Nottingham : Which area is perfect for family and good for primary schools?

[Kaizen92]

Hello everyone,

My partner and I, along with our 2.5-year-old toddler and plans for more children in the future, are currently residing in the beautiful area of Mapperley Park in Nottingham. However, we've realized that there aren't any "outstanding" schools nearby. As much as we adore living in a hilly, leafy neighborhood, we recognize the importance of living in an area with excellent schools. Currently, our child attends Woodthorpe Nursery and thoroughly enjoys it.

My main query revolves around identifying family-friendly and safe areas in Nottingham. We're seeking neighborhoods with plenty of parks and activities for children, such as indoor and outdoor play areas, as well as clubs for swimming, football, basketball, etc. I feel it's crucial to establish connections with other parents and make friends who have children of a similar age so we can share experiences and meet up regularly.

Could you kindly suggest areas where we could purchase homes within the range of £200K-£250K? We're looking for a property with two main bedrooms and an additional office space, and we're confident in our ability to afford it.
We are drawn to a slower-paced lifestyle, particularly in suburban areas, and we have a fondness for hilly views, which we often enjoy from Mapperley Drive or Gedling. However, we're unsure if these areas offer great schools. I've heard that West Bridgford is renowned for its schools. Would it be feasible to find a suitable house within our budget in this area?

We would greatly appreciate your insights and recommendations regarding both houses and areas suitable for families. Given our love for walks, it's important to us that we feel safe taking our child outdoors.

Overall, do you believe Nottingham is a suitable place for families?
We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you for your time :)

I forgot to add, My husband goes to Manchester twice in a week for work. He prefer trains but he goes by car as well so suggest those areas which easily can take both option anyways.

At the moment, We are renting a flat in Mapperley park, my query is to buy a home in future. Sorry if I was not clear.

I would be very cautious of putting too much faith in Ofsted's opinion, and especially years in advance. A school can change quickly either for the better or the worse, i would concentrate on living somewhere you like and is practical for your life (ie transport etc)

Schools really don’t need to be Ofsted ‘Outstanding’.

OK. We are first time parents and bit over cautions so I respect your comment must be you are more experience than us :) What area do you suggest with our checklist? I heard schools like Rushcliffe and westbridfeford are feeders schools and tough to get in so better to take admission from primary years?

Bread and Lard island aka West Bridgeford, I can’t see you getting anything much for 200k. It does have some really good schools. My mate I used to work with lived there on a really nice road, major drug dealer got arrested on it a few years ago. She said the kids were wild there, it’s a very liberal sort of gentle parenting place. The exact area I live in has zero outstanding schools and is viewed as a bit of a shit hole by some but it’s improving. A terrace in the grimmest bit of the suburb I live in is 200k now which is laughable.

Avoid the Meadows, St Ann’s, Bulwell and Radford, look up crime stats. We will be moving in a couple of years. We no longer need schools. The area we like is unfortunately in the area of an outstanding secondary school, it’s Derbyshire and the prices are wild because of that at least 50 to 75k more compared to out of catchment.

I would stay in the area if you like it. To be honest if your child is clever and manages top set for every subject they should be fine. It’s the lower sets where you get more behavioural issues. Children that are middling are the ones that suffer the most in under par schools.

I mean Nottingham has some rough areas as does any city, I am assuming you haven’t lived here long. Are you in Nottingham because of your job or his job? I mean if he WFH and you have no real need to stay in Nottingham would you consider Manchester?

It basically gives us sense of satisfaction that, somebody who is relevant organisation are taking all the measures and gives them the ranking. isn't it?

You need to visit schools. When it came to primary schools we put our child in the local one with the worst ofsted report. Why you may ask well the school was very nurturing. There was one outstanding that was a short drive away, this is years ago and schools at that stage were awash with places. The headteacher was like a used car salesman and we took an instant dislike to him, DH virtually never comments on people so it was a definite no.

Thanks for your reply, We both mainly from home, I have to go once in month to Edinburgh and he have to go twice to Manchester.

We thought to move to Manchester but their house prices are so high, We are thinking we are not very city types and prefer our life less hustle and bustle. We are quite new in Nottingham just 4 years and living in Mapperley park since then, I believe with 300K we can easily get good houses compare in Manchester. That's why I am asking genuinely safe and family friendly area in Nottingham. Manchester weather is really rainy all the time, in Nottingham we can see some sun light here and there but people always complain in Manchester about weather. Our jobs are like where in future we need to go to London let's say once in a week we can go as Nottingham is in the centre mainly. Those are points to think and make our base in nottingham. We might be wrong.

Ofsted is a snapshot, based on what the inspectors observed at a given point in time.

Some schools haven't been inspected for over 10 years. A lot can change in that time.

It's harder for schools inspected under the new framework to get outstanding than it was for schools inspected under the new framework.

And some schools are much better at jumping through the ofsted hoops/demonstrating what they're doing, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the children are getting a better education.

Basings decisions about schooling on the basis of a one-word judgment that may be years out of date probably isn't advisable. Read the reports, by all means, but probably better to visit the schools and make your own judgements.

I worked in education for 30 years as does DH though he is a University Professor. Bloody league tables for both schools and Universities. The amount of money and bureaucracy and staff time used to satisfy these ruddy inspectors is ridiculous.

The key with OFSTED is to actually read the report for each school and note how recent it is. I would have no issue with a Good school that has some Outstanding aspects, or a school that was Good across all aspects. No need to only look for Outstanding schools.

I love West Bridgford and the schools are excellent, but I don’t think you can afford it. Would Hucknall be any good? It’s more affordable and I think the CofE school there is rated good. I honestly think having outstanding is overated and can change so quickly.

My dd's primary school was "good" when we first moved here. There was another "outstanding" school a mile or two down the road, and we could have bought in that catchment. I went to visit several schools, and decided that I liked the "good" school much better than I liked the "outstanding" one. We bought our house accordingly.

At the next inspection, the school we chose was judged as "outstanding". The outstanding one went down to "good" at some point.

I'm now a governor at dd's old school, which hasn't been inspected for more than a decade. I absolutely believe that it is as outstanding as it ever was, but we certainly couldn't be confident that ofsted would definitely judge it as such. The goalposts have moved. A large part of the outcome from the next inspection will depend less on the quality of the education that the children are actually getting and more on the ability of staff to articulate what they're doing in a way that ticks the ofsted boxes.

School ratings are ratings as others have said. Your budget would get you a house but not in WB but there are plenty of places in Notts where it is possible.

If you live in Mapperley go for a drive at the weekend to places and see what's it like. Put your budget in right move and see what's up for sale.

Sherwood, if you like Mapperley Park though all primary schools seemed to be rated good with one outstanding. Beeston is worth a look, but Beeston Rylands with your budget.

Wow . What a wonderful insight, by any means and I respect your confidently. Can you point me which area do you live in and what school was it? I am looking for primary schools only at the moment. You can PM me if you feel like.

Sorry, OP, I don't actually live in Nottingham. I was just sharing my perspective on ofsted.

I agree with all of the posts above, saying that you need to physically visit the schools. What is much more important than the specific grading is whether you envision your child at a small single form entry school, or a larger school with more facilities and staff. Whether you are looking for a school which really values, outdoor education, or has excellent SEN support etc etc. It’s a bit like buying a house, it has to be the right fit for your family.

With your budget, I would agree that West Bridgford is out of reach at the moment. The schools have a good reputation, but they are large and oversubscribed.

there are some excellent schools in the county of Nottinghamshire, particularly in Rushcliffe. The villages might be a bit expensive for your current budget, but there are options out there for doer upper houses, where you could still grab a bargain in an excellent catchment.

If you are happy with where you live, though, I would start by looking at what schools are actually on offer in your area and whether you would be happy with them

I do think you get a very strong sense of a school when you go and look around.

If you like the idea of a slower life (maybe outside the city) and want countryside within easy reach, you might just be able to afford something in Keyworth. It has busses direct to the station, and pretty good links to the M1 and/or M6 (via the A50) for the work trips.

Schools in the area always used to be good, not sure what they're like now - but it should be easy to check.

I agree with PPs that schools don’t need to be ‘outstanding’. Unless there things like major issues with safeguarding, Ofsted inspections heavily look at paperwork and isn’t reflective of day-to-day life at these settings. I would look at the ‘good’ primary schools in your area as well.

But tbh, if you’re actually looking to move, most primary schools are fine, it’s actually the secondary schools you should be considering. No point moving to a good primary school area if the secondary school is shit.

Avoid Rise Park/Bestwood for secondary schools.

Have you considered Ruddington? Rushcliffe secondary school is supposed to be good but also incredibly strict so not to everyone’s liking. Primary schools in Ruddington/Wilford area are fine.

For house prices in particular areas, i’d recommend you just do your own research on Rightmove.

I can see Woodthorpe is rated a ‘good’ nursery so what’s your issue with sending DD to a ‘good’ primary school?

No, I am content with finding good primary schools and nurseries. I have visited seven nurseries, and I particularly liked the one that had a "good" rating.
While there are many nurseries near our house, I did not find them suitable. Therefore, we have to travel a bit further to drop him off at the nursery we preferred. However, it is worth the extra effort.
Now, as we are looking to buy a house, I am seeking a location with either good or great schools, depending on the feedback from parents whose children attend those schools, and a sense of community, which I feel is lacking here. As mentioned in my previous post, we are drawn to the leafy and hilly aspects of Mapperley Park. However, when we were searching for a nursery, we found that the nearby options did not meet our criteria. I don't have an issue with a nursery having a "good" rating.
This conversation seems to have shifted focus. Essentially, I was looking for places where we can get value for our money and a family-friendly lifestyle.

Your budget is an issue. The easy fit is just move to Woodthorpe however you won't get a house for that amount of the money in Woodthorpe. Try looking at Wilford (but check the catchment area first), Ruddington or Bingham.

As @DuckBee says, Bingham is a very good suggestion- your budget won’t go that far but house prices are rising there so you might get in at the right time. A lot of the surrounding village primary schools can be undersubscribed so it would open up some possible out of catchment options.