Moving to Scotland somewhere between Stirling & Perth - can you help me narrow down the area?

[NameChangeforMovingThreads]

In a joint venture with friends, we are hoping to move to Scotland from England.

Our criteria for location are:

A village/small town within an hour's drive of Edinburgh. Even better if it is nearish a smaller train station on the East Coast Mainline.

Nice walking/safe cycling

Good nursery/schools: DD(3) will be due to start school in August 2022 if my understanding is correct but would need to attend nursery prior to that

We all work in the Arts, so areas where there will be plenty of children/adults taking up Performing Arts activities and schools with active music/drama departments.

I've read a few old threads and think that villages around Perth sound like a good bet but I'd really like some suggestions and any other thoughts.

Am I right in thinking that the asking prices for houses tend to be the minimum that you would pay? We would be looking for 6+ bedrooms for £500–600k.

I feel very aware that some places are probably more welcoming to invading English than others. How much of a consideration should this be?

Kinross, Dunblane, B of A, Dollar.

Dollar's not great for High School unless you can afford the Academy. The divide between the kids at the Academy and the rest does cause issues for a lot of teenagers, restricting social and leisure activities. Mine loved it when wee, hate it as teens.