Bath MNs - What is oldfield park like?

[kalo12]

Are there any good primary schools, is it a nice area?

Would of course prefer Bathwick or widcombe but its out of my price range I think.

mrs f we better start an enterprise together

Mrs FLittersnoop ....A word of advice..... try contacting the Bath secondary schools directly re: admissions.

I've been told that the LEA tend to imply that the more popular schools are full, so that they can distribute pupils more evenly across the secondaries. So much for parental choice eh! Make contact directly with the school.

Thanks violethill. Unfortunately we can't apply directly to the schools until we are actually living in Bath and can provide proof of residence, which won't be until the summer holidays. We are supposed to apply for "casual admission" before we move via a centralised system run by the LEA, but I can't seem to contact them by phone. I will have to write to them ASAP.

RG, if your heart is set on the Bear Flat area, have you looked seriously at the Moorfields Estate?

I saw this on Rightmove, 4 beds, £219,000 and only 5 minutes from Bear Flat, literally opposite Moorlands Junior School and less than a mile from Beechen Cliff School. It really is an OK area, and this particular road is very very quiet and is right on the edge of the estate.

that looks good. will check out the area next time i am down there. thanks mrs F

MrsF - I would still recommend phoning the schools directly for 'advice', if you get my drift!!

BANES as an LEA has an interesting way of doing things...and Bath isn't your typical area in terms of catchments.. let's just say some people are being told the most popular high achieving schools are full, so that pupils end up being spread across the range of schools rather than going where their parents want them to....

It's at least worth a call, explaining your preference and seeing what the school says.

Thanks very much for your advice Violethill! It can be difficult to know what's what when you have no local contacts. I have been very suspicious about the lack of information and co-operation I've received from the LEA to date.

We are going to Bath this evening for a couple of days and we have arranged to visit Beechen Cliff School with DS to have a tour and meet the headmaster, in between a couple of independent school visits. I'm also going to try and visit Ralph Allen (if possible at such short notice). I'll keep you posted!

Shameless bump for Violethill - thanks to her advice we won our appeal to get DS into Beechen Cliff School in September! I've posted all about this on Secondary Education

Many many thanks violethill, we would never have worked our way through the labyrinthine beaurocracy of BANES LEA otherwise!

Hello! Many people tell me when moving to Bath avoid Twerton. Also they say Oldfield Park is OK but not the 'Twerton part'. What do they mean (on a map)? They seem to have the same train station. What are the safe streets? And why don't they like Twerton, anyway? It is annoying because I see nice well-priced houses there and a train station. Is the area further south better? Is Twerton actually dangerous, or is this just to do with cachement areas?