*SOS* relocation to Edinburgh!

[MsGlitterJunkie]

My husband has a new job and I'm under enormous pressure to move up to Edinburgh - I don't know anything about Edinburgh, I'm a London girl through and through so feel totally lost!

Firstly, area - I've heard that Stockbridge is a lovely place to live - does anyone know this area? Is it lively and multicultural/diverse?
DH has seen a place on Eton Terrace which he's raving about, looks like it's just on the outskirts of Stockbridge?

Secondly, we have three daughters (3 year old and 9 month old twins) and I urgently need recommendations for a fantastic private nursery attached to a school please.

Can anyone tell me about the following schools and/ or recommend some others?
St George's
Edinburgh Academy
ESMS

I'd love the English curriculum if possible as we will move back to London in a few years time and I don't want the girls to be in the 'wrong' year.

Any advice/ hints/ tips very, very gratefully received!

Hi, I don’t know Edinburgh that well but happy to share the little that I do! Stockbridge is very nice and so is Dean Village. The schools you have mentioned all have good reputations and are within a decent distance of the address you have mentioned. Friends have children at ESMS and they are very happy there.

Your children are very young I don’t think any school will have an English curriculum for that age. Certainly at senior school there are options to take GCSE and A levels but from your post you will have left Scotland before then. So I’d focus on the right setting and not worry about school year.

I’m my experience there’s a huge amount to see and do in Edinburgh but it’s v small compared to London so you may have a bit of a culture shock but there is a lot to like.

celtiethree thank you for your reply, really really useful information and advice - much appreciated!

I know the area really well and concur it’s a fab place to live! The botanic gardens, Inverleith Park and the city centre are all on your doorstep.
For schools I can only talk about ESMS my Dd is going into 6 th form and is very happy there. My friend works in the nursery ( very lucky children!) which sounds an amazing experience for pre schoolers.
As your children are young once you register with a GP you will be offered a visit from the local Health Visitor she will also point you in the right direction re finding local activities eg toddler groups, twins club book bug sessions etc.
There will be lots going on and you will soon make friends. Edinburgh is a lovely place to live, really hope you enjoy your time here!

Edinburgh likes to pack multicultural into the 3 weeks known as the Festival. By the time you hear 3 different pipe bands tuning up, a Peruvian nose flute ensemble and Ivory Coast drummers at the same time you will have as much multiculturalism as you need.

www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/edinburgh-is-the-best

Stockbridge is lovely to walk around but it’s busy, congested and terrible parking. Unless you have your own driveway you could be parked a street away dragging your with shopping 3 year old and twins home.

You won’t move back

Haven't lived in Edinburgh so I can't comment on areas but with regards schools I would look no further than Cargilfield Prep.

It has a fabulous nursery which feeds into the Pre-Prep then Senior Prep from 4th form onwards.

As it is a Prep school they prepare for Common Entrance and/or Scholarships for schools all over the UK up until age 13 with destinations like Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Rugby, Wycombe Abbey, Glenalmond, Fettes etc. for senior school. If you're likely to go back down south then your DC would slot straight into the English system as they do not follow The Curriculum For Excellence at Cargilfield.

Absolutely brilliant school academically, has fabulous sports on offer, the music is exceptional and an enormous amount of extra curricular activities too whilst still being nurturing. We loved it. The down side is that it is a hefty chunk more expensive than the other private schools in Edinburgh per term.

I've been waiting for a house (that ticks all of my boxes )in Stockbridge to come up for sale. It's a great place to live. I'm biding my time for the right one.

If the SNP get their way they will remove charitable status from the schools which will drive up the cost.

Eton Terrace is more West end of town itself rather than Stockbridge.

Stockbridge is lovely but maybe more Boden and farmers markets than multicultural? Is there an area in London you like that we could compare to?
I’d also consider Portobello, if you have slight hippy tendencies (I do ).
If you like the Boden feel then there’s also Morningside. There’s more ‘stuff’ south side. (Where Morningside is.)

What time of year are your children’s birthdays?
Ours have moved from England to Scotland with no issue as they stay in the same year, but that only applies to half of the birthdays.
I’m not sure it matters that much though? It’s easy enough to catch up on a couple of times tables.
Hurts my brain a bit but if their birthday is 01 March- 31august then they are in the same school year as in England. I think.

St george’s school for girls does GSCES btw.

Stockbridge is lovely, very hipster, yummy mummy, nappy valley, not so much multicultural. Also very congested. Edinburgh isn’t a car city. It’s also a lot hillier than London for pram pushing.

Lots of the private schools do the English exams eg Fettes, merchiston castle.

Another vote here for Cargilfield. Goes from age 3-13 and very much 'an English prep school in Scotland'.
Would be easy for moving later down the line.

You lucky thing, Edinburgh is bloody lovely. I don't know anything about schools but it's somewhere we visit annually and love it. Close to the sea, close to the hills and countryside, but it's got everything you need in a city. Stockbridge is a village on the edge of the city with just a few pubs and shops (and a Waitrose) and is where we would choose to live if we moved up there. Hopefully some Edinburgh residents can give you more useful info.