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

Boys that live in Selly Park have the choice of two excellent state secondaries...

I’m no expert on school subscription as no kids, sorry! Kings Norton girls is a perfectly nice school if you’re after a comprehensive school, but it’s a good few miles from that house.

I don’t want to sound like an awful snob but I’m afraid I’m going to - that house, while beautiful, isn’t really in Kings Norton, it’s closer to Druids Heath which is perhaps one for the places to avoid.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62547136.html

I was thinking houses more sort of in this area (though I don’t know this specific road)

I grew up in Bromsgrove but it's definitely gone up market since then. I know lots of people who've moved out there from Birmingham - for the schools and pseudo-country living. Personally I find it very dull and very mono-cultural but each to their own!

The schools are over subscribed but generally good. My friend didn't get any of her choices for first school but then got offered Dodford First which is a lovely little village school. You might just have to drive across town for schools.

Solihull is nice. There are a number of good schools and good transport links to Birmingham too.

I can see why Feral is saying Malvern but it's 50 minutes to UoB on the train, and they aren't that frequent. Schools are good in Malvern - lots of DC of R&D boffins/geeks.

Agree with caspiana about that house in Druids Heath Kings Norton. I like the one in Foxes Meadow, near to Kings Norton station.

I'm confused about school checker on Rightmove. It seems that about 95% of schools are good or outstanding. Is that really true?

I always have the feeling that 4 beds is hard to find in Birmingham. You either get 2/3 bed terraces or 5+ bed terraces/ semis / detached. (We house hunted here recently). Anyway, Wheelers Lane and Queensbridge are both outstanding secondaries in king's Heath. Which I suppose explains the price of houses round central KH...

Trostrey Rd has no schools nearby- baverstock just closed too, so no secondary options either.

Fedupwithchange sorry, what secondaries are available to boys from selly park? They'd get into Harborne Academy, but you'd be seriously stretching the idea of "excellent" there. Possibly into St Alban's... but unlikely in the cohorts OPs children are in.
Senua- school checker is pretty crap tbh.

Many children in Selly Park do go KES. However from my experience those that don't go to Queensbridge or Bishop Challoner. Both fabulous.

My parents live in Erdington, on one of the roads mentioned earlier. Bits are nice but I'd go Sutton Coldfield. Its a direct train route through to the Uni station

I'd add to the comments on Erdington I'm afraid. I live really close to that house on Arthur Road but, crucially, the other side of the Chester Road (A452). North /East of the Chester Road, generally speaking, is classed as Sutton Coldfield and has higher house prices, and far, far better secondary schools.
You do absolutely get a lot more house for your money in Erdington but it is not as desirable a place to live. With your budget, you'd afford Sutton Coldfield so you don't have a need to start looking for cheaper areas.
Sutton has a lot to offer, including the cross city train line (direct to University), good schools, an enormous park and really good road access out of Birmingham if trips to visit family and friends are a consideration... But I do know a lot of families prefer the feel of south Birmingham.

Actually, they wouldn't get into St Alban's even now, before birthrate issue hits.
Outside catchment for QB for sure.

Bishop Challoner is Catholic, and hopelessly oversubscribed. QB - cut-off distance is below a mile now, so selly park out.

My sister lives in Selly Park. Her next door neighbour's children both go to Queensbridge. Others go to Challoner. Closer then you think as the crow flies. Regardless I am sure the OP is more concerned with the primary situation at the moment and agree with others renting in the short term might be the best move.

I'm enjoying all the B'rum love on this thread! For some reason I take it personally when people are negative about the Midlands.
I'm in Warwickshire, not as much an expert as others on this thread, but wanted to vote for Edgbaston and Solihull. Are they too expensive for the budget outlined? I know people who commute to London from Solihull daily and seem relaxed about that.
Solihull School produces great teens. I looked at Bromsgove School for DS and liked it a lot but logistics ruled it out in the end.
Great place to move to op

Is Droitwich Spa any good?

My colleague's DS was in a feeder school for BC (so high priority) he didn't get a place this time!
I am guessing her neighbour's children aren't Y7, as the population in secondaries dropped until current Y8, then current Y7 are the beginning of the baby boom.
Even Second and First Avenue are a mile as the crow flies from QB, and cutoff in 2017 was 1300m.
Also, no 4-beds on this roads...

Read this with interest as dh works in brum (commuts from Manchester) and weve always thought of moving sollihull way. Maybe not given we are in a great school area here and moving sounds a nightmare.

Lol, reading this thread whilst watching the local news about a policeman being stabbed in a planned arrest in Erdington!. I know it can happen anywhere, but seemed a bit 'woo' it coincided with me reading the thread.

I know the cross City line goes - er ... literally!... across the City , but if there were ever a possibility of needing to drive into the City Centre, it is an absolute nightmare to get across the City from Erdington / Sutton side anytime between 7.30 and 9.30 or out from the City Centre anytime between about 3.45 and 6pm. So if you get a strike, or the wrong type of leaves or whatever, you'd be grateful you chose to live in Bournville / KN / Northfield / Selly Park / etc.

Ha! Last time there was a similar thread, back, i suggested cross city line was ropey at times, it was pooh-poohed by a poster that had been doing the journey for a couple of months.
I have wondered this week how her journey has been...

The youngest only moved up in September so must have been very lucky. Is BC now 100% catholic? The baby boom is going to have a massive impact.

Need to reiterate that lots of areas in Birmingham can have a really different feel just 2 or 3 roads away from other roads.

Kings Norton has some really beautiful areas, but also some of the most deprived estates in the City. Places that are known as 'Northfield' cover a vast array of housing and quality of life. So it goes on.
Lots of Brummies on here to give you the pros and cons of different areas.
The last house you liked to is typical of a lot of building in the last few years, where they have 'plonked' some nice houses down on a plot of land, without any kind of planning for all the facilities folk living in those house might want. They are currently doing it again all around Cofton Park, on the old Austin works.

Surely the youngest got their place on sibling qualification though?
Yes, BC entirely RC.
Don't know why we're worrying about secondaries...there aren't even any primary places in selly park!
St Edwards is solely RC too. Moor Green is to be avoided at all costs.

St Edwards is definitely not solely Catholic.

I have friends in bournville, it's lovely and very family friendly