Canford School. Local feeder preps and local places to live?

[greenduck]

I came across Canford by chance and it looks (and sounds from a Mumsnet search) amazing.

The school website lists feeder preps but apart from some of the more obvious ones - Dragon, Salisbury - I don't know which ones are local. Can anyone help?

Also, where are nice places to live locally? Ideally, I would want to be north west of the school rather than coastal and also near the local feeder preps for younger siblings.

Castle Court, Dumpton and Yarrells are all local to it. Wimborne and surrounds perfectly pleasant to live but it depends what size place /environment you are looking for.

Thanks for that SPT. Regarding location - it would have to be reasonable (so that we could afford the school fees!) and big village/small town so that we have some sort of community to get involved in. Good local state school for early years would be a bonus.

At our current prep we are the second hand 5 year old car, nothing special house end of the school as opposed to the Range Rover driving manicured mother end. Nothing wrong with those mothers but we really can't compete so don't.

Have a look at St James First in Gaunts Common, I hear Dumpton have lost a fair few children to them recently. I met the Head (without knowing who she was ) and she is really lovely so I wasn't surprised to hear that. Allenbourn is a very good Middle School but Head was honest about his plans to move on in a couple of years. The other Middle has a new Head who is turning it round.

I think up towards Blandford is cheaper house price wise but I wouldn't be too keen myself and when another MNettter moved there a few years she didn't stay there long. Witchampton had a good but tiny first school, Sturminster Marshall is spooked to be good I think. Cranbourne has a first and Middle but don't know much about them.

What you'll find down here is that a lot of people opting for the private route for younger years do so with a view to getting them into either the Bournemouth or Poole Grammars. There's another chunk who use state for first and middle, then tutor for Grammar. However I've noticed fewer children entering for Grammar the last couple of year's.

Wimborne is a mix of people who have been here since the year dot, and others who have moved in for the schools and area. Good sense of community. Manicured Range Rover Mother exists but easy to avoid I have found !

Dumpton and castle court are close for Canford though there has been a popular choice with schools as far as Dorchester as buses pickup and drop off.

Thank you both. I'm looking forward to a lovely weekend on Primelocation and school websites!