Scottish education system

[longestlurkerever]

Hi all. I currently live in London and have seen some opportunities in Edinburgh that I'm interested in applying for. I'm still at the mulling stage but I'd need to invest in a certificate even to apply so I need to decide if moving is something I'm genuinely up for. I have two DDs 10 and 6. Dd1 is due to start secondary school here in September but I think she'd have another year in primary under the Scottish system.

I can't decide whether to put education in the pro or con box for moving. Here she's due to go to our local all girls' state comp which by reputation is neither great nor terrible. She has two good friends who will be going with her and is positive about it but also looking forward to a new start and potential for a bigger social circle. She is on the SEN register and being assessed for ADHD but is doing well at school at the moment. Dd2 is settled at a great primary school but is generally more easy going and the school is undergoing quite a bit of change at the moment.

If we were to move to Edinburgh we could choose our location to be in catchment for a slight after school but would definitely be going State. I know 25% of Edinburgh children go to private school.

On paper: sought after school, free university, extra year of primary school (my girls are both summer born) makes me think "pro" but so many people in Edinburgh go private, and I've seen threads on here lamenting the state of Scottish education at the moment. Am I being naive? Anyone know how to compare London and Edinburgh schools? And life for teenagers generally? We have problems where I live with drugs and violent crime etc. Is that likely to improve if I moved to Edinburgh? General thoughts welcome.

There are some great state schools in Edinburgh and it is a fantastic place to live. But, like everywhere, it depends on which areas you are looking at and what your budget is.

Thanks loopy. I'd be selling a London property so budget could be around £1m but if I could get away with significantly less I'd like to. Area shopping would come next and I'd be weighing up things like school/commute/size of property/distance to family but I know I could afford to live in a good school catchment if I prioritised that. At the moment I'm just trying to work out whether moving from London is a good idea at all. I work for the Civil Service and the opportunities are in the London civil service.

In the Scottish civil service, sorry. I have covid and am feeling a bit fuzzy!

With a healthy budget like that then I think you would easily be able to buy somewhere in catchment for the most desirable schools. There certainly won’t be the levels of crime you mention. Edinburgh is pretty safe (in my opinion anyway)!

I think it would be a massively positive move. You have a very healthy budget so can buy a property in the catchment area of a great local secondary. Edinburgh is safe. And an extra year at primary will be amazing- I’d move sooner rather than later!

My DBro raised family in London, my family are in Edinburgh. I consider education in Edinburgh as a plus rather than a minus compared to London - there are state and private schools that are lot better than "neither good nor terrible". And as cities go it's very safe for teens, good services and public transport, plenty to do and very accessible, depending on area of course.

A million will easily get you a nice house in a nice area. Edinburgh state education only has comprehensive schools and getting in works by catchment and by feeder primaries. You will have a catchment non-denominational school and a catchment Catholic school - consider both because the Catholic schools can also be very good for children with SEN. The awkward bit is that if your local primary is full and DD has to go out of catchment then she will go to the high school for that primary, you can still apply for the catchment high school but she might not get in. So you'll probably want to do some research on schools. Edinburgh is maybe unusual that "inner city comp" doesn't at all mean "deprived" - just depends on the area.

There are plenty of good private schools as well with good support for children with SEN.

DS went to a central Edinburgh state comp for high school, quite a few of his friends went private, all did fine.

Thanks. I am feeling disloyal to my area of London now! I love it here and am happy with the school we have chosen. But the issues with crime etc are objectively true, and the school is not one that you'd move areas to be in catchment for. I am wary about just upping sticks and starting over though. It would be a wrench for dd1 in particular but all of us by. I have a good life here. But dsis is in Scotland now, and our money would go further I think.

Edinburgh is a very safe city to bring up teenagers. It's quite compact so they can travel around themselves quite easily.

Primary schools are all fairly good so you are best to look at living in the catchment for a good secondary.
Craigmount, Royal High, Boroughmuir and James Gillespies are generally considered the best.
If you live in catchment area for one of those you can't go wrong.
Most houses for sale in Edinburgh are on ESPC and you can search by school catchment.

Your DC will get a good education in an Edinburgh state school. The issue is not with quality of education, it's the social mix within schools which is affected by the large numbers who go private

If I had a budget like yours, I would live within walking distance of The Meadows and put my DC to Boroughmuir or James Gillespies.

Ah maybe I'll stick in an application and see where it goes! Trouble is I need a certificate from the Scottish law society which is 400 quid but maybe I can supply that later if i get closer. The jobs are on the grade I'm currently on temporary promotion to and the same pay (actually a couple of grand higher) which seems a good deal outside London, even though I know Edinburgh is not cheap

Stick to the catchment of Boroughmuir, James Gillespie or Trinity high schools and you can’t really go wrong.

You could definitely buy a property in the mist desirable catchments for less than £1m, and yes, if your DD not 11 yet, another year before going to high school. Summer norms are mid year birthday wise.

Edinburgh is a great city for families, plenty for teens to do and can be fairly independent. Good public transport and free bus travel for them too. Not especially concerned about drugs or violence where I am (south Edinburgh) and comfortable with DC (younger teens) going off on the bus to meet school friends to go to cinema etc.

Yes, there's free tuition if they go to a scottish university but the numbers are capped so theoretically could be more competitive for places.

I would however imagine working in the civil service in Edinburgh being very different to London though.

In my heart I'm thinking if I am going to go to the bother of relocating I'd want to live by the sea. If I moved to Portobello or somewhere would I be doing the kids a massive disservice?

Don't know much about Portobello school wise, but Cramond/Barnton puts you in Royal High catchment and by/near coast. Friend with DC there raves about pastoral care. Edinburgh is small though, the coast isn't far from anywhere (and we prefer a trip down East Lothian coast for a sea air fix).

If you don’t mind an 18 minute train ride in to Edinburgh- Linlithgow has great schools.

With that kind of budget I'd put a big chunk into private secondary and get a gorgeous house/flat (Edinburgh tenements are amazing!) For £800k.

That's where I get a bit stuck though because in London I have a house with a small garden and kids in decent schools, so what would I be moving for? Even though on paper it looks like I could afford a better lifestyle outside of London.

So why are you considering it then? If you have what you want then stay where you are.

@AmaryllisNightAndDay what you’ve written about feeder schools is incorrect. Just because your child goes to a feeder primary certainly doesn’t guarantee a space at the secondary. It’s worked out on catchment just the same as primary. IF there are spaces they may get offered a place. She is 100% guaranteed a space at the catchment secondary

@ChocolateDeficitDisorder

So why are you considering it then? If you have what you want then stay where you are.

I'm making a pros and cons list. Things I'm missing here are great secondary options, easy access to the outdoors, and I do worry a bit about whether the seedier aspects of our neighborhood will bother me more as the DC get bigger. My job is temporary at the moment so I'm due to return to my substantive grade. But I do need a draw because moving would be a wrench and if realistically I'd be advised to go private for schooling, well I could do that here (in theory) so it's not immediately clear what the gains would be. Edinburgh is a beautiful city but I'd be starting over.

Sorry for confusion. I thought I'd been told the opposite by a colleague who moved to Edinburgh and his DD couldn't get in to the catchment primary because it was already full, so she couldn't go to the catchment secondary either. But I must have misunderstood.

If you want the sea have a look at East Lothian. North Berwick High School is excellent although property is a bit hard to come by at the moment as everyone has the same idea.

You say you could do private school in London, but if you came and costed it and looked at the offering in detail, you would likely get a better experience/more for your money both housing and schooling wise here.

I agree with chocolatedeficit, if state is a non negotiable, on that budget hold out for Boroughmuir or Gillespie catchments.

You can find good and bad views of most Edinburgh schools but the reason 25 percent go private here is relative affordability compared to London/SE private schools.