Leeds/Birmingham/Manchester

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Im currently living in se London and desperately want to move ive been looking up north a the rental prices are cheaper.

I need to know which areas are best for schools as dcs will be starting in September.

Well all three cities (which I assume you realise aren't very near each other?) have good and bad areas. So the question is more about which one you want to live in for work, family and so on. How close do you want to stay to London, or is that not a factor?

I know there not near each other id like to know which would be the best to raise my dcs and work in.
London has nothing left to offer me but debt and stress.

Of course every area has good and bad I've grown up I'm London so I know which areas to avoid but I don't know those areas so that's where I need help.

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As Tribpot said - they are all big cities. There are hundreds of schools, and vastly different areas of the City you could live in.

You need to think about what else will affect your decision - do you have family you'll be wanting to visit, or are you restricted by your job, etc,etc

It's unlikely anyone will know all 3 cities well, but if you want to be more specific I'm sure there are lots of MNers who will let you have information about particular aspects, but this is a bit of a broad question for us to be able to say much, really.

Brum here and it's been pretty good bringing kids up on the outskirts. Superselective grammar area with pretty good private schools. IMHO you need to be in Solihull for true comprehensives with a very middle class intake and great results if you aren't grammar minded though. There are some excellent primaries too. The comprehensives in brum ( sweeping generalisation I know) are more of a " secondary modern" type of school than thryd like to see themselves , with one or two exceptions - by that I mean very btec / nvq heavy. There are changes going on with 6th form expansions etc that might change this.

Most of my family are scattered in and around London/Kent most of them including me drive so they would be able to visit as would I.

I'm working pt now so ideally somewhere that has good job prospects and as I said I don't know any of these cities at all so am really just hoping one or two mnetters could come up with a few good/bad areas

We've recently moved from London to the outskirts of Birmingham and we are very happy here.

Please do think very carefully about the implications of moving away from family, though. If your family are in SE London I personally wouldn't go further north than Birmingham. It gets very wearing battling across London. We have family in Manchester and found that the journey from London could easily take five hours on a bad day.

We live just south of Manchester and I think it's a fantastic place to live. Neither DH nor I are from the NW but we still love it. DH is from Glasgow though and says it's similar in lots of ways.
As in any big city, there are hundreds of schools ranging from outstanding to struggling.
South of the city is expensive on the whole (we moved up from Surrey and didn't get any more for our money) but areas such as Trafford have nationally renound state schools including a grammar system at secondary. However, you'd need to be very lucky indeed to find a sought after outstanding or good state primary with spaces still left for September. I could point you towards specific areas if you let me know a tough budget and how many beds. Also, whether you drive as London is fine without driving, other cities less so. Also, what do you do for work? Your area may be better served by one city in particular.

Sorry, just noticed that you said you drive.
Better hospital services here ime too! Had older 2 in herts then Surrey. Usual odd trip to A&E. Took hours to be seen unlike here where kids are seen by Dr within 1h of arrival. plus maternity up here was superb in comparison.

Leeds/Brum/Manc - all big, big cities, each with many facets. Far too many variables to say which is best for you with so little information.

Have you considered Sheffield? Fabulous city in my experience. I havn't lived in L/B/M, but would never hesitate recommending Sheffield as somewhere to relocate to. Again, like anywhere, it has affluent areas and run down areas, nice and nasty, great schools and failing schools, but there are areas where it all comes together well. And it's on the edge of the Peak District.

Live in a similar area to Torwood (South Manchester) and thoroughly recommend it. Good transport links, great location, fabulous schools (although massively over-subscribed), great community spirit and lots going on.

Have lived in Leeds too - your money will definitely go further in Leeds (the north parts of the city are generally thought of as the nicer parts but still significantly cheaper than the nice parts of Manchester). I would say Manchester as a city is a closer fit to London than Leeds. The city centre in Leeds is smaller than Manchester, you don't have to go as far out of the centre to feel closer to the country, not as urban as Manchester.

Don't know Birmingham at all - sorry.