Peak District/Derbyshire move

[BethL123]

Hi, I will be relocating to work in Sheffield next year and I am currently trying to decide on schools for the surrounding area. We haven't yet decided whether to live in Sheffield itself or the Peak District so I am looking at both areas. Does anyone have any experience or advice on the following schools? Lady Manners in Bakewell, Hope Valley College in Hope, Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School, Silverdale School Sheffield, Tapton School Sheffield, King Egbert School Sheffield or King Edwards VII School Sheffield...... Any experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

No personal experience but buried deep in D of E data there's a figure for average grades at GCSE for High Achievers. Non super-selective Grammar schools score usually around 390- 420 on this measure - all your schools score within this range (and very well on the Middle Achievers scores too) so any of them would seem a safe bet.

I'd probably go for Lady Manners myself as I like one-school towns - Bakewell is hardly the inner city but good to know that the disadvantaged who do live there will get a great education.

Thanks, that's helpful.

Have a look round the schools.

I have two at Hope Valley College, which is very good. For sixth form, they will go to one of the Sheffield schools as they are better for science than Lady Manners.

I'm a ex-Henry Fanshawe pupil who comes from a teaching family- I've got more than one family member who has taught at those schools. They are all good schools. Have a look around.

My opinions are probably very out of date as it's quite a while since I left but I would consider the catchment areas closely. It's always been expensive to live close enough to Silverdale to get a place; it used to be regarded at the "best" but I'm not sure that still stands. Living in Dronfield means that you're in Derbyshire which affects buses and taxis and therefore limits the independence of your teenagers- not as much as living in the Hope Valley would though.

Dronfield was a one school town and I think it still is mainly.

I've always loved the south west of Sheffield- walking distance to the edge of the Peak District but still within the city. If I had the chance to move back I would leap at it! Good luck.

King Edwards has a good reputation, have you looked at Notre Dame, it's an excellent school.

How do and the kids like Hope College? It appeals to me bacause it is small. My son will join Year 7 next year having never lived or been to school on the UK...! I am terrified of how he will cope. I also have a younger one going into year 5 and I see Castleton has a primary school which looks nice too.

I've got a friend with kids at Lady Manners and he is very happy with it. Bakewell is lovely but busy

Lady Manners is a marmite school. It has a great reputation academically but recently lots and lots of bullying and I don't think they're well set up for children with SEND of any sort.

Tapton and Silverdale always popular but catchments housing expensive (but lovely areas). King Edwards and Tapton both on two sites - how much would this bother you? Also king Edwards have no uniform - some people really don't like that idea.

Don't know anything about Henry fanshawe. Hope Valley is skewed downwards a bit academically by the large numbers of kids locally to it whose parents send them privately to Sheffield High/Birkdale or other private schools.

The deadline for applications for secondaries in UK for 2017 entry is 31st October 2016. You will need to be resident in the area with proof of address to apply. All the schools you name are good however all secondary schools in the SW of Sheffield are very oversubscribed. I had a friend who moved to Sheffield after the start of the academic year 2 years ago and ended up with 3 children in 3 different schools with a 2 hour round car journey. If I were you I'd ring the local education department and ask them for advice if you are going to be applying for schools especially secondaries outside of normal application dates.