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

It's a few years since I knew parents with children there, so maybe?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66969449.html

I think the new homes in Cofton Hackett (link above) are in catchment for Lickey Hills Primary. Nice school with a rural feel. A lot of people avoid the feeder secondary - Waseley Hills - though. Also a 'nice' school but has always under achieved. You can always try grammar or private for secondary from this area though. We live not far away. It's near Longbridge station for links to university and KES/KEHS and some of the grammars and the green school buses go this way too. A nice place to live if you want the edge of the countryside as well as the convenience of the new Longbridge town centre.

I live in kings heath and you can get a 4 bed for around your budget. No train station but tbh your husband could just cycle to the university from most parts within about 30mins. For communiting to London you would have to get into new street station or drive to international and the traffic can be pants but there a always going to be a compromise somewhere I guess.

The state schools are decent, dont know much about the over subscribed bit. I'd not pay for private school but that's just me, hallfield school is amazing but jeez your paying for it...£5k a term !

Erdington is a mixed bag, for sure, but it's not comparable to some of the worst areas of the city. And Sutton Coldfield is certainly over-rated. Also populated by a sizeable proportion of snobs who refuse to admit that it is part of Birmingham! Schools are decent though, as I understand it (I went to school there years back - am mid-30s now).

Like most others, I'd prefer the south side of the city to buy a house.

That area around Cofton Park has seen a lot of new-builds. The Rover factory used to be at Longbridge until its demise in 2005. There has been lots of talk about redeveloping and regenerating the area but it has taken a long time to get going and there is still loads to do, so the area is in flux. As ever, it was houses first, then infrastructure after. There is an FE College, a shopping centre and a technology park near the station. They have recently opened an accommodation block for the visiting families of war-wounded service personnel (being treated at the dedicated centre at QE Hospital next to UoB. It is where Malala Yousafzai was treated). A bit further down the road there is an entertainments cluster at Great Park.
The schools round there eg Waseley historically underachieved because of the Rover factory. If life was (literally) a conveyor belt from cradle to school to a job at dad's factory, then there was no incentive to achieve. Now that Rover has gone, the whole area has had to sharpen its focus and join the competitive 21st century.

I'd also suggest renting before you jump in a buy. In the popular areas it's a real sellers market at the minute, a house next to us recently sold for 25k over asking price. So if want to be sure it's the area and place for me before I spend

We used to live between King Norton and Kings Heath, now we're between Northfield and Rubery. I prefer this area for a few reasons - 1. Traffic! It gets so congested around Kings Heath/Kings Norton. Getting through Kings Heath high st itself is horrendous but generally traffic is really slow everywhere. 2. Shopping - Northfield shopping centre is down market but it's got everything you need and plentiful parking or there's the Sainsbury's/M&S/Smyths etc at Longbridge or the shops in Rubery village 3. Trains - although if you live in Kings Norton you have the station. Here we have a choice of Northfield or Longbridge 4. The cinema at Great Park! 5. Accessibility to M5 and M42 is better here 6. Countryside - close to the Lickey and Waseley hills

All these reasons would apply to Cofton area too I guess. It really depends what you want though!

Lots of thoughts, thank you so much all, you are fantastic!

So, in essence. If you were me, what would you suggest to do?

Call the council for schools?
Call the schools directly?

And then
Look for homes?

Or the other way round? I just can't afford to have my kids off school as well as in two different schools which may be apart.

Thanks

Val

It was years ago that I had to deal with them (so things may have moved on), but the admissions people at Worcs county LEA were very helpful.
Have you considered getting a Mother's Parents' Help for before- and after-school? That might ease logistics.

Yes it would be Worcs for Lickey Hills. Also if you live on that side you could go to one of the north Bromsgrove first schools if they had spaces. Also ring Birmingham LEA. But I'd be surprised if you could get 2 spaces in the same school without a wait, especially as they're both infants.

Could you stretch to private? Presumably you couldn't Home educate while you're waiting? There's an active home ed community in south Birmingham.

I agree with a previous post about Halesowen. It has a bloody marvellous school (the earls) but no train station, move about 2 miles away from Halesowen into Cradley Heath where you are still in the catchment for the Earls but also have a mainline train station which does run a direct train to Euston as does Sandwell and Dudley station.
House prices drop substantially once you’re away from the city centre and you have green spaces right on the doorstep.
If you want to chat about anything feel free to dm .

Sorry I may have mistaken your children’s ages, the Earls is a secondary school.
Dudley Wood primary school is a lovely junior school, my granddaughter went there until they moved away.

Life around Cofton / Rubery / Rednal can get confusing because you are on the Bham/Worcs border. Worcs schools there follow the Bham pattern of Infant & Junior. You have to be further into the county, eg Bromsgrove, before you encounter the First & Middle system.

What about faith schools? We are catholic and we can get a letter from the parish here. Oversubscribed too?

Yes, although living in Cofton you could use the first schools in Blackwell or Barnt Green if they had spaces. The only thing is, it may be tricky getting a middle school place later living outside the Bromsgrove area.

I would really suggest contacting the council for advice on schools.

Haven't rtft but I live in Bromsgrove. Good train link to the University. The schools are very good, my two go to state schools and we have been very pleased with their education. Some of them are oversubscribed - e.g. Finstall first school, but the overall quality of the schools was high enough that it wasn't a concern for us.
The shops are rubbish, Redditch / Birmingham / Worcester have better shops. There is a small cinema but to see a recently released film you will have to travel to Redditch / Rubery.
£400K will get you a good family home. Our four bed house is worth approx £300k.
PM me if you want more details!

Veteran of many relocations here. It's probably not worth contacting the council for schools advice. All they will be able to tell you is where the places are now. In the summer the situation could well be very different.
They won't want to commit to telling you where there are places now.

Left field suggestion - have you looked at Lichfield? Cross city trains for the university and London services directly from Lichfield Trent Valley into Euston or via Birmingham into Euston or Marylebone.

I get the Virgin service from Lichfield Trent Valley at least once a week. It's 1hr 15 minutes into Euston. The London Northwestern service is a bit longer at 1 hr 40 minutes.

The city is small but has a nice feel. It has a theatre and will have a cinema when they complete the new Friarsgate development. There's the Lichfield Festival in summer plus a literature festival and a folk festival. Schools are good and there's good access to the Sutton grammar schools (Sutton Girls and Bishop Vesey's) if you like those.

There is an Acadamy-sponsor called Our Lady of Lourdes MAC (North Worcs). Speak to them?

I've lived in Birmingham all my life so I'm.qualified to comment!
Sad to say,most of the city is a shithole. Fantastic for shopping,entertainment etc. Public transport generally reliable too. You can get around easily.
But I would never choose to come and live here. Sad fact
OP erdington a no no. Yes you may see some nice houses in nice roads bit you will literally be 5 min away from a dump. And I would never spend that kind of money for that area no matter how lovely the house! To put in context I saw a lovely cottage in the Scottish highlands for less than that. In a beautiful,safe area. Not helpful but just saying!
If i had to choose and had your budget is go for Bournville(lovely) or Harbourne
Or Solihull way-dorridge,Knowle. Really nice places though I feel they will end up the same way as the other places eventually.

Mainly north and east bham the worst IMO.
Agree with the list of places to avoid. In work in one of the places on the list. It's dreadful
Like Beirut.

The Catholic schools that are half way decent (or better) are all oversubscribed, yes. However, having a recommendation from your current priest will help with application for Reception for your youngest- the deadline for Reception actually mid January, sorry i was in error when I said imminent upthread.
If your youngest has a reception place, your eldest would then move up the waiting list as a sibling.

There is also The Priory school, which is Catholic, and of the independent schools it would be the easiest to get places at (as it fills more slowly than the others; often in May they're advertising they still have some places for Reception in September, which Blue Coat, Hallfield, EHS etc would never have).
They take non-catholics too, btw.

They're not as academically driven as other independent schools listed above, primarily because they are an all-through school, so have a vested interest in children not passing 11+ for grammar, or other selective independent entrance exams.

Anyway, RC schools:
Bournville- St Joseph's (B30)
Northfield/Rednal/Rubery-ish- St Paul's (less desirable)
St. Columba's
St Brigid's
St James'
St John Fisher

Kings Heath- St Dunstan's
St Alban's (down by cocks moors)
Selly Park- St Edward's
Selly Oak- Our Lady & St Rose
Harborne- St Mary's (in centre)
Our lady of Fatima (out by Hagley Rd)

Secondaries- bishop Challoner in Kings Heath and St Thomas Aquinas in Kings Norton (not nearly as desirable as first though), St Paul's Girls' is v good, but I think you'd be a long way off and unlikely to get a place.

Lichfield might be worth a look. As pp suggested there are good train links and it’s its a nice city for children. Train to London is quick and easy, Birmingham quicker and easier.
The Cathedral school is good and has a prep attached, although lots of the local primary schools are pretty good.
There are 3 state secondary schools in the city, King Edwards is historically the one favoured one by many.
The town centre is busy with some decent shops and restaurants. The theatre does well and it’s the sort of place whereby you can join lots of clubs and societies if that’s what you’re into.
House prices can be steep though, for The area.

Unfortunately there is no way we can apply for reception places now as:

• we will be moving at the end of July
• we don't know where we are going to move

I know, sooo crucial points but I would need the kids to finish school here before the big move. DH will start at the UoB in May

I think the Bournville/Cotteridge area would suit your requirements. The Foxes Meadow house you linked to is a good option, a 5 minute walk to Kings Norton train station which is on the Cross City Line. There are houses on both Franklin Road and Beaumont Road, which are under your budget, and would enable you to convert the loft to give you a 4th bedroom. These are both on good roads in a friendly area with the wonderful Cotteridge Park very nearby, which hosts a great festival in the summer and has a variety of activities for all ages. I also noticed yesterday a 4 bed house for sale on Ashmore Road, I've just checked and it doesn't appear on Rightmove, it's for sale with a company called Yopa.

You'd have to contact Bournville Infants to find out whether there are places, but I'd also strongly recommend Cotteridge Primary (I know a few primary education academics who prefer this school over Bournville). I have friends with children at Stirchley Primary who are very happy there. There are a lot of university staff who live in this area, many of whom walk or cycle there, which takes about 20/25 minutes.