Relocating to Devon/Cornwall

[Mrblobby40]

Hi,

We are considering moving from Guildford down to Devon/Cornwall/Dorset coast. We are desperate to be back by the sea and to get away from the surrey rat race, to have a better quality of life and to get away from the riduclous house prices. I have two girls in Year 3 and Year 5. We are looking to move when my eldest finishes year 6 so we transition her nicely in to secondary school. The girls are very close and I will potentially be taking my youngest out mid way through her middle school so I would like to get her in to the same school as her elder sister or atleast a school that feeds in to it do minimise disruption.
Can anyone advise me on good independant schools in the cornwall/devon area. I am not saying no to state schools at all but they are currently in a lovely prep in the Guildford area and they are both very athletic and quite gifted so would like to get them in to a strong sports school.

Any ideas and advice on schools and relocating to this area would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

I can't really comment on schools, but can comment on the transport side of things, and I think as you may have realised Cornwall is probably not a realistic option for you.

I think your travel needs probably rule out Truro. To get to Leeds, as an example, could take nearly 8 hours, normally with a couple of changes. Travel from Exeter would be much easier to the midlands and the north. Exeter airport is ok usually to get to Europe, although flights vary a lot seasonally. Really if you want access to a good trainline it would be best to live in reasonable driving distance of Exeter station.

Again, road travel out of Cornwall is not that easy. The A roads can't really cope with the volume of traffic in the summer, so there will be lots of delays. Some of the A roads you would probably use- e.g. the A38 are partly single carriageway, and travel can be slowed down by farm vehichles etc. The roads east of Plymouth are much faster, and at Exeter you hit the M5, which is obviously faster again.

In that part of Devon there are lots of nice places to live that don't die/shut down in winter and a lot more amenities. The local residents are generally more affluent as well.

Unfortunately the south-west lacks a lot of infrastructure you probably take for granted in Surrey. Good luck with your search and I hope you find something that meets your needs.

Exeter airport is really not ok to get to anywhere sensible in Europe. It flies to Amsterdam in the middle of the day, and Paris similarly. which means that a one day meeting might take 3 days of time. It flies to Geneva on saturdays in the snow season, and Salzburg also in the snow season. And flights to Dusseldorf start in the spring (not sure what times those are but I bet they will be as unhelpful as the Amsterdam and Paris ones). And that, is it, as far as business centres are concerned. It's not a business flight airport. It's a holiday airport.

The train lines from Exeter could not have been described as good before the events of the last few weeks. Even less so, now.

I know you're keener on independent/selective schools but as you say you haven't ruled out state it may be worth considering the South Hams in Devon, within the Ivybridge Community College catchment. It is consistently outstanding (most recent Ofsted was a month or two ago), very strong in sport and does well by academically able children. Lots of great primary schools in surrounding towns/villages for your DD2 and beautiful countryside. Near to sea, and much nicer beaches than around Exeter. You also have the moors, and you're near the A38 for travelling up country. Property wise its expensive though. Good luck, its great living in such a beautiful part of the world so hope you find somewhere to suit your family.

Hi - can anyone give advice on secondary schools in Cornwall?

Roseland
Richard Lander
Penair

Or any others?

I have a year 7 who has high functioning ASD without a statement who has great help at the school he attends at the moment.

I'm not too worried about results as such but want a good school who have a good reputation for helping their different students needs.

Can anyone help?