd a bit too. Archbishop Holgate Academy seems popular. Beware of flood zones.

live in a 4-5 bed house with a decent sized garden on a pretty, quiet street with friendly neighbours, other families and a community, village feel. Ideally some nice local shops or something. The area would be walkable into town, or at least easily connected by public transport. Maybe near a beautiful park and within the catchment areas of well-suited (state) schools. Our budget can stretch to about £750k

Yorkie here, I live in one of the areas mentioned by a pp. From your criteria above- York is a perfect match! If the garden is especially important to you, then you would 💯 tick all of these boxes (even for sub 750 if you don’t want to max out) in Fulford, for example. (Two lovely community primary schools in the area worth mentioning are St Oswalds and Lord Deramores) If you compromise on garden size for a lovely period property, then aim for South Bank (Bishopthorpe Rd and surrounds) lots of families ex London there too. Rowntrees Park is really nice, it’s on an easy riverside walk into the city centre, but also easy access from Bishopthorpe Road. Millthorpe and All Saints (Catholic) secondary schools on that side of river.

Just along from there and with your budget I’d also look at Bishopthorpe (classed as village, but it’s actually only semi rural and is on an easy road back into city centre and to the ring road, although it’s easy to cycle from there and there’s buses, it’s quite a long walk for a daily commute into the city centre, if that’s what you need) you could get a really lovely family home and garden there. It has a great community and primary school, with most going on to Fulford School for secondary (direct to school buses from Bishopthorpe).

As pp says, depends where you’re working, but you can walk in or easily cycle from most areas. My DH (and BiL, several neighbours) still commute to London fairly frequently from here, it’s so easy to the train station, which is really well served by public transport across the areas outside the city centre if you don’t fancy the walk or cycle. It’s a great city to cycle across too.

On the north side of city, for the home you’re describing, you should look at Heworth. V.walkable back into centre too. There’s lots of other really nice areas, especially a little further out but they wouldn’t match your criteria above for walking in to city centre.

York Mumbler is worth looking at to get an idea of what goes on for families across the city.

This is so wonderful, thank you for all the replies so far! I'm feeling really positive about it all.

I'd love to hear specific thoughts on the schools from anyone with children currently attending.

I've been a full time mum for the past 7 years but am currently looking at going back to work part-time. I used to work a bit in costume for theatre but am starting out fresh studying horticulture and hoping to find work in gardens. My DH works in London semi remotely so could commute once or twice a month.

Ps. I love Mumsnet 😆

I really like the idea of the Bishy Road area as it seems to have its own cute little high street (I think?) but I don't want to sacrifice on garden space. Our kids are cooped up with our little garden where we are and I'd love for them to run around more freely!

Is there anywhere that might be similar but more space?

Thanks again everyone 😊

If your children are already in school, why do you think there will be places avaliable in the best schools ?

Its agreat place to live city with country and coast nearby
But you might find the weather depressing
Great food
Great transport links
Great uni

I thought of Fulford immediately. Bishy road is cute but you'll struggle for a garden and that many bedrooms - a friend has a 4 bed terrace with a postage stamp yard for 800.

If you want a larger house with a garden, you’ll need to be looking in the suburbs or the surrounding villages - Bishy Road is nice, but you’re paying the extra to live in a trendy area and the houses and gardens are small. Regarding the suburbs, Fulford itself is nice, Heworth and the Stockton Lane/ Hempland Lane area as mentioned above, and probably the Badger Hill and Osbaldwick area (though I don’t know those areas very well). I’m less familiar with the other side of York, but I think Holgate and parts of Acomb are nice, along with Dringhouses.

That’s a good point above about school availability as the best schools are usually full. The council have some info about school applications on their website - if you look at the Guide got Parents document, it shows you the number of available places and the intake each year. It also explains the admissions process.

Most of the schools in the "naice"areas will be full so you need to factor that into your thinking unless Private is an option. If so York has some excellent options

Another Yorkie here. Wholeheartedly agree with the suggestions made so far. Tadcaster Road area may give you better options for a garden whilst being within easy reach of Bishy Road and the city centre. Also good for the train station. Heworth/Stockton Lane also has a similar ish 'high street' feel and is also close to the city centre.

PP has mentioned Bishopthorpe. It may be worth you considering that too as a number of the villages immediately surrounding York are fairly sizeable and offer a really nice community feel and decent village schools whilst still having easy access to the city centre. Good chance of a nice sized garden and space to run around. Particularly Bishopthorpe, Companthorpe, Poppleton (train connection to York/Harrogate/Leeds here too) and Dunnington.

Huntington School (senior) and Scarcroft Road (junior) also well regarded as well as the others already mentioned.

High demand for gardeners/garden designers locally. Also a fair number of estates with gardening staff (National Trust, Historic Houses, etc.)

It's a lovely place to live and work and future development around the station promises a bit of a boost to city centre life.

Heworth is a good option. All the primary schools are decent. I don’t rate Millthorpe too highly personally but Archbishops and Huntington are good. Fulford not so much. All Saints is also excellent. York is a great city for kids and adults. Bishy road is lovely but so are lots of other bits, you can cycle in to the town centre and shop there very easily too. Housing around Bishy road is overpriced and often poky and whilst Knavesmire isn’t too bad friends have found Scarcroft Road is a less helpful atmosphere as a primary.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89798508#/?channel=RES_BUY

Heworth vibe. Tbh you could probably get a bigger garden with a bit more searching

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/91734870#/?channel=RES_BUY

this is fun, right in city centre

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/166613510#/?channel=RES_BUY

edge of Heworth, very good value

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/172065275#/?channel=RES_BUY

think carefully about schools with this one but nice street and lovely house

I love York & you get some amazing houses in nice areas compared to London. The only thing I would think carefully about is the burden of the commute & the long term cost of it.

Have you looked at outer parts of SE London as I think they are a similar vibe although less nice houses.

I don’t really know about primary schools, but the secondary schools are generally good. York High is the one with the worst reputation I think, and All saints maybe the best (but catholic, so hard to get in if you’re not catholic - best tactic would be to try and get them into a catholic primary feeder school)

@Northernlurker you say you don’t rate Fulford School very highly, but it’s regarded as one of the best schools in York (rated Outstanding by Ofsted; great exam results). What issues do you think it has?

Ooh lovely info and tips and even house searches! Thank you!

I'm making dinner so will reply properly later but I wanted to put this here quickly now -

I'm really interested in hearing details about different schools because I've no idea how to find this information online. So rather than which ones are highly regarded, which ones are nurturing, or offer more opportunities, or are very academic etc.

My DD is quite anxious and I feel like a sweet nurturing school would suit her.

Also true, I realise it's naive of me to think we can just pick a school and an area and waltz right in. Does anyone have experience of moving somewhere mid-year and trying to get kids into an oversubscribed school? Or anyone know of any under subscribed but nice primaries?

Thanks again!

Also curious as Fulford is first choice for my daughter, followed by Archbishop.

@Shlra lot of schools around the country aren’t full but the popular ones tend to be. You can always go on the waiting list & take another place until one becomes available.

I went to Fulford school. It was back in the 90's though so won't be the same school now. It was a good school, but only really nurtured anyone who was clever. The majority just went through the motions TBH.

We lived in one of the villages on the outskirts. Wasn't walkable into York (apart from one afternoon when me and a friend decided to walk home), but transport was good, its even better now though.

@Shlr If you look at the link I posted above, the Guide for Parents document shows the number of children each school can take, and how many children actually started in reception in recent years, which gives you an idea of schools with spaces. I can see that some of the schools with spaces are not that well-regarded, but Fishergate and Park Grove are both schools with spaces in reception (which you could assume means spaces in the other years), but have good reputations and are nurturing.

I think, like many places, the birth rate is dropping, and there are also issues with high house prices meaning some families are priced out of York itself.

Are you on Facebook? There’s a Facebook group called York Mumbler (they also have a website), and that’s a great place to get information on schools. If you join and say that you’re thinking of moving to York and ask about schools, you can get more info than just ofsted rankings.