Backing on to a school

[Ideasplease322]

I have just seen my ideal house - and it backs on to a school.

The garden isn’t huge - there is a hedge or the bottom then the school has a fence behind the hedge.

It’s a secondary school (private if that makes any difference).

I know there will be a bit of noise during the day. Luckily the positioning of the house means the pick up and drop off won’t impact me - but anything I should consider?

My niece goes to the school and she says the kids don’t really go near the houses - i can see some classrooms for the bedroom window but they aren’t close, so can’t make out people etc.

My friend’s house has exactly the same set up and it isn’t a problem for them. There is some noise at certain times of day but the children don’t tend to play or yell right up to the fence.

Can you visit during a school lunchtime?

I have walked passed at lunch time, all quiet. But I’m not sure this is normal times. Weather has been awful and school tour ones are different.

At the moment I am surrounded by too many neighbours so, on the plus side, I wouldn’t have anyone behind me.

I think the school is careful to maintain good relationships with neighbours and the chances they will build close to the property lines are slim, but maybe not non existent.

My worst nightmare would be a mobile classroom at the bottom of my garden😊

Ask your niece where they play football- at break time as well as PE lessons - if footballs go over your fence into your garden, so will the players, to retrieve them!

Should be quiet in the evenings and at weekends?

I’ve lived with a school field at bottom of garden. Sometimes the noise was shocking - a wall of screaming for an hour or so at lunch then outdoor stuff. Field was also rented by the school for various weekend/holiday activités.
I wouldn’t do this again personally but it wouldn’t need to be a deal breaker for everyone. Good luck.

I wouldn’t but I’m a SAHM and wouldn’t want the noise. If you’re at work all day, it might not bother you much but they probably still do games on Saturdays?

My DC school is right behind my garden. Primary so slightly different. We have to do a weekly sweep of the garden to throw over lots of balls and hoola hoops etc.
I often get called to retrieve coats or shoes or whatever and take them in with me at pick up time.
People will think they have the right to just go in and retrieve whatever they've lost over the fence. I've blasted a few CF who've done this (obviously the parents).
Cars used to be a nightmare but with covid and staggered start/end times it's not so bad now.
The noise isn't that bad you kind of get used to it but I do tend to come in the house in the summer when they come out at lunchtime or they peep through the fence at you.
Only thing I've ever had to speak to them about was the fire alarm. The caretaker used to test it at 6am every other morning which was a bit early for me. He does it on an evening before he leaves now.
There's loads of litter and dog poo! It was lovely during the first lockdown when they were closed and my garden stayed tidy rather than being full of crisp packets and newsletters. They can't do cake yet though so at least we don't have all the blue paper towels every time a kid has a birthday.

Thanks all - lots to think about.

It’s not a sport field as such - but great area, then a path/road/ then more green then the school building.

My niece is very excited, she thinks she will be able to climb over the fence at lunch time😊.

I’m wfh at the minute but will hopefully be back in the office at some stage,

I have a primary school playground less than 20ft from my back door. It can get a bit noisy at playtimes, (particularly when it's windy) but it's never been a real issue. We do get the odd beanbag/football/frisbee but just throw them back whenever we notice them. Parking is not an issue either, other than around Christmas for the Nativity play/school summer fete. In fact, the onions from the BBQ at said fete is probably the 'worst' thing if the wind is in the wrong direction but that's only for an afternoon!

Last house backed on to school playing field. bit of noise at break times but I find kids playing OK. Sports days can go on a bit. but holidays weekends it is silent. Just the odd ball ends up in garden.

I wouldn’t worry about living close by a school in general.

However, a private school with an excellent reputation for many years in my town closed and is being developed into a housing estate, with 183 homes being built, as we speak.

We back onto a high school playground and prefer it to being surrounded by other houses. There was a small issue at the beginning with teenagers congregating at the weekend sometimes but we complained and they fenced off the playground which has resolved the problem. The noise is predictable and all over by 3.30 pm. It's so quiet at weekends and school hols.
It's a comprehensive school with a good reputation. Kids are generally polite.
Noisy neighbours would be more of a problem imo as you cant do anything about that!

I had a house which backed onto secondary school grounds. The other side of my fence were some bushes and some of them would gather there for a smoke in breaktimes. They would be caught and it would go quiet for a bit...before they thought the coast was clear again. No problem for me though.

I would also hear them playing games in the grounds, but again that didn't bother me. My next door neighbour however was a nightmare. And I moved because of him not the school. You should be fine.

Our house backs onto a secondary school (state school). Our back boundary is their side boundary, as the school gates open onto an adjoining road, if that makes sense.

We're in a culdesac so it's a nightmare for about half an hour morning and afternoons when parents are picking their little darlings up and the school buses are also trying to get away too.
Major repairs like reroofing the school buildings tends to happen during the school holidays. We used to have a rat problem but the bins have been moved to the far side of the school so it's no longer an issue.

Our main problem is getting them to cut back a mature tree on their side of the boundary which places our garden in shade from about 3pm. Apparently they only have funds to do emergency tree surgery not non urgent stuff.

I would be quite cautious about a house like this.

Things that would put me off are:

Noise

Access issues if you will need to maintain your property (wall, fence, trees) from the school side (due to safeguarding many schools will only allow access in the holidays)

Parking / vehicle access may be issues

Resale - I wouldn’t buy a house backing on to a school so it may affect length of time taken to achieve a sale and price

Private might be better (longer holidays) but see what it is like during drop-off and pick-up times. I live near a school and most of the time it is absolutely fine but I get a bit pissed off by selfish drivers on the school run, over-use of megaphones for sporting events and times when the school has taken the piss with noise during events. In the holidays it is lovely and peaceful.

Just check planning apps as they might add a Gym and outdoor footy pitches in future as a revenue stream, happened with one of our local schools, I would also look at parking

All thank you - lots to think about. I have fallen in love with the house, but have never lived So close to a school And as I don’t have kids there is no upside in terms of the kids commute.

I back on to a infants school but as I work full time it doesn't bother me at all. It was always a shock if I had a day off in the week.

There is an access path at the back of my garden and during lockdown one day I could hear some of them chatting and they sounded really close so I sent DH to see what they were doing. DH came back and said they're setting up a bird feeding area, nothing to worry about.

Went round there to feed the birds the next day and the little monkeys had been through a hole in the fence and nicked my tub of fatballs! 🤣

Other than that no issues at all!