uk to scotland

[LochHart]

Hello all I'm after a little advice / guidance if possible , I am looking into a move for me and my yr7 lad possibly abeerdeen area ( renting ) am open to all areas to be honest - I'm in training to be a driving instructor, being from Yorkshire does this create conflict in schools as I'm concerned about my lad who does not ( stick up for himself ) being from a area blighted by drug/crime incidents also keen to keep him away as much as possible . Thanks in advance .

There are quite a few people who live in the Aberdeen area - hopefully they'll see this.

When is your ds' birthday?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/2630985-uk-to-scotland-looking-for-new-start

OP's first thread, where she was advised to ask here (and yes, it has been pointed out that Scotland is still in the UK! )

I was choosing not to be snippy like I usually am - after all, she's new to Mumsnet

Cults and Grammar are the best secondaries (grammar is just a name - we don't have concept of english grammar schools here). You should find details of catchment areas on aberdeencity.gov.uk

My kids are still at primary. We have found the schools here great so far. Good luck!

If you are really not fussed about where in Scotland theses are some things you may want to consider:

It tends to be wetter and warmer on the west and colder and drier on the East - it's not an exact science though :)
As children generally go to their catchment school, the schools with the best academic results tend to be in more affluent areas with higher house prices.
Having said the above, academic results aren't everything and there is usually a real mixture at most schools apart from some of the inner city schools which I guess you would be trying to avoid.
Whilst people everywhere want to learn to drive, I guess you'd probably need to be considering somewhere with a reasonable sized population.
The central belt is the most populated area but there are decent population sizes in the Northeast cities and Clustered around the A9/Inverness. Its a bit less dense in terms of population on the North West.
Bear in mind that a lot of Scotland is empty :)
Aberdeen accent is quite strong, inverness much easier to understand

If your son is in year 7, depending on his birthday he may be P7, last year of primary or S1 1st year of secondary
School here break up earlier and go back earlier in the summer.(end June to mid August)

Can I put in a bid for Stirling area? Very mixed population and an English accent wouldn't stand out - decent schools at primary and high school and property possibly cheaper than Aberdeen. Reasonable size population and easy access to both Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as Perth/Dundee and further North via A9 etc and also handy for the hills and countryside of the west.

Thanks for replying everyone . Sterling sounds a great option thanks .

Sterling is money or a shop in Tillicoultry - if you're googling, It's Stirling.

I know you're new to mumsnet, so I'll politely point out that Scotland is (still) in the UK.

There's quite a few yorkshire people in Loch Lomond actually. My friend is one.

hello all : new title :: Yorkshire to Scotland ::
STIRLING . had a long day do apologise for that
my lads b/day is in march he is 11 in YORKSHIRE he is y6 if we were to move tomorrow what year group would he be in ?

He'll be in P7 after the summer our cut of is end February, so if he'd been 11 by 29th Feb, he would be starting High School as an S1, if his birthday is 1st march onwards then he will go into P7 in mid August. That would give him a year in a smaller environment to make friends before going up to High School.

If you want any info about Stirling area then I'd be glad to help. I know you said renting, do you have a budget in mind?

He'll be one of the oldest in his year.

You might want to consider Dumfries, pleasant area, close to the border so no shortage of English accents and relatively isolated so most people ned to learn to drive.

Stirling is not as cold as Aberdeen for a start plus your accent wouldnt really stand out although like everywhere there is areas you really dont want to live

I'm near Inverness and a Yorkshire accent wouldn't stand out here... Or anywhere in the north of Scotland really! Lots of people have settled up here on the back of military postings so we have a huge variety of accents and backgrounds in our communities.

Most of the primary schools have very mixed catchments but most head teachers will be happy to let you have a look around, so you can get a feel for the one you like best. There are placing request issues in a few schools but the HT would soon let you know if their school is one of them.

I'm sure you'll be made very welcome wherever you decide to move to :)