Secondary schools, Rugby, Warwick, Leamington spa

[soonbesailing]

Hi wondering if anyone can advise me, we may have to relocate for a job in Birmingham, we would rather live out of Birmingham and have been thinking about Rugby, Warwick and Leamington Spa.
We have 2 secondary ages DCs but do not currently live in a grammer school area, so would be looking at state comprehensive or independent schools that were not really super selective.
Any information about which of these places are best to live in would be good as well.
Thanks

I only know Rugby, which is grammar school territory - one for boys, one for girls plus a grammar stream at one of the comps. Ashlawn School is comprehensive and is rated Outstanding, I think. Rugby School is expensive but not super selective. I think it's one of the nicest things about the school, actually - focused on a well-rounded school experience and a place where the very bright and the academically average can thrive.

Warwick and Leamington are nicer towns though!

Thank you Bue, interesting about Rugby school, I assumed it would be really difficult to get in, so haven't looked at it, perhaps I will, DS1 is cleaver but dyslexic and has been to school in state and private so far, hes year 8, so maybe it could work?
Ashlawn looks interesting, although Im surpised it's so big. It looks like they are planning to become an academy school.
Is Rugby a nice place to live? I was thinking of surrounding villages rather than the town itself, but I'm in London at the moment so it would be a huge change for us all, especially as DS1 is just a teenager!

Rugby School could work for your son - I know for a fact there are children with dyslexia and other special learning needs there. Definitely worth a look. I've also thought of Princethorpe, another independent, which is about halfway between Rugby and Leamington.

I moved here from London too - it's certainly different! The beauty of it is the location - excellent train links to London and Birmingham and fantastic motorway links all round. There are some lovely villages near the town - Dunchurch and Clifton are almost part of Rugby now, but they still have a village feel. If you want a village that's a bit more rural there are loads of options.

What about the Solihull/Dorridge area?

Kenilworth is pretty, too, and not far from Coventry. Warwick, Kenilworth and Leamington seem to be v. close together, or maybe that's my imagination ....

There are two independent schools in Coventry, I think, though I forget their names, and Warwick School in Warwick?

Coventry is not a grammar area, but its school results in the state sector aren't stellar - even in comparison with London comps.

As regards Rugby, getting into a Grammar School might be hard after the allocations of 11+, and even into the top stream at Ashlawn, I suspect. Though I might be completely wrong about that - you might want to check that. And they may well be running a different GCSE course to your sons' old schools and the non-grammar stream. If the older one is only year 8 it might not be so much of an issue - but even so, there can be quite a difference in the subjects children are taking in grammar schools and other schools. Quantity, mainly.

I have a suspicion that private schools are more geared up to children joining higher up the school.

Thank you all again, I am going to do some more research on the Solihul area and see what that throws up.

Arden School in Knowle (just outside Solihull) is state and has amazing results. As does Tudor Grange (also a state school) in Solihull.

Solihull/Knowle are expensive property-wise though. Probably pricier than Rugby/Warwick.

Rugby is a bit of a mixed bag. You have several parks or 'recs', such as Caldecott Park, the leisure centre complete with outdoor water area in the summer, the wonderful grounds of Rugby School, the beautiful locks at Hillmorton etc contrasted against the centre of town which I always found extremely depressing and littered with charity shops and pound shops. There's a quaint little clock in the Clock Towers shopping centre though, with a hare and tortoise theme.

I'd definitely recommend living in surrounding villages, rather than the town itself.

Schools are as others have said. I think the only 'bad' one closed down a few years ago.

Solihull is great for schools with excellent state schools and good private schools too. Close to Birmingham.

Coventry to B'ham on the train is a possibility; you could live in a village such as Princethorpe and have a great school on your doorstep. or try Bablake in Coventry, which is excellent.

Top state secondary schools include Southam College, rated outstanding by Ofsted and in top 13% of schools nationally. School buildings are a bit run down but staff is young, energetic and very determined. House prices in surrounding villages are v. high though. Myton in Leamington also has v. good reputation, again, house prices in catchment area are high. Both schools are oversubscribed so you have to live in area. Doddle on Chiltern Line from Leamington to Birmingham and pretty journey.

There is a boys' grammar in Stratford Upon Avon too - King Edward VI - in fact Shakespeare's old school! Stratford is expensive though and train line not direct to Birmingham. Don't know much about other Stratford schools.

State schools in the Leamington/Warwick area are Trinity which is catholic, but very good. Aylesford and Myton are the two in Warwick. Myton has the better reputation, not being sited in the middle of a council estate, but saying that, I went to Aylesford and did well. In Leamington the two main state secondaries are Campion (okay for vocational stuff, good links with apprenticeship schemes, colleges etc - not so good if your DS is academic) and North Leamington which is good. YY to Southam College as well (confusingly named!)

Ashlawn is an excellent school. Laurence sherriff too. Rugby is a dreary place to live. Have thought of Worcester ? Much nicer place to live. ( I miss it a lot) Secondaries a mixed bag but plenty of private schools

If you can afford Rugby school for both DC then you'd be laughing. Princethorpe don't favor SEN (dyslexia) which ruled it out for me.

I love Leamington and would live there if I could afford it. Just enough shops, but still small- and I hear Myton school is very good. DS goes to Trinity, which isn't everybody's cup of tea, but he is having a whale of a time there. Ashlawn wouldn't be my first choice, as it's so big, and for other reasons too.

Oh, I forgot about North Leamington. It's brand new building, as it moved from another site recently, so might be worth having a look.

Hi we are planning to move to rugby .my son going to take the 11+ exam in 2018 .if any give me an advice that about which area is good and best secondary schools in rugby and best primary schools as well for my little one .