IF I can persuade Dh move - ANY chance at all of getting boys into Harrogate Grammar????

[kizzie]

Bit of a 2 year plan to coincide with DS twins starting secondary school.

Dh will need a LOT of persuading but Im really keen. Im from t'north and would like to return. Thinking of York or Harrogate but H probably top choice.

Wouldnt even consider it if cant get into a very good state secondary.

I know Harrogate Grammar very oversubscribed. Would it just be impossible to get in as an 'outsider'? Do you need to have lived locally for a long time? Is the catchment area very very small.

Am I mad - is Harrogate just very pretty but also a bit twee.

Would be a real lifestyle change for us. From doing some property searches we could hopefully at least half our mortgage for similar sized house.

Any thoughts anyone? Thanks!

the villages on the west side are in catchment come and join us in the countryside

harrogate is lovely btw. there was a long thread about it a few weeks ago.

which villages should i be looking at geekgirl? I know the centre of harrogate quite well - but not the outskirts.

Dont blame you for being smug . Im hoping to join you!

The only main attraction for York rather than harrogate is the better train links - do you ever feel a bit isolated - or are you close enough to york and leeds (and M1) to make it not matter.

Sorry lots of questions!!!!

right, off the top of my head there's Birstwith, Darley (where I am) and Hampsthwaite in catchment here - there will be more, you'd need to ring the school and ask. All three are very nice villages within easy reach of the town centre, and there's a school bus.

kizzie, transport links are indeed a bit rubbish I don't tend to go to York, the road between Harrogate and York is a nightmare.

Getting to Leeds is easy from where I am, 45 minutes by car until I am parked up in the city centre. Dh used to work in Leeds and would drive to Menston train station (village north of Leeds, about 20 minutes from us) and catch the train from there, takes 15 minutes.

Thanks geekgirl. Im trying not to get too carried away with the idea. It makes complete sense to me. My family would be less than an hour away (whereas 5 hours away at the moment) which the boys would love!!! Lovely schools. And i could have a dog! I think there's a good possibility that I could persuade my employer to give me some regular freelance work which I could do from there - and money would be much much less of an issue.

Right got to keep my sensible head on - got DH to get through first (although he is MUCH more open to the idea than he was a couple of years ago so there is hope!)
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