Birmingham: Bournville Village, Harborne Primary, Chad Vale?

[dancesanddelight]

We're moving to Birmingham with a three-year old for my husband's job at the university, and not knowing the city I'm rather out of my depth! My son will start Reception next September so we're quite keen to start renting before the January 15th deadline as I'm concerned otherwise he might get a place at a poor quality school or very far away. Ultimately we'd like to buy something further out on the train line e.g. Barnt Green/Alvechurch, but there's not much to rent there and we don't want to buy in a rush (if it was even possible).

So... we're now looking to rent first in Bournville or Harborne as these came recommended as quiet, family friendly areas with decent schools. Does anyone have experience with Harborne Primary, Chad Vale, or Bournville Village Primary?

Someone also recommended King's Heath Primary (which actually seems to be in Mosely!) but they seem to be in some financial trouble..? And that area looks a bit more urban and less 'family residential', is that right? Any advice is very welcome!

All of the schools that you mention are ofstead outstanding and oversubscribed. Bournville is pretty and villagey, Harborne less so but more amenities. Harborne is a bit more expensive than Bournville. Chad Valley is well situated for Harborne although just in Edgbaston. All of the private preps are in Edg if those are of interest. You should also look at secondary catchment if you intend to stay long term, grammar schools are now by catchment and massively over subscribed. Harborne and Bournville both have good state secondary for girls, boys not so much. Moseley is a bit edgier but nice vibe. Moseley church school is good I believe but I don't know it very well. For secondary queensbridge is outstanding but no 6 form. Hope that starts you off!

Ps St Francis and St Joes schools in Bournville would also be worth a look. Close to the Green and although not ofstead outstanding very good, also do not mix up Bournville Primary and Bournville Village Primary the letter being the one you'd want

Bournville Village Primary is very difficult to get into. It has a small catchment of around three roads nearby. I would phone the school and check. If you can get your child into BVP, they will have a great experience.

I just wanted to mention Kings Norton Primary School by The Green. It went into Special Measures in 2021 which most people in the area feel was an unfair political decision to try to force them to ‘academise’. I think it has resisted. It is a good school with a long history and real community spirit. I wanted my daughter to go there, but we were just out of catchment. I would still send her if I could despite the ofsted rating.

Just as an aside, it is only the King Edward grammars that use catchment, and it isn't a system that is based purely by catchment exactly like most schools in the fully grammar areas like Kent and Buckinghamshire, but one that prioritises those in catchment who get over a priority score (224 this year, when the 'pass mark' for the exam is 205 I think), and then goes on score rather than distance for the remaining places, so you can still get into some of the schools, particularly those in North Birmingham, from out of catchment with a score considerably lower than the priority score. The Sutton Coldfield grammars (still come under Birmingham LEA) have no catchment and select by score only, though of course this may have changed by the time the OP is looking at secondary schools.

Thank you! Yes, I figured out the confusing names from other mumsnet posts luckily - doesn't help that now it is also called Primary rather than infants and junior!

Can I ask you something? I'm not from the UK, so this all a bit new and scary! :) When you say schools are oversubscribed, how bad is that in practice? For example we're looking at a house tomorrow that is 300 meters from Bournville Village Primary. The smallest cut-off distance in the last four years was 589 meters, last year it was over a mile. So would that mean pretty much guaranteed a place, or do I still need to have a plan B?

I think at that distance you would probably be ok but it obviously varies from year to year with birth rates etc. If you were me I'd put it first choice with St Francis as back up and probably St Joes third. Both small church schools with a village type feel but do take some non religious local children (not sure of percentage). Some people go to church or start to go (St Joes Catholic, St Francis C of E depending on preference)which can help.

@dancesanddelight you’d be in with a good shout at that distance, but also need to consider birthrates or large sibling intake years.

I also agree with the poster that recommended Kings Norton and would also mention Raddlebarn which is not a million miles away but apparently very good

@dancesanddelight As others have said, with those distances it is fairly likely that you would gain a place from that house, but there are no guarantees as things can change from year to year.

Just to be sure that you're clear on the process, you will fill in a preference form in which you list your 3 preferred schools in order, and will receive one offer of a school place. Schools don't know where you have listed them and there is no priority for listing a school first. The only time the order matters is if more than one school is able to offer you a place, in which case you will get the one you listed highest. You should therefore list 3 schools in your genuine order of preference, including somewhere at least one school that you can be fairly sure of gaining a place at based on distances from previous years. If none of your preferences can offer you a place, you will be offered your nearest undersubscribed school.

Thanks everyone, that's super helpful. @womanontheedge2022 how strongly religious is the ethos at St Joe's, do you know? It looks like it has good scores and I really like that it's small - I have a hard time picturing my wee little guy in a school with multiple classes per year! But, we are not religious, and I'm not sure if I'm comfortable sending him to a catholic school.

OP, just to pick up on something from your first post which is that you are eventually looking to move to Barnt Green or Alvechurch.
Schools in these areas come under Worcestershire LA, not Birmingham, and the majority of Worcestershire schools operate in the 3 tier system of first, middle and high schools.
Kids move from first to middle school at the end of year 4, and then from middle to high school at the end of year 8.

I think quite religious. Catholic schools here tend to be. Kids go to mass and do first commercial for example but it is a lovely little school. St Francis will be less religious but I think it's 2 form entry

@QueenWenceslas Yes I do, thank you! It was surprising to find a whole other system again...! We looked at Blackwell, St Andrews and Crown Meadow first schools. Blackwell was lovely, the others ok, but there are just no decent rental houses nearby. It would be far from ideal to move there and then have the extra transition to middle school, but there are already so many unknowns and time pressure right now that we kind of decided to focus on a good start at primary for now and figure out the best move later.

@LockInAtTheFeathers that's really good to know that schools can't see your preference order, thanks!

St Francis is one form entry, but a lovely, nurturing school.
Bournville Village Primary is 3 form entry I thought ??

Either St Peters or Station Rd in Harborne are both lovely schools too, but secondary schools are sparse in Harborne.

You might want to look at Moor Green Primary as a wild card. It's also in Moseley but not too far from Bournville. It's 2 form entry and has a very green ethos. It has lots of animals (sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits etc etc) and a forest school onsite with a full time forest school teacher. It's Ofsted outstanding and gets goof results.

*good