Property in Trafford Grammar catchment

[Gettingthereslowly2020]

Hello, I'm looking to buy a 2 bed flat and my budget is £143,000

DD will be applying for the Trafford Grammar schools next year - Sale and Stretford are the main ones we're considering.

Property prices are crazy and I'm aware my budget would only stretch to a flat. I'm also aware that the postcode would need to be M33 or M32 to be in the catchment area for Sale and Stretford.

My issue is that I don't know the area well. Is there any specific areas that I should avoid? Where should I be looking? Would Chorlton be too far out of the catchment as the postcode is M21?

If DD doesn't get into grammar school, which areas have good comprehensives?

My friend lives in Chorlton and her son has just got into St Ambrose which is further away than Sale or Stratford. I don’t live that way but Stretford is very near Chorlton so I’m guessing it would be ok.

We live outside of Trafford (Warrington) but my DD is sitting the entrance exam shortly for some of the Altrincham schools. You can still get in from outside the area but I think you do need to get a slightly higher mark than someone inside the area. There are plenty of good non Grammar schools in those areas too though.

OP the details are all on the Trafford website. Look here here.

It looks as though M21 may be in the catchment area for Stretford but you'd have to check. M21 isn't in catchment for Sale so it would have to be an out-of-catchment qualification which is difficult (bit not impossible). Just read the over subscription policies of both schools carefully and look at the section of that booklet which tells you how places have been allocated previously.

Stratford Grammar was awful.

The best around in my opinion is Urmston Grammar. Urmston/Flixton are lovely places to live if you can afford it, same with Chorlton.

I live in Stretford and there isn't any affluent areas there really, Sale and Altrincham are posh too.

@BeagleMomma

Stratford Grammar was awful.

The best around in my opinion is Urmston Grammar. Urmston/Flixton are lovely places to live if you can afford it, same with Chorlton.

I live in Stretford and there isn't any affluent areas there really, Sale and Altrincham are posh too.

What's awful about Stretford Grammar?

Yes, Urmston is lovely and I quite like Chorlton

My brother went there and was horrifically bullied, but they did absolutely nothing about it. No support for his SEN, teachers only care about results and not about the welfare of their students.

@BeagleMomma

My brother went there and was horrifically bullied, but they did absolutely nothing about it. No support for his SEN, teachers only care about results and not about the welfare of their students.

Sorry to hear that. Hope your brother is ok now and has recovered from the bullying.

@BeagleMomma

Stratford Grammar was awful.

The best around in my opinion is Urmston Grammar. Urmston/Flixton are lovely places to live if you can afford it, same with Chorlton.

I live in Stretford and there isn't any affluent areas there really, Sale and Altrincham are posh too.

Stretford grammar is absolutely NOT awful. 15 years ago it had a single poor ofsted because the then head was on long term sick. The teaching team is completely different and it gets better results than Urmston now. I have two kids in the school and it is excellent; small enough to be nurturing, balances academic push and mental wellbeing very well, and communicates very well with parents.

@BeagleMomma

My brother went there and was horrifically bullied, but they did absolutely nothing about it. No support for his SEN, teachers only care about results and not about the welfare of their students.

That is completely and fundamentally opposed to my very recent experience with a child with SEN who was supported well and allowed back for sixth form "because he belongs to us and we know him" despite not getting the required results.

Stretford Grammar is generally considered to be the most inclusive of the Grammars and has an extremely large ‘priority admission area’ with some areas you might find a home in your budget in. The problem then is where do you send them if they don’t pass?

Op about half of Stretford Grammar children come from Chorlton.

Stretford is up and coming because of high house prices elsewhere. The area nearer Chorlton off Edge Lane (near the school) is considered the most desirable part of Stretford, but it's mostly houses not so many flats.

That's fantastic news that it is much improved, I'm glad to hear it!

Possibly the teaching staff that were the main culprits in ignoring the bullying and his SEN have retired as they were much older teachers.

I'm a primary school teachers so can't comment on the teaching, I can only go off my brother's experience, which was horrendous at the time.

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate you all sharing your experiences, good and bad. It gives me a more balanced view than I can get from just looking at the websites.

M23: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/111035741#/?channel=RES_BUY

M15/16 (so catchment for Stretford and very close to two good high schools):

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/78918747#/?channel=RES_BUY

The other thing to remember is it’s slightly easier to pass for stretford than for Sale.

There doesn't seem to be many flats in my budget in Sale, Stretford, or Chorlton right now so I'm looking at Hulme too.

For Stretford Grammar it says the priority postcodes stretch to M15 and M16 which is great for me as that would mean an easier commute to DDs primary school.

If I were to move to Hulme and she didn't get in Stretford, there's William Hulme school which I've heard good things about.

I just read the opening sentence of that and laughed rather loud!!
Your main issue with some of the places outside Trafford will be public transport connections unless you're willing to drive your child to/from school every day. Some of the schools have buses but I'd check these out before applying.
Partington is within Trafford and is much cheaper than other parts of the borough (although there's a reason for that). I'd read the entry criteria carefully as a lot of kids come to the Grammar schools from outside the Borough now.
Your budget would just get you a flat in Sale / Ashton Lane area. There's some new builds in office conversions under £150k and some of the older blocks around Ashton Lane are decent and round the north end of Brooklands Road / Wardle Road sort of area is very convenient for Sale centre and the Metrolink.

You won't get into William Hulme from Hulme. You need to be within about 400 yards of the school! You would get CHS South though which is a new school, or MEA Central, again a new school. Stretford takes kids from Old Trafford not many from Hulme I think.

@SwayingInTime

M23: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/111035741#/?channel=RES_BUY

M15/16 (so catchment for Stretford and very close to two good high schools):

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/78918747#/?channel=RES_BUY

The other thing to remember is it’s slightly easier to pass for stretford than for Sale.

Thank you. The second bedrooms look tiny on those but that seems to be an issue with every flat I've looked at so far.

I'm not fussed about DD having a big bedroom, just one that's big enough to fit a bed, wardrobe and a chest of drawers in.

I think it's going to be a case of beggars can't be choosers. Unless I win the lottery, I'm probably going to have to get a tiny flat, at least for the next 3-4 years until my income increases.

This one is sold but keep an eye out for similar, they tend to have 2 good sized bedrooms www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86280568#/?channel=RES_BUY

@emmathedilemma

I just read the opening sentence of that and laughed rather loud!! Your main issue with some of the places outside Trafford will be public transport connections unless you're willing to drive your child to/from school every day. Some of the schools have buses but I'd check these out before applying. Partington is within Trafford and is much cheaper than other parts of the borough (although there's a reason for that). I'd read the entry criteria carefully as a lot of kids come to the Grammar schools from outside the Borough now. Your budget would just get you a flat in Sale / Ashton Lane area. There's some new builds in office conversions under £150k and some of the older blocks around Ashton Lane are decent and round the north end of Brooklands Road / Wardle Road sort of area is very convenient for Sale centre and the Metrolink.

Thank you. I've been looking at this one for ages: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109767008#/?channel=RES_BUY

Just waiting for them to drop the price by £22k!

I need to keep checking rightmove every day, I'm sure something will come up in my budget somewhere.

According to the Stretford Grammar admissions policy, it says:
"Successful candidates who live within the immediate area of the school; being M32, M33, M41, M15 and M16 (both within Trafford and Manchester) and including M21, this being the next closest postcode to the school."

So what I'm understanding from that (and reading the full thing) is that we could move to M15 or M16 (where the flats are cheaper) and have an equal chance of getting in as someone living right near the school.

We could move to M15/M16 but we'd have to be bloody sure that she'll get in Stretford Grammar (which is a lot of pressure to put on a little one).

It would be preferable to move to M21 because someone said half of the Stretford Grammar kids live in Chorlton. Also, there is Chorlton High School which looks ok.

If we moved to Stretford, we'd have Stretford High as a back up but their GCSE passes don't look great. Only 44% of their pupils got a grade 5 or above for English and Maths.

If we moved to Sale then we'd have Sale High as a back up but their GCSE passes are even worse at 36% but that still outperforms our current local high school which is awful.

If it’s been on the market for ages make them an offer! It does say guide price and clearly no one has been willing to pay that so far.
Bear in mind that if you’re comparing the Trafford high schools with true comprehensive style high schools the results are likely to be lower as the top academic % who would pull the averages up have been creamed off to the grammar schools. If they’re doing better than a comp then that’s really good!
Don’t rule out the high schools if you can get in Trafford as I know people who’ve done better being top of the class there than they probably would have done being bottom at the grammar school.

@emmathedilemma

If it’s been on the market for ages make them an offer! It does say guide price and clearly no one has been willing to pay that so far. Bear in mind that if you’re comparing the Trafford high schools with true comprehensive style high schools the results are likely to be lower as the top academic % who would pull the averages up have been creamed off to the grammar schools. If they’re doing better than a comp then that’s really good! Don’t rule out the high schools if you can get in Trafford as I know people who’ve done better being top of the class there than they probably would have done being bottom at the grammar school.

It has been on the market for quite a while. There is another 2 bed flat for sale in the same block for £179k so for me to offer £143k would be pretty cheeky. On the other hand, you're right, no one has been willing to pay £165k so far.

It is difficult comparing schools and knowing how to read between the lines.

I'm a bit out of touch with the high schools and don't really know the Stretford end.
Wellington used to get very good results but I know someone who was bullied terribly there and hated every minute of it. It definitely affected her school results as she was probably very close to going to the grammar school when she first went.
People talk highly of Flixton girls but depends if you have strong opinions on single sex schools.
I know a teenager who goes to Blessed Thomas Holford and is thriving there but if you're not catholic I suspect you wouldn't get in.
I think Ashton-on-Mersey used to have a good reputation.
If I were you I'd get yourself up to the area and try and have a look round some of them or get to open days which might actually be happening in person this year?

Yes, I'm going to have a good walk around this weekend. I'll see what the situation is with open days for schools

Stretford is a lovely school (we have a child there). We live in an M16 postcode Firswood/old trafford border and lots of children from that area go to the school. In my child's class there are also quite a few children from Chorlton and Sale. There are a few alternatives to the grammar in the area - Chorlton High (very big but fairly good reputation especially for Arts and Creative subjects), Chorton High South which is a fairly new school and just about to move into its permanent location. I know people with children there who are generally happy with the school. Stretford high is a smaller school and definitely improving. The Head is supposedly very good and from what I've heard there is little bullying in the school and any issues that do arise are dealt with well. I don't know much about Sale High so can't really comment about that one. To be honest when we looked at the Grammars we didn't really warm to Sale Grammar - found it quite unwelcoming and lacking in something (but that could just be as it was a very busy parents' evening). Urmston Grammar seemed really good though - it was our second choice but we ended up going with Stretford due to it being closer to home. Good luck with it all!!