Moving to Dunblane

[Littleblondeone]

Hi,

I'm new to Mumsnet. I have a 3 year old, 1 year old and baby no.3 due in January. For a while me and my husband have been thinking about moving for better schooling as our local schools are the worst in the area, the only thing that's been holding us back is that we adore our house. We have been looking at Dunblane however the house prices are so high so we know we will be downsizing. We saw a house today and loved it but its very expensive and needs a lot of work. We don't know anyone from Dunblane and don't know much about the area apart for it has great schools. Anyone from Dunblane that can offer any insight as to what it's like to live there and that their is on offer? I just want to know in my head that we could have a better quality of life even if it means living in a smaller house. Thanks

DH grow up there and still has family there who love it. His family seem happy with the schools although all still at primary. House prices are high, other areas closer to Stirling have a similar feel for smaller budget. As far as living there is concerned, it's a lovely town, lots for kids to do at the Dunblane Centre and close to Stirling University where great sports clubs/facilities are available. Is there scope to extend the house or add value, if so it might be worth downsizing for location?

If I could turn the clock back, I wouldn't be so hung up on schools. In common with many young families, we moved to Dunblane for the schools on the basis of their good reputation, although this was all hearsay and we didn't actually know anyone with children in the schools.

If you want a nice middle class school with 4X4 driving mums, Newton Primary is your place but I would say there is nothing special about what is offered there education or opportunity wise and it can be a cruel place if your child doesn't fit in. Dunblane Primary looks quite run-down compared with Newton and very big, though it has lovely grounds. St Mary's is a very friendly and caring school which is particularly welcoming to additional needs children and has a fantastic nursery.

The curriculum for excellence seems to inhibit learning in all primary schools in Scotland with its emphasis on being a 'confident individual, effective contributor, successful learner and responsible citizen' rather than actually acquiring any knowledge. As a result, many parents in Dunblane use Kip McGrath to fill the gaps in their primary children's learning and some even leave the schools with the great reputations for the private sector.

The high school too has a good reputation based on its results but whether the quality of education on offer is any better than any other school is questionable. They take a lot of placing requests, some from quite far afield, so it could be an option for you when you get to that stage even if you don't live in Dunblane.

For families, Dunblane's real strength is that there are loads of activities going on for kids - sports, music, scouts/guides, boys/girls brigade, the Dunblane Centre and an excellent library. It has a nice safe community feel, the shops and cafes in the town are very friendly and it is a manageable size.

So, yes, it is a nice place to live but I wouldn't downsize just for the schools.

Where are you at the moment OP?

We lived there briefly before moving to Edinburgh. It was before our children were school age though. It was very pretty but my overriding memory was the lack of a petrol station. I liked BofA better if I'm honest. It had a lovely park and a nice cafe and high street to walk the pram.
Scottish primary schools are really struggling at the moment through no fault of their own. I wouldn't downsize to live in Dunblane unless the community or the schools are really awful where you are now.

Thanks for all your responses. It's much appreciated. Lots of helpful points. I'm on the border of north Lanarkshire and West Lothian just now and the local village has nothing to offer young children or families. There is no playgroups locally and the baby/toddler group Is just about to get stopped because there was no enough interest which is ashame. I have no friends as I was not originally from here and so drive 15-20mins to meet any family/friends as it is. I think because our local high schools are just so bad it makes me paranoid but I know that In the areas surrounding dunblane the other high schools are highly rated and private is just too much when we will have at least 3 children. The house we looked at does have the space to extend but with is the high end of our budget and needs a lot of work so would only be a far future option. I think I am just so attached to my home just now and I need to get over that it's just bricks and mortar x

As a PP said, the High school does take placing requests from the surrounding area. That's what we do, we live in Stirling and my boys go to Dunblane. There is a lot going on right across the area in terms of activities for families so you don't need to limit yourself to Dunblane. Though I would recommend trying to stay near-ish to a train station if you want to apply to Dunblane as the transport isn't great otherwise.

As far as primaries are concerned, I know people who've had DC at both Newton and Dunblane and they seem happy. St Mary's is a small Episcopalian school with strict admission criteria

Again like PP says, Dunblane High gets great results, whether the teaching is any better I'm not convinced. However it is a really nice environment with a lot of acceptance for differences and pupils being allowed to be themselves. Stirling High is also good.

I'm an incomer to the area too, we moved here when my boys were small and I honestly can't fault it. It's a brilliant area to raise children and there is the opportunity to do any activity you can possibly think off. people are friendly and with having the Uni, there are quite a variety of people who are from all over so it's easy to fit in or find people to socialise with I'd feel free to widen your search a bit if the house isn't grabbing you.

Happy to help with areas/catchments etc if you want to know anything.

Just a wee update. So we kept going back to Dunblane for wee days out and viewed a couple houses and found one we loved. We got a call yesterday to say we got The house!!! Very excited. We are just going to work hard to put our touch on the place which we are up for. There seems to be so much going on in the community and the surrounding areas. It feels right and we love the house we got so will be moving nearly next year. Thanks again everyone

Congratulations on the house - exciting news for you! When you get to the stage of looking for a school nursery place, I would look at St Mary's as well as your catchment school. There is a perception in Dunblane that St Mary's is oversubscribed and it's difficult to get in but in fact the roll is quite low in some year groups at the moment and if there is a place, and you want it, you won't be turned away.

Congratulations. I suspect I know the house you have just bought as a friend's neighbour's house has just gone to bids ---- if so it is a beautiful house in the best location (I live around the corner).

PM me if you want any more info.

Great News OP. I'm sure you'll love it.

Reading this thread and potentially moving to Dunblane also. Hope you settled on well! Interested to hear - is it as good you hoped it would be...?

Fantastic! Lovely countryside, close to Stirling for shopping, supermarkets not too far away... the high st is a bit desolate but you have the basics (and award winning scotch pies).

Not sure how much fun it will be for a teenager but getting a train to Stirling, Edinburgh, Glasgow should suffice!

It's fairly well known that Dunblane HS has excellent exam results - it's often said that this is due to the prevalence of tutors rather than good teaching there 😉 just something to ponder. I'm in the world of Scottish education so have some inside knowledge lol

I have a child in the school and one just left. Teaching is teaching. Some of it is great and some poor just like everywhere else. A lot of the catchment consists of intelligent engaged parents so they should do well. I'd expect the school to be busier with the closure of beaconhurst. Ds says he saw people doing tours before the holidays.

The high school is a nice environment with few disciplinary problems and has quite a few clubs, but is nothing special. It doesn't deserve the academic reputation it has, which was based on a previous headmaster anyway. There is no ability setting at all, which I think is frustrating for the more academic children and holds them back. There is no library (a real shame).
The town is pleasant enough, but there are almost no shops - very quiet and a bit boring.
For lower house prices in the area but less easy access to trains, you could consider Callander or Crieff, which are surrounded by lovely countryside.

The High School like most has positives and negatives. If your DC wants to do well they probably will, a lot depends on individual teachers.

The town does have a library (not sure if pp meant the school or town).

As pp said it’s not v exciting but train links mean that your teenagers have easy access to other places, it’s good for commuting.