Moving to Birmingham with the family - where to look?

[lilyblue82]

Hello amazing mumsnetters,

We are moving to Birmingham from London in the Summer as husband will work at the University of Birmingham. I've never been there but I have started to have a look at properties, so I need your precious help and knowledge.

Considering South and East Birmingham and I wonder what is your opinion on Bromsgrove?

Budget is 400k but we can stretch. Looking for a 4 beds house. We want to be in a nice and friendly area with lots of family. Good schools are important as in Sep 2018 my son will go in Y2 and my daughter will start reception.

Thanks a lot for your help!

Val

Kings Heath is utterly dire for trains though!
Takes over an hour to get the bus back from new st at rush hour. Though you could drive to International and park, but even that drive is an hour in the morning, due to traffic.

The school where my children go is really nice, good community spirit, good teaching standards. Can't really tell the difference as I only know the schools of the area.

Would the schooling situation in the countryside be better? I'm very worries that may kids will be off school!

Have you considered Barnt Green. It's a vlllage south of Birmingham but on the university train line. It is quite a naice village with regular trains & a primary school. It sits onthe boundary of Worcestershire & Birmingham school-wise so kids from there go to secondary schools in both areas.

What about Worcester? Lovely city. 45 mins to Birmingham uni and 2hrs 45ish direct to Paddington from Foregate St.

What about Catherine-de-Barnes or Henley-in-Arden? Easy for you to get to international for london trains. Bit of a trek for DH though. Barnt Green?

Schools in Birmingham are completely oversubscribed, I'm afraid.
A massive increase in birth rate combined with an enormous amount of incomers to the city are putting a real strain on places. In some schools there entire reception intake is filled by siblings of older pupils.

Initially we were thinking about Bromsgrove but I fear that it may be a town too small and that I still need to Birmingham to shop (nothing crazy, just basic stuff). Areas around the University look very nice but I'm not very worried my kids won't get to school in September, and not in the same one.

Would Bromsgrove have the same issue?

Barnt Green is just too expensive but I would love your view on the countryside too. Hopefully the schooling situation is a little better?

Thank you angels!

My mum lives in Wythall and it is nice there, she is on the edge of countryside but easy access to trains to Brum.

I lived in Sutton Coldfield about 14 years ago - have recently revisited and couldn't believe how busy and congested it was. I have heard of people having trouble with schooling in Sutton as there seemed to be more children than available school places.

Laurence, as a north Birmingham girl I couldn't agree more. However, Erdington is not in catchment for Ny good secondaries sadly.

OP I used to work at the uni and lived by Wylde Green/Erdington on the train ride.

My colleagues all lived S Bham in Selly Park, Stirchely and Bournville. The UoB has its own secondary school now so that is worth noting Harborne is lovely but pricey. You also have Kings Heath, Moseley, Bearwood and Hall Green

Villa - just moved from Sutton. We did not get our secondary choices. It has a massive oversubscription problem and yes many reception classes filled with siblings

How about this one OP? Belbroughton is a cutesy village with a not-oversubscribed village school. I can't believe the price of this - snap it up! (Compare it to this, a snip at £695,000)
It's not a difficult drive in for DH, if he had parking at UoB.

The only problem with Belbroughton is that it used to be in catchment for a fabulous Secondary but they have redrawn the lines recently, due to intervening new-builds.

Shirley is also worth a look. Many of my UoB colleagues lived there.

Does it absolutely have to be 4-bed? There just isn't much on the market at present.
The Norman Rd house is your best bet if you attend church, as the only way to get in St. Laurence these days is church attendance, as far as I'm aware.
If you don't though, I don't fancy the other schools you'd get places in at all.
There's a 5-bed terrace on Mary Vale Rd in Bournville- v convenient for trains, but you would have to compromise on schools again, as a late-comer. However, it is in catchment list for Bournville, so you might get lucky, and also your second and third choices from there are better than from Norman Rd. But, the house needs work, and it's next door to a newsagents. Well below budget at 339.

If you can compromise on 3-beds, Harborne has one on regent rd and one on ravenhurst road, from which DH could walk to university. Ravenhurst would be slightly nicer, and easier to park. You ought to get into Harborne primary from each, but no guarantees as they're on distance.
The ravenhurst Rd is unlikely actually, as it's the far end not the near end.
But...Harborne are taking a bulge class this time in reception, so they'll have 120 places, so perhaps it's doable? They do say that the bulge class will be at an annexe on court Oak rd from sept 2019, but don't know where exactly, and not ideal if you have one in that year, but another in the school.
The cut-off last year was 476m, down from 580 in 2016.

There are some 3-beds in Bournville too- Franklin Rd is nice, and mulberry Rd too.

Or, perhaps rent and see how you manage the commutes before making a costly commitment?
Harborne also has the difficulty of no decent secondary for boys.
Selly Park also same, unless you went KES. (Independent)

Is Solihull oversubscribed too? I'm so concerned now, help!

Solihull will be expensive and a PITA commute.

@senua, what's Bromsgrove like for schools? Oversubscribed?

OP if you're open to private education there's a lot of great independents in S Birmingham. Blue Coat, Hallfield, Edgbaston High for Girls, St George's- all fantastic for primary-aged kids. My DD (4) is at Edgbaston High and thriving. The waiting lists can be a brute but always worth a phone call as things can change within year groups.
When we found out we were moving I called around the schools and ended up with offered places at Hallfield and Edgbaston High, with Blue Coat following one year later.

OP what time will you be commuting? Are you planning to drive to the station as a lot of the places discussed aren’t really walking distance to stations (with exceptions like Mary vale road). You need to be at Selly oak station by 8am-8:30am to get a space. Not sure about other stations eg Kings Norton.

I’m assuming that won’t be a problem but I don’t know what your DH is going to be doing for a job, and some academics I know work from home and commute in for lectures which aren’t always first thing. If this is the case bear in mind access to the station.

I don’t think you’ll get many decent 4 beds in Moseley or harborne for £400k. Bournville is wonderful. Has its own station. For a decent 4 bed which is in a nice enough area and lots for your money, my tip would be Kings Norton. A good compromise of all of the boxes you want to tick.

Be aware those trains on inner part of cross city eg kings norton, bournville line have trains every the minutes whereas Worcester/bromsgrove much less frequent.

I'm from Bromsgrove. Grew up there.

If you want a town surrounded by motorways and with a high street full of tat and and charity shops then it's the place for you.

I moved away as soon as I could, as did my sister, and I've finally lured my mum away!

It's just one of those places you just want to leave as soon as you can.

Also avoid Redditch unless you love ring roads.

If he's at the university and doesn't mind a train journey then Malvern or Worcester? Much more character and life to them!

If you really have to go for Bromsgrove try the villages on the South rather than north. Exception is Belbroughton. I love Belbroughton.

Do NOT move to Stanmore Road unless you want to be a victim of a drive by!

The Norman Rd one is within easy walking distance of quite a few Primaries though. Yes, being a Church attender would help you get into St Laurence, but you are also close to Wychall, and walkable to Turves Green, Bellfield, The Meadows, and plenty more that are a short drive.
Yes, there is pressure on places, but you are in a pretty good part of the City to be able to get a late place in a local school that is still good, even if not your first choice. There is quite a lot of movement after places are allocated.
It is a very easy walk to the station (for Cross City Train line into the University), and short walk to park, library, swimming baths, Drs, Post Office, supermarkets etc. Northfield's High Street is 'tired' (lots of charity shops and fast food places), but again you can get train into City Centre or drive to other shopping areas (Redditch, Merry Hill, Solihull, Worcester) easily enough. You are close to M42 and to M5 when you want to 'leave'.

@caspiana, funnily enough I have this house saved www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70495973.html

Would Kings Norton be oversubscribed too?

Avoid erdington. The schools are mainly shit and the good ones around Sutton way will be oversubscribed. I'd either go with Lichfield or bromsgrove avoiding anything in between. Given the choice Lichfield although not sure on the commute.

what's Bromsgrove like for schools? Oversubscribed?

The popular ones, yes.
There are some good First/Primary to the west of town that aren't oversubscribed but they aren't in catchment for South Bromsgrove High for Secondary. I suppose you could get into a decent Junior (rent?) and then move after a few years for Secondary catchment. We're not talking huge upheaval, only a few miles.

Also no idea why people are saying Erdington is nice. It's where people move to when they can't afford Sutton Coldfield but then still say they're from Sutton. And schools are a nightmare. Friend lives in Boldmere and didn't get into the school next door due to siblings.

Solihull is a school nightmare, my cousin had to send hers private as only got offered an awful school.

I'm biased to Worcester it's true, but it has shops and it's nearer to countryside.

I'm in Malvern and DH commutes into Birmingham City Centre, and a good friend to the university, both by train. You can go. Direct to Paddington from Malvern or Worcester (more trains there from Worc).