Devon / South Hams: where to live

[TheMangoTree]

I know this has come up before, but I didn't find anything very recent and specific enough. So my husband has got a job in South Hams, near Totnes. I need to commute to Sowton area of Exeter. Where should I live? I am moving from an area of Bristol surrounded by life, shops, cafes, events and I can walk everywhere. In Devon, I want a community we can fit into. We have 2 boys, 6 and 4 so schools are very important. I visted Ashburton and thought it was 'the one' until I discovered that South Dartmoor community college 'requires improvement'. Ivybridge school looks good but massive.

I hadn't really finished... just to say thanks in advance for any advice. I'm going crazy working my way around rightmove! I need some direction so I can refine my search! So I would love to know what are the secondaries really like, and which are the best towns / villages for family life? Thank you!

Ivybridge Comp used not to have a great rep, although that was ten years ago - might have changed since. If you're willing to commute from Ivybridge up to Sowton, could add on a little bit more to the commute and live in or just outside Plympton (suburb/town of Plymouth), where Hele's School is good. The rural schools are honestly not that great - would you consider living in Exeter and your partner doing the commute down to Totnes?

It's possibly a bit early to be worrying about secondary schools - things may well be very different by the time your boys go.

Torquay Boys' Grammar is excellent though and has always been so it would be a safe bet. It doesn't have a catchment area, admission is purely on 11+ results, and they have school buses from the surrounding area so you don't need to live in Torbay. I don't know about Ashburton but they certainly have a bus from Totnes so they could commute there with your husband. Certainly there are pupils from Exeter so that could also be an option.

Torquay also now has an excellent but very over subscribed non-selective school, Torquay Academy. However, it spent the previous 2 decades in and out of special measures so I wouldn't put too much weight on choosing a location that is good for secondaries. Things can change drastically.

Secondaries (and primaries) seem to change ofsted ratings all the time round here (we are in south hams). The bigger problem may be primary places - I know that friends struggled to get spaces in Ashburton for their young children when moving mid-year.

Ashburton, Totnes and Dartington are all great places to live with vibrant creative communities. I would avoid Ivybridge and Plymouth purely on grounds of them not being wildly exciting. My DC go to a primary that has been in special measures but I fully expect to be good within a few months (whenever ofsted come!) and outstanding within a couple of years, although there is no denying it has been through a crisis, just to give an idea of quickly things can change.

I know absolutely nothing about schools but my parents live in Kingsbridge. Right on Fore Street. Everything is on their doorstep. They know all their neighbours and they find it a very friendly welcoming and vibrant town. They feel like they were welcomed with open arms when they retired there from Surrey. There's plenty there for the kids too when the grandchildren visit.

They like Salcombe but find it snobby. There's no road access to their house which can be a problem so they did briefly consider a move to Totnes which has a similar vibe, better shops and much better transport links.

Topsham is lovely.

Thanks so much for all the thoughts. I’ll keep hunting around the area. Possibly too early to worry about secondaries, yes. That might simplify the list of things to worry about. But I don’t want to move again. So if anyone can give me an informed prognosis on south Dartmoor cc that would be much appreciated!

Ivybridge CC is massive but has consistently good results and (I think) 5 consecutive outstanding OFSTED reports. Size doesn't seem to be a negative; the majority of kids feed in from smallish primaries (many come from outlying villages) and seem to cope ok with the big school. Plus the facilities are excellent - especially for sport.
I personally would avoid Plympton. It's a mare to drive in and out of and Hele's school isn't as good as it used to be.

You could try looking around Dawlish or Teignmouth...

Modbury perhaps?

I know this has been a while but we are looking at the same area, and also liked Ashburton but schools are a big factor for us. I’m so curious to know where you ended up, and how you find it? Also curious about whether there are some nice beaches to visit that don’t get rammed…

thanks in advance! It’s hard making grown-up decisions!

There isn't much change in any of the towns, but this thread is so old, it might be better to start a fresh one.