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Original poster

Thinking of moving to Exeter

28 replies

ElinorDashwood · 22/04/2009 14:43

Please talk to me about good areas to live in and good schools. Will need primary and secondary and to be in reasonable distance from the University. We want to live in Exeter itself rather than in a village. We would probably have about £300k to spend on a house.

OP posts:
Original poster
ElinorDashwood · 22/04/2009 18:52

Bumpity bump

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diedandgonetodevon · 22/04/2009 21:31

Just make sure you avoid Wonford, Polsloe and Pinhoe!

Are you looking at state or independent schools?

littlelamb · 22/04/2009 21:32

With that kind of budget I'd be looking at Horseguards or Pensylvania

Original poster
ElinorDashwood · 22/04/2009 21:54

Looking at state schools, but the Ofsteds don't look too promising.
I've come across Pennsylvania on the property websites but where is Horseguards?
Also what about St Leonards or Heavitree?

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littlelamb · 22/04/2009 21:57

Well, it's kind of by the prison But a very nice area, I know lots of uni tutors who live there. St Leonards is definately good too, but further to the uni. Where do you live now? Is it close enough to actually come and get a feel of the place?

diedandgonetodevon · 22/04/2009 22:00

There a some decent local inde's but I'm afraid I'm clueless about state option.

I think horseguards is near the prison so pretty central. Personally would pick heavitree over st leonards as you have more local shops etc.

diedandgonetodevon · 22/04/2009 22:01

X post with LL

drowninginclutter · 22/04/2009 22:06

Trouble with any areas near the university is that the local secondary school isn't brilliant. If you are (or pretend to be, as many people do) Christian then a lot of kids get bussed to a school which isn't that local but is better in terms of results.

Personally if I had that much money to spend I would look in the Queen Elizabeth (Crediton) school catchment area, even if it means being slightly outside Exeter. There are lots of lovely villages only a few minutes drive away which would fall in that catchment. How important is being in Exeter to you?

drowninginclutter · 22/04/2009 22:07

Meant to add that is right side of Exeter for uni - which is on the edge of town anyway.

Original poster
ElinorDashwood · 22/04/2009 22:15

It's quite important, because I don't drive and and we want to live in a city not a village. But the schools thing is worrying. Where do the university staff mostly live?

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drowninginclutter · 22/04/2009 22:42

The only member of uni staff I know is in Pennsylvania but contemplating private education.

The other thing to bear in mind is, if you're still at primary stage, the fact St James (local secondary) is on special measures now might mean it has improved in a few years time.

Original poster
ElinorDashwood · 22/04/2009 22:49

It would want to improve a hell of a lot judging by its current results and Ofsted.
St Luke's looks marginally better, but not much. My eldest is in Year 7 already though, so we can't wait. And I have two in primary.
DH will be starting a part-time masters at the University and I will be doing either a PGCE or a fulltime masters so we will be way too skint for indie for a couple of years at least.
Crikey. How can a city like Exeter have such bad secondaries? Is it because the independent schools are so good?

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SwimmingAgainstTheTide · 23/04/2009 09:08

For secondary schools, you ought to look at St Peters as that's considered the better of the state schools in Exeter. It's CofE and always oversubscribed.

Those who can't get into St Peter's tend to go independent if they can afford it.

saintlydamemrsturnip · 23/04/2009 09:18

"How can a city like Exeter have such bad secondaries? Is it because the independent schools are so good?"

Yep you got it. There are a lot of independent schools in Exeter (I went to one many years ago!).

I'd go and look at the schools and see how they feel. And consider somewhere like Crediton (or Exmouth?? - not sure what the schools are like there, but property is cheaper I think and there's a train).

If your dh is doing a part time MSc presumably he won't have to be in every day and if you do a PGCE you might have teaching practice anywhere I guess??

Original poster
ElinorDashwood · 23/04/2009 11:07

Yes that is true, but we really don't want to live in a village. I have been living in a small country town for six years now and want to be back in a more urban environment.
We moved out of London for the children's sake and don't want to move back, but I think I am going a bit mad, unemployed and stuck out in the sticks.
But we want to put what is best for the children first, and the younger two are at a brilliant primary - I can't justify moving them to a worse school not to mention separating them from all their friends.
Having a real crisis of conscience here.

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drowninginclutter · 23/04/2009 17:31

Have you looked at Duryard? Still easy walking distance to the uni but there is a school bus that runs from there to QE. Not entirely sure about primary schools but maybe worth considering?

Original poster
ElinorDashwood · 23/04/2009 21:25

Thanks. I think I need to get a map out and maybe look at places between Crediton and Exeter. Do you know anything about Whimple? Not sure where it is exactly, but have seen one or two nice houses there on the property websites.
Also a really nice one in St Thomas, but not sure about schools.
It's going to be a nightmare getting DD1 in anywhere I suppose, in year 8.

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appledore · 23/04/2009 21:38

I'm alternating between feeling excited for you and feeling sorry for you! We moved away from Exeter just before Secondary so dodged that bullet but really miss living close to such a lovely small city. Making decisions that might have lasting impact on your children is very hard so you do have my sympathy.
To be honest though, I'm sure that with motivated parents, most children will do well at secondary level. Exeter isn't so big and scary to have real 'sink' schools is it?

I love Exeter. I've already said to my dh that as soon as the dc's leave school, I'm moving back.

Original poster
ElinorDashwood · 23/04/2009 22:32

Are you still in the south-west, Appledore? I like your name!
To be honest after reading the Ofsted for St James's I think I would be doing DD1 an unforgivable injury by sending her there - it looks like a sink school by anybody's reckoning.

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drowninginclutter · 23/04/2009 23:28

Whimple is a nice little village but at the moment the school is Clyst Vale, as far as I know it's still not a brilliant school. Everything might change as there are plans to build a new village, Cranbrook, at which point Clyst Vale is going to be either shut or amalgamated with that. Think all of that might be on hold until the recession ends so it might not happen soon enough for you.

Depends what your DD is like really. I know a few people who went to St James and managed to get decent exam grades, go on to have decent careers, etc. They were the kind of people who would have done well wherever they ended up though.

At the moment there is a high probability that DS will go to St James and I don't think of it as doing him an injury.

chosenone · 24/04/2009 16:44

hiya I used to live near Exeter and teach at St James High school considererd the 'roughest'! It was lovely really and when I moved back north I couldn't believe that the school I moved to, with way better results and ofsted, was tougher and kids naughtier! all paperwork was in place which Ofsted love but I know where I'd rather send my child(nr Manchester!).

St peters has got the best reputation by far but it is a struggle to get in! Clyst Vale and St Lukes ok and as I said St James was better than you'd think! most are now in good biuldings with good facilities too but because its such a small city you can't compare to bad schools in big cities, very different!

Fennel · 24/04/2009 16:49

I work at Exeter uni and intend to send my dc to one of the local secondaries. Not the religious one as we are atheists. There are people who do.

I do know teenagers who go to all of the local schools and the ones I know are lovely teenagers and quite happy, including the ones at St James. As Choseone suggests, maybe it's partly the reputation which is bad, and not really the schools.

Fennel · 24/04/2009 16:51

ALso, the Exeter secondaries are changing at the moment, they have new buildings and new heads. Some of them are looking quite reasonable if you look at the value-added stats in the charts. West Exe and St James both have high value-added scores at the moment.

littlelamb · 24/04/2009 16:55

Fennel thank you for forwarding the letter to me btw Much appreciated, have had no sleep this week and realised I hadn't thanked you! Am sending it off in the morning so fingers crossed

Fennel · 24/04/2009 17:08

No problem, littlelamb, hope your appeal is successful.

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