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Original poster

Would you buy a house opposite a primary school?

54 replies

sikanetter · 27/10/2013 06:47

Saw this lovely house which is opposite a primary school and which hopefully my two kids will be going to in a few years time.

Does anyone live opposite a school? What is it like at school times?

OP posts:
lljkk · 27/10/2013 08:26

If I loved the house, yes. But expect awful congestion at school run times. Must be able to live with that.

lade · 27/10/2013 09:10

Depends whether you are likely to be home / need access during the working week.

One of our houses was at the end of a school field. It was lovely, because when the kids were at school, I was at work (my own school), but when we were at home (evenings and weekends) they weren't there.

It was never any bother to us, but if you're planning on wanting access to your house at 8.30 am (or whenever school starts) and at 3pm, you know traffic and parking will be a nightmare.

uptheanty · 27/10/2013 09:15

NO NO NO

Don't even consider it. You would not believe how rude, entitled and badly people behave.

Complete nightmare

ArbitraryUsername · 27/10/2013 09:21

Even if you have private parking, that doesn't mean school runners won't park in/over it. Read some school parking threads (there are thousands).

It does depend on the school though. DS2's school is in a cul-de-sac too and most people seem to walk to pick up their children. The newsletter still has stuff about inconsiderate parking in it though, so there are obviously some nightmares.

kimlo · 27/10/2013 09:27

does the school have wrap around care?

the dds school sounds very similar and now that they have a breakfast and after school club getting in to the school is a nightmare from 7.45 until 9.15 and then again from 2.45 until 6.

CokeFan · 27/10/2013 09:27

Depends on the school. We live behind a school (backs on to our back garden). You can hear the children out playing/having PE lessons but obviously that's only in term time so it's very quiet at other times. We must live next to the most considerate primary school ever though - parents park on the road but have never blocked us in/out or parked badly.

DD has just started reception - at another school about a mile away Grin we walk.

GemmaTeller · 27/10/2013 09:40

NO

Even if you have private parking its not going to stop people parking over your drive, double parking, using your drive to turn round.

Itsallabout · 27/10/2013 09:43

I live directly opposite a 600 pupil primary school and 2 houses away from a day nursery.

I love hearing the kids playing and the close proximity to the school my Dd attends.

We have a private drive so parking is not an issue but some-times we get cars parked across the driveway for 10 mins usually in the afternoon .

HarderToKidnap · 27/10/2013 09:48

I live very close to a primary school, the school has two entrances and about 10houses between the entrances, we're one of them. The school wraps around the back of our house too. It can be a bit congested at school time but we have a big drive and I've never had a problem getting in and out of it. It can be a bit tight getting down the road but it literally is just for a few minutes a day. I can hear the children playing but I like that noise! It was very quiet over summer any obviously will be over Christmas etc. I can't wait for the convenience of living so close to kick in, it'll be brilliant literally booting my kids out the door to school and nursery....

NorbertDentressangle · 27/10/2013 09:49

I lived next door to a primary school once - the noise didn't bother me at all but the drop-off/pick-up times were a nightmare if you needed to leave home/get home at those times. However we didn't have off-street parking in that house so it might have been different if we'd had a driveway (although from what I read on here some people will park across driveways regardless!).

As others have said I think you need to go and sit in your car in the road at those times to see what it's like.

Also take into account your daily routine - if you always leave/return at times other than around 9am/3pm then it won't really affect you.

SadPander · 27/10/2013 09:49

We live opposite a primary school and its fine. Its gets busy with people parking on the street at pick up/drop off time (no off street parking for the school or the houses) but actually there is no crazy or inconsiderate parking.

Generally we are out at work at these times anyway, on days we aren't you can hear some noise but nothing awful and its all over very quickly and play time noise isn't a problem at all, just a gentle hum really. I'm not very tollerant of noise or people in general so I don't say this ligthly!

I definitely second spending a bit of time hanging around at drop off, pick up and break time on a couple of sperate days/occasions so that you have a true picture of what it would be like.

Mrsostrich · 27/10/2013 09:52

I live directly opposite a primary school. I thought it was closed until recently!!!

I don't notice extra cars or noise. Wouldn't put me off tbh

ConcreteElephant · 27/10/2013 10:33

Gosh you can tell the clocks went back and we were up at silly o'clock...

Firstly, its entrance - not it's entrance (I blame autocorrect but usually spot these)

Secondly, I was trying to say that the parents parking gradually fills up all the passing places on the road...

imme · 27/10/2013 11:14

It's such a difficult question to answer as it depends on so many things like availability of alternative houses, size, price, garden etc. When we were house hunting in London we expected that we would have to make compromises in order to get the best house at the best price. Asking people on the Internet about one aspect of the house will always evoke strong responses. You just need to weigh things up and try and find out all facts before making a decision.

TombOfMummyBeerest · 27/10/2013 11:17

Primary, yes. Secondary, no.

Is it a nice school?

octopusinastringbag · 27/10/2013 11:24

If I really loved the house then yes, I'd be fine with it. It'd be great for getting the DCs to school and probably very useful in London. It'd depend on the school though and what the surrounding area was like; one local school has a large car park next to it that parents can park in but the other one has no parking and people are always blocking drives and so on.

tacal · 27/10/2013 11:35

I live opposite a secondry school and really like it. The street is nice and quiet on school holidays, most evenings and weekends. Parking is a problem at school drop off and pick up times but I am used to that and dont find it a problem, the street is very wide so that makes it easier for everyone. Also,I walk my ds to and from primary school at these times so I am not driving. The only problem I have with noise is if the school alarm goes off in the middle of the night. This was a big issue for me when I first move in 10 years ago. After making lots of complaints to the school it has been ok.

propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 27/10/2013 12:37

No way. Far too much disruption during term time and people constantly using your drive to turn around on. Naice driveway paving slabs will wear out far more quickly than otherwise...

Jan49 · 27/10/2013 14:00

I lived very very close to a primary school for 12 years. Overall I'd say it wasn't a problem. Sometimes parents stayed in their cars with the engines running blocking our driveway. It gets busy twice a day so it might be a problem if you wanted to drive in or out of your house at those times. One parent brought their child to wee in my front garden. Hmm But mostly I hardly noticed it. It was convenient for the years that my ds attended the school there and irrelevant the rest of the time, so I'd say yes I'd do it again.

MadeOfStarDust · 27/10/2013 14:16

We live round the corner from one - so are not directly affected by the madness that is school run time - but ......ours have a very active stay and play (7.30 start and 6.30 finish) and do visit in the evenings too -
ours has brownies etc Monday night - open til 9,
Zumba Tues - 7-9,
Line dancing Wed 7-9,
Choral singing Thurs 8-10
and brass ensemble on Friday 6-8 (bloomin loud it is !)

The weekends have kids sports clubs from 9am til about 5pm each day too -

There are the school fetes - one a term, parents evening - 1 a term , discos 1 a term for each KS1 and KS2, sports day KS1 and another for KS2 - and the interminable Xmas performances - KS1 for 1 week, KS2 for another, then leavers' show for a couple of nights in the summer term..... it is NEVER quiet ..... except when the kids are actually at school - or during the Xmas holidays where it shuts down totally..

MummytoMog · 27/10/2013 18:17

I do, well in a small cul de sac opposite. Very convenient and yes, the parking is annoying , but we have off road parking normally, so not a problem. Mind you, left the car on the road the other day during the school run and some knobber smashed off my wing mirror and didn't leave a note.

shellbot · 27/10/2013 19:55

I live near a school and it's not too bad but then I do have a drive otherwise if I was coming back to my house at the start and end of the day there wouldn't be anywhere to park.

My youngest goes to the school so it's brilliant in the morning when we're running late (most mornings) as even if the bell goes as we're leaving the house we still make it on time!

When we first moved 2 years ago I loved being able to see him playing at lunchtime from my bedroom window. And we had no worries about getting to school when there's snow everywhere.

HelloBoys · 27/10/2013 20:00

I lived opposite one (in side road next to one) as a child, my parents still live there.

It was bearable when I was a kid, I went there.

Now apparently it's got a bit chavvy and my mum's been the victim of bad driving. The council have also put double yellow lines part way round the road which means the end house doesn't have a parking space. If I go there during term time and school time around 9am or 3pm then there are hardly any spaces.

But it's not terrible/awful. the roads aren't busy ones and near a park, so not main roads.

HelloBoys · 27/10/2013 20:02

oh I don't live near one now but would depend on roads and if they were busy/quiet and type of school etc. generally primary I think are ok.

Hawkmoth · 27/10/2013 20:02

I lived opposite one for a couple of years. It was alright as long as I wasn't coming home at school time.

My favourite was watching the parents who would sit in their cars for 45 minutes beforehand so they could park near the gates. I am willing to bet not a single one lived more than twenty minutes walk away.