Relocating to Glasgow

[Linneasweet]

Hi all, I have a possible job opportunity to relocate from London to Glasgow which we're quite excited about. It would be me, my husband and DD age 15 (yr 10). We can't drive so would have be public transport to and from Glasgow city centre. Prefer house and garden to a flat. This would more than likely be in the next year or so when my daughter are due to start her A-levels so has to have decent colleges or 6th form or equivalent. Can any if you fine people let me know if you know of places to live? Many thanks!

Impossible to suggest places unless you have a budget and a maximum commute time?

Re education, no sixth forms in Glasgow. your dd would enter high school in likely 5th year but depends on her DOB so would be starting Highers / advanced Highers

Forgot to say we would be renting to start with rather than buying, rent could be up to £1200 per month maximum for 2 bedrooms.

You'll have lots of options at that budget. I'd look at areas a few miles outwith the city, and on a train line. You'll find a nice house with a garden not far from the city centre, 10 minutes or so by train. Your commute can easily be an hour or less door to door. It may be worth looking into the private schools for entry at that age, or contacting the state schools for their likely availability. There aren't very many private schools in Glasgow, and most seem to be popular / similarly priced. Some are a bit bigger than others.
To the west, Jordanhill is a popular area due to the school. Places occasionally come up at that age (it's almost impossible to get in otherwise, unless the child was born in the strict catchment area and enters at p1/reception or s1/y7).
Bearsden is a couple of miles north and the schools again have good reputations. To the south of the city, there are lovely areas e.g. Newlands. Schools in East Renfrewshire (further south) get a good reputation too.
If you fancy something a bit more rural, areas around Bishopton and Houston are popular. People move there for Gryffe school.

I'd definitely recommend Houston. 25 mins from Glasgow by bus, 15 mins from Braehead and 30 mins to the coast. Gryffe is an excellent school & as pp said people move to the Houston just to get in the catchment area.

You can get a 2 bed house in the village for under £700 or your £1200 will get you a 4 bed detached

At £1200/month you should be able to find a nice place to rent. You say you want a min 2 bed with garden - would a "conversion" be OK for you? That's when larger houses have been subdivided and you still have your own garden or bit of garden? Lots of places in Pollokshields like that: lovely Victorian stone built houses that have been split in half (like our home) or for the larger villas, split into 3 or more "flats".

Dh calls our house a "horizonatal semi" and we have an enormous back garden (spit left and right with our downstairs neighbours - some are split front and back) and we share the front garden.

Local secondary is Shawlands Academy and is excellent. Ds finished there last year and is now doing well at Aberdeen Uni. Turns out well-rounded young people, ready for the individual learning required at Uni.

Excellent public transport: buses, 2 or 3 different railways lines and (if you're at the right end of Pollokshields), even a dinky wee circular subway . Lots of parks to enjoy - and by next year (I think) the Burrell Museum should be open again following its reburbishment.

The exams are different up here, but if she can come up straight after her GCSEs, ready to go into S5, which is the equivalent of Y12 (when Scottish pupils sit their Highers), then she should be able to catch up with the different curriculum. It is usual for Scottish (academically capable) kids to sit 5 Highers and then, if they choose to stay on for S6 (technically, they can go to Scottish Unis after S5, although nowadays most stay on to S6), can do 1-3 Advanced Highers and/or a crash Higher (done in a single year, not having done the equivalent National 5 itself roughly the equivalent of a GCSE ) or re-sit some Highers or Nat 5s). For example, ds took 2 Advanced Highers, in Maths and Physics and a crash Higher in Modern Studies. (Advanced Highers are the equivalent of A Levels).

The reason I suggest coming up straight after the GCSEs is that Scottish schools often start the following year's timetable in the June before the summer holidays, after the exams have finished. You should also be aware that Scottish schools tend to finish at the end of June and start back in the middle of August. (Private schools are slightly different - tend to start back in September).

This one looks good and within budget. Of course, it's only an indication as who knows what will be available next year?! www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-61599210.html

Thank you all! I will have a closer look at all your suggestions and work out what year my DD would be in..

The Scottish system is quite flexible and has different age cut-offs, so it should help you. 1 March is technically the cut off, but January and February birthdays can be deferred and start a year later - and sometimes even November and December birthdays. So for example, ds, who has a Sptember birthday, should in theory have been slap bang in the middle of the age range in his year, but in practice was one of the younger ones.

When your dd finishes Y11/sits her GCSEs would be a good time to move, as it's at the end of S4 (=Y11) that the schools start their Higher curriculum.