Do your dcs attend a happy and decent mixed comp? Can you buy a 4 bed house for £300,000 within walking distance?

[SusieP40]

Hi, name changer here so I dont out myself and fuel local (smallminded here!) gossip.

We have decided to move away and after months of discussion we know exactly what we want but are not sure where we can find it.

We would like dcs to attend a decent HAPPY properly comprehensive school - so preferably a grammar-free area. DS12, is so unhappy at his current school :(. We are really disappointed with the lack of provision (mild SEN) and lack of care (that's a whole different thread).

We want to move from the snooty area we currently live where the neighbours are so up their own arses noone speaks to anyone else! We run an internet-based business and dh works 16 hour days and more to meet mortgage payments on our house. I want us to be mortgage free so we can actually spend some money enjoying life. We can move ANYWHERE but would like to be in a friendly neighbourhood with a sense of community. Maybe in a market town? Our budget would be around £300,000.

Ideally I would like dcs to be in walking distance of school - its healthy , sociable and good for independence.

Any ideas?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-25347138.html

walking distance to one of the best comps in the country (Arthur Terry School)

Great area, great links into bham city centre.

(Four oaks - sutton coldfield)

CarlingblackMabel

Do you think Tulse Hill sounds like what the op is after?

South Cheshire,fantastic comp my two attend. Get plenty with your budget too.good luck,excited for you.

I would second south west Sheffield. Local comp excellent, just got Ofsted outstading

attractive Alwick - well known for a nice quality of life near the sea - market town a train ride from newcastle. Not sure about the schools.

Also Berwick upon tweed near the scottish/english border and by the sea.

Don't know about schools sorry

I'm also an incomer to the NE. It's been no problem at all. DS1 (who has a Glasgow accent like me) hasn't had any trouble at school. The kids have been very accepting and he's made some lovely friends. DH is southern and hasn't had any problems with his accent.

I'd disagree about Milton Keynes. Absolutely awful place. We hated just about everything about it. And DS1 was bullied for being Scottish there. You couldn't pay me to move back there.

Not where I live now but where I grew up. Ryton. It is between Newcastle and Hexham.

Look at West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. South of Nottingham, really an adjoining small town with high street and very good local facilities. West Bridgford and Rushcliffe schools are both good. You can buy a nice 4-5 bed Victorian house within catchment for that. The Lady Bay area is a bit cheaper (Rushcliffe catchment). Walking distance depends how far you want to walk, could be a mile as the comps are both on one edge of the neighbourhood but depends where exactly you buy.

I don't know where you are so it is a bit difficult. What about the North West? Cumbria for example has beautiful areas but very reasonably priced housing so long as you stay away from Windermere etc.

Where we live there are very good houses for £300,000. It could buy you a good sized four bed detached (new home) or a very large Victorian property of character in a leafy area, but probably on a busy road.

The main industrial town here has an academy that is not too good, but towns within five miles both have grade 1 comprehensive schools, one of which is in the UK top fifteen. One town is a market town.

The villages are okay and prices not too bad also. You would need a car as public transport is abysmal. PM me if you want more info.

Leamington Spa or Kenilworth. Really, really lovely area, good schools (especially Kenilworth), sense of community, good transport links (road, rail and air - Birmingham Intl Airport only 20mins away), fab restaurants, lovely countryside. Just generally great!

I would also be looking a job opportunities as children will grow up one day. Maybe not so much if you see all 3 going on to university but if not it is something that needs to be considered as often areas that are cheap are only cheap as they are areas with few jobs.

This is where DD goes
www.lythamhigh.lancs.sch.uk/
The pastoral care is excellent. The school is outstanding according to ofsted
We live within walking distance. We paid less than £200,000 for our 4 bed house.
St Annes and Lytham are thriving towns and the M55 is close so Preston, Leeds, Manchester, the Lakes etc are within driving distance. Blackpool is far enough away so that you can choose whether you want to go there or not.
The train station is within walking distance too s is the beach.
rightmove

Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire

this school

there are a couple of 4 bed houses in your price range

Market town of Beverley in East Yorks regularly in top ten of best quality of life for money surveys. There are is a mixed comp, a girls comp (highly rated) and a boys comp (despite being called a grammar). Walking or biking to school is the norm. Surrounded by rolling countryside and coast only 20 mins away. Nice community definitely. Down to earth but if posh is sometimes your thing Michelin starred restaurant in near village.

old property
modern property
wiki says!

elsiemc sounds like we were suggesting the same area. Are you local?

im in east anglia, south lincolnshire, and you'd easily get 4 bed detached with good gardens in the market town i live in with good schools close by. the town i live in has two grammar schools (still do 11+ here) but about half hour drive away is a lovely town close to mixed comp with very good reviews. pm me if u want to know exact location

Sorry if mentioned upthread as I have only skimmed, but I think you would manage this in most Shropshire market towns.

Just checking in to thank everyone for responses and messages. It's fantastic, so so helpful. You are all brilliant! My spreadsheet is now organised into colour bands by county. Its a thing of beauty .

Some of the areas suggested are outstandingly beautiful but also very rural. Those of you in rural areas, what do your teenagers do? How do they meet up with friends? I presume you would have to do alot of ferrying around in evenings?

We live in a rural area but we have 2 buses serving our village, so 4 buses an hour until 7pm or so.
After that we work on a system of sleep overs, sharing lifts and favours. I also usually make DH do late night pick ups.

not our village but a brilliant school.

We live in a small town in a rural area. 2 mins to town centre!

Shrewsbury would be fine OP, big enough to have stuff to do and a good bus service in the evening.

Also places like Bridgnorth or Ludlow....

have you thought about cornwall? i love it down here, very friendly some great schools around, and everyone knows everyone :p truro is a great area. Although could also recommend falmouth. good luck with everything! :)

Oodhousekeeping - Yes, I'm a local and I think we are suggesting the same school (s).