Comiston/oxgangs/pentlands primary

[Littlemisspiggy21]

Hello lovely mumsnetterers

Looking for some advice please. We are new to Edinburgh and have seen a house we really love in Comiston. From what we understand this a good area but backs into Oxgangs which is less desirable. Is this true or an outdated view? Really don’t want to be an area snob but we do want to live somewhere safe.

Additionally, we don’t have kids yet but hope to soon and plan for this to be our forever home. The local primary catchment is pentlands primary. Does anyone have kids at this school or can provide any insight at all as to whether this is a decent enough primary?

Thanks so much

We considered Pentlands Primary and heard good things about it but I don't know it that well. My parents live very close to Oxgangs. It's not a middle class desirable type area, but I have passed through many times and never ever felt unsafe or even slightly nervous. The higher rise blocks of old have been replaced with much nicer housing. I have just asked DH, who is a police officer. He says Oxgangs is not an area he'd be particularly concerned about. We reckon there may be an element of reputation left from when there was more high rise blocks. Not to say there's anything different about people living in a high rise block but you would feel passing through that it wasn't somewhere you'd like to live. Hope that makes sense!

Not sure where you mean by Comiston, if I can figure that out I'll come back.

I grew up in Oxgangs in the 70s. It was always a pretty decent area with a good community. To be honest people tend to stay in their own areas anyway, I think the only times i was in comiston was delivering papers. I don't think Oxgangs was ever on the level of some of the other estates.

As far as I know Pentland primary is a decent school. I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about. I don't live in Edinburgh anymore but do live in an estate that's next to an estate that is a lot worse in terms of police attention than oxgangs ever was and you'd never know it. I had more bother with neighbours when i lived in a predominately middle class estate.

@Namechangeforthis88 thanks so much for taking the time to reply and for the info (and especially for asking your DH) it’s all very helpful. Comiston is kind of north east of Oxgangs - have attached a pic of the map. It seems like a nice area in itself. I know what you mean about an area being somewhat regenerated but still carrying a bit of a stigma which is a shame but as long as it’s safe enough and the school is decent enough that makes me happy :)

@BinBandit thanks so much for taking the time to reply too. Gives me a lot of comfort to hear your views on Oxgangs. The tricky thing about edinburgh is that the “nice” areas are really scattered amongst the “not so nice” areas so it’s just really hard to know where to be!

I see, kind of across from Buckstone. Some really nice homes in that area, handy for buses and the Braidburn Valley. Everyone should fall into the Braid burn at least once in their lives. Good luck!

I always link Comiston with being more Morningside.

My mum lives in Colinton Mains and hasn't had any trouble in all the time she lives there.

I've done supply at Pentland Primary and it was as good as the other schools in the cluster. St Marks primary has a new nursery due to open by August.

@Namechangeforthis88 thanks! Now just need to compete with the (assuming but probably true) other 25 people who also want it

@Groovee I could only dream to afford to live in morningside but at least it’s close

I’ve gone on lots of school trips as a parent helper and you meet other primary schools at some of the group activities. We’re in what’s regarded as one of the posh primaries but would have no qualms about sending my kids to Pentland. Seems well run with nice middle class parents and well behaved kids.

Firrhill high has an excellent reputation these days too.

Comiston is posh, it's practically Morningside.

Edinburgh is a city and so desirable and less desirable areas are pretty much next to each other. It's just how it works. Pentland is a good school but there are hardly any bad primaries in Edinburgh. What's more important is secondary catchment - Pentland feeds to Firrhill which is currently the third best high school in Edinburgh (though high school rankings are an incredibly blunt instrument imo, and it does seem weird to be talking about high school for weans not even here yet.)

I live right on the line between Oxgangs and Comiston. My children both went to Pentland, it was a good school for them both. There is a mix of well off and not so well off families. A few problem children but the good outweigh the bad. Firrhill is a great school, high in the rankings and a lot of excellent teachers. I love living in the area, really well served by shops and transport, lots of nice places to walk. There are some parts of Oxgangs I would be wary off in the dark but the people I would worry about rarely come up Comiston way. During the day I feel totally confident walking around there and it is a lot better than it was when the high flats were there.

@Akitamum thank you so much, that’s really helpful!

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate it. It all sounds very positive. We will need to take a walk around at night just to be sure and then hopefully make an offer. Fingers crossed for us as the property market is absolutely MENTAL (not envy)

The area you have marked is a residential one and tends to be very, very quiet at night. Very few people about other than the occasional dog walker and not much crime at all. Good bus services to and from town as you could either walk down to Oxgangs Avenue or up to Comiston Road. Pentland Primary gets a good reputation. You will always find people who have good and bad things to say about any primary school, but the good far outweighs the bad.

Well, have just found out that this property goes to closing date on Thursday - a whole 6 days after it went on the market and that there is “substantial interest” so it’s unlikely we will come out on top on the bidding war

Good luck. I think I've spotted the house on the ESPC, only because I was looking for houses in the EH10 postcode. Houses in that area do come up fairly often and I expect there will be more after Easter.

Good luck with your bid! It's all seems a bit crazy at the moment.

@applesandpears33 that’s really good to hear that houses do often come up in the area.

After all that we decided not to offer. We went to go see it for a second time and noticed a bunch of stuff we hadn’t the first time and there was just a few things that the seller said that really raised some red flags. Couldn’t live with myself if we spent all that money and regretted it…