Great schools in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire or Essex

[nzwahine]

Sorry for wide catchment area.
We have just arrived in the UK & have family in the above areas so are looking for village life close enough to enjoy time with the cuzzies. 5yo & 9yo to cater for.

Need to be within about an hour from airport for hubby to fly in from work in Europe.
Have come from fab rural, beach community in NZ to hideous experience at the hands of the French last year so kids went from loving school to hating it.
Anyway - any info on good, smaller village schools with good secondary's close by would be greatly appreciated.
We love our team sports and of course the beach .... which we'll be missing in these areas, but something has to give.
Many thanks

State - private is out of our league

I think your challenge will be finding a primary school with places for all three children. I have friends who send their children to Long Marston primary and they have been pleased with it. It is in catchment for Tring school.

www.longmarston.herts.sch.uk/

Prehaps another school you could look at is Albury.

www.albury.herts.sch.uk/

A lot depends on what your budget is for housing.

There is plenty of clubs if you want team sports in England. Which sports are in you interested in. You are right that the areas you are interested in are pretty landlocked, however it is possible to go to the seaside for a day trip almost anywhere in the UK.

Oh sorry, I just realised you have two children

Thanks all
Housing budget up to about 1200pm if we have to - coming from NZ garden important for growing food & playing in.
Kids into rugby, netball, surf lifesaving - being from rural NZ if there's a tree to be climbed or cliff face to be scaled we're all over it

important to know we're in the right area before going lock stock into buying so taking it slowly

A school place for 2 to start in Sept at this point will be tricky esp for 5 yo, popular places will be full.

However I have a recommendation. Cambridge is a great place to live, lots of good stuff going on and a big new development is being built in Trumpington. The new primary opens in Sept (Trumpington Meadows) its federated with the established Fawcett primary which is good and has a very spangly new building. There is a new secondary being built too.

We live around there and the community is full of expat people of all different nationalities working in the university and at Addies so easy to fit in.

Stansted is under an hour away and Cambrodhe also has a small airport that serves some European destinations.

Can't provide a beach but how about rowing on the River Cam?

I am going to recommend Wivenhoe in Essex but you would have to check that it is an hour to Stansted, I think it could be done.

It is a small town or village just outside Colchester. Train station with direct trains to London. Near Essex university so bit of an arty, academic vibe. Nice playground, cafe, very pretty, by the river. Two primary schools, I believe both are good.

Nearby Brightlingsea has a beach of sorts and relatively nearby Frinton has a great beach. We looked at lots of houses in Wivenhoe but decided on Colchester in the end as we prefer a bigger town. Lots of good schools here too.

Thanks all for plenty of stuff to help our search - we're knee deep in it still and all guidance from personal experience of schools both primary & secondary are greatfully received.

I think your main problem will be finding good schools that have any places at all! Especially village schools and secondary nearby will be difficult. Local Education Authorities maintain lists with school numbers and may be able to tell you which schools have vacancies. Check out the telephone numbers for school admissions in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex etc. They may even have the info on line. The idea of settling on a village and hoping for a village school to have vacancies is extremely difficult and probably almost impossible as village schools are often very good and sought after and have waiting lists. Secondary education is also vital. Buckinghamshire has grammar schools and they are easier to access than elsewhere as there are quite a lot of them. Best bet is to live in Bucks though.

bishops stortford, 10 mins from stansted, very good primary & secondary schools, some small village ones and some bigger ones so plenty of choice in theory though would depend where you could get a space. don't know how far your budget would go though.

You may find this useful for Cambs schools it will show which schools were over subscribed for reception entry in 2013. You would be looking at S Cambs or the city for good access to the airports

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/childrenandfamilies/education/primary/apply-primary/changingschools.htm