Gyrffe High Alumni, Houston/BoW/ Bishopton Help Please

[Halley24]

Hi there,

I am currently checking the schools and areas to move around West Renfrewshire. Like every parent, I am trying to find the best formula to make our relocation smooth for everyone in the family.

If anyone can help I would be greatful.

We are originally from another country and we will be moving in 4 years to another country, but at the moment I am looking for the reasonable primary schools in west renfrewshire area. Houston/bow and bishopton trinity pops up everywhere, however the only problem is Houston competing with Oxford suburbs in prices with the new builds being 700k sth.

The old houses in aforementioned areas are ok but I know that I would have to go through an exhausting renovation period before putting my feet in the house.

So, may I ask what is the house quality is like in Houston and BoW in general? Also, I would like to ask what is so appealing about Gyrffe that seperates it from the rest?

Is it the students' avarage grades or some sort of teaching quality?

We are a family of professionals and were kind of academically top 1% in a European country and I would think my child would follow a similar path (unless he does not want) so which school would help him to thrive in his urge to explore interesting stem subjects, you think,

Thanks for the answers in advance

Any comments from Gyrffe High Alumni would be appreciated dearly.

There's a lot of new builds for about £550k but you'll get an older established house for less, many recently have been in walk in condition

Gryffe has always had an excellent reputation & good results. I was one of the first years in it when it was built. It's consistently in the top of the ratings & was the first school in Scotland to win a specific award recently (the name of which escapes me)

Apart from Houston village itself most of the houses are at most about 45/50 years old. It's a very popular place to live & there are an increasing number of people extending their houses rather than moving as the market is so competitive

It's a lovely place to live. It has a sense of community & the old village is lovely

Links wise you're 10 mins from the airport, 25 mins from Glasgow & half an hour to the coast going in the other direction

I lived in Houston most of my childhood then moved away as an adult but came back again. There are a lot of 2nd & 3rd generation residents. Lots of the people I was at school with have stayed in the area & their own children have gone to Gryffe too

If there's anything else I can tell you - just ask

The Award was The Times Scottish State Secondary School of the year

Theyve actually won quite an impressive range of awards, most I hadn't heard of, one being an award for youth led anti bullying

Bishopton is not in catchment for Gryffe. It is in catchment for Park Mains.

As for house quality - well the houses themselves are houses - same as you get anywhere :/

@Halley24 it's worth checking if the new builds are actually in the catchment for Gryffe. Although they're in Houston there's been talk that as Gryffe is at capacity that these houses might be excluded.

I think there were rumours when Dargavel was built that it may need to be put in catchment for Linwood high. It isn’t, it is Park Mains but Park Mains is having to be extended to cope

Gryffe has historically done well because of the demographic of families there; lots of 'professional' families who were very keen to encourage the value of education. The better the results were the more tempted people were to move into catchment, which pushed the house prices up immensely. When I was there most of my peers had tutors for at least one subject for highers/SYS. It was always significantly over capacity as a school though. My (several) siblings and I all left there to go to RG universities and have all since completed MSc/PhD level study, we were the first in our extended family to go to university.

I lived in the old, conservation area part of Houston and while my house might have benefited from 'an exhausting renovation period' I much preferred it to any of the new build houses! Many of which as a PP has pointed out won't necessarily fall in the catchment area.

Houston Primary and BOW Primary are both decent schools.