Really boring poncey dilemma about houses and schools. Please help.

[PeachesMcLean]

I can't believe I've turned into a woman who writes a thread like this. I've also read this thread, hoping to find the answer, but frankly it's not helping. I still can't decide what to do and need some practical suggestions, please!

Not an unusual story: we're moving house and really really want to go to a lovely part of Cardiff. Beautiful old houses, trees, lots of playing out space, good shops, really lovely atmosphere. One problem, crap schools. The local comp is failing and the council want to close it. The alternative is a Church in Wales school with a good reputation. So do we join the other parents (I'm sure there are several) and start going to church to get him in there? Generally, I only go in churches to look at the architecture, DS isn't even christened.

Now, if the council gets its way with a rewriting of the catchment areas, our dream house will become catchment area for a very good state school. So all would be well. But that's a risk because the last council plan got thrown out. Or, DS could stay in his current lovely primary, which is fairly local to the dream house but there wouldn't be any other kids nearby who go there, and then he could go to the secondary that his school feeds into. Its reputation has been fairly average I think but it's had an excellent inspection report recently. However, I really want him to have school friends that live locally.

And, DS is only 6, so am I getting my knickers in a twist about something that's a long way off and all the schools could change anyway in that timeframe?

So, what do I do?
a) start going to church? And if so, how often do you have to go and for how many years (school admission policy doesn't specify - I think they're not very strict)
b) live in hope that the council will change the catchment areas after all
c) stick with the lovely primary / ok secondary across town
d) choose to live somewhere which isn't nearly as nice but has good schools (don't want to live anywhere else. Feel like sulking at the thought)

Anyone still awake after that? Sorry so long and complicated, I hope someone manages to work their way through it!

[PeachesMcLean]

No offence taken at all filly. It's a fair argument. And I agree completely about the scarey houses I think you probably mean, near the lake??? Aaaaghhh!

at Fitzalan! Crikey! And very interesting comments re the privates. thanks ML.

So Filly, what are YOUR plans? You've still got time to do Welsh medium, haven't you??

[Fillyjonk]

oh GOD though

have just been on fish4 etc looking at ch catchment area schools

GOD the houses are VILE.

[marialuisa]

yes, KM had a lovely feel to it, although obviously not as fabulously kitted out as some places.

But you may not want to read too much into it. We had a fantastic time with the staff and kids at Fizalan. Unfortunately the "no weapons in school" notices and a few other things still made me slightly on edge there, but lovely kids.

[noddyholder]

I think it is more important to get the primary school right for now as things change as you know in education and catchments etc.

[Fillyjonk]

oh really, kings monkton was good?

(am another tight lefty peachy but..ok my take on it, no offence, is that the difference between moving to an expensive area for a good school and staying in a less expensive area and paying fees is, tbh, just cosmetic. Both ways you are using money to buy a better education. Sorry)

[marialuisa]

Bearing in mind that I was an external person going in to work with the kids and staff (so not looking at value for money, exam results,buildings etc.)but with one eye on where might do for DD, both Kings Monkton and St John's were really nice places. I was really impressed with the pupils and staff. I have to admit that the more obvious places, Howells and Cathedral, left me cold, Howells sixth-formers were incredibly rude and not as clever as they thought they were (well, the ones i met!)

[Fillyjonk]

what private schools do you think are decent?

(genuine q)

[marialuisa]

Yes, you may be right about it being too late for Welsh medium (although the shiny new school that covers your chosen area might not be as worried as more established schools). Most of our friends do not speak any Welsh, certainly in Cardiff it's the norm for kids in Welsh medium schools to NOT have either parent speaking Welsh but the parents tend to have made the decision to go down the Welsh route early on and put them through nursery at their chosen school.

Have to say I disagree that there are no decent private schools in Cardiff (I think I visited every secondary in Cardiff for work) but if that's not your thing, fair enough.

The other thing to bear in mind is the falling roles and if you don't mind putting DS on a bus when he gets to secondary you may be surprised where has spaces. you're hardly in the middle of nowhere so I don't believe the social argument really holds for older kids.

Good luck, we'd move back in a flash if we could!

[PeachesMcLean]

I know people who are planning to do that too, but don't know how they plan on keeping up with what their children are learning. Call me nosey and a bit of an anorak, but I'm looking forward to checking out DS's books...

Also, I'm not sure we could successfully carry off sending DS to a new, Welsh language, school when he's nearly at the end of year 1 and doesn't know any more than colours, numbers, etc in Welsh. I don't think he'd be happy about that unless we were really really positive, and if we're not learning ourselves, or able to help him out, we wouldn't be any support to him. So perhaps we've missed that boat.

[Fillyjonk]

you dont NEED any welsh to send your ds to a welsh school

i know plenty of people who have kids at welsh schools who have zip interest in learning

[PeachesMcLean]

Xenia you've made me laugh, and from that perspective, church is a Very Good Thing! Suspect only a bolt of lightening would help me find God, although he's a very nice idea and I'm sometimes tempted (drove past lovely church open day thing yesterday, looked very sweet) But then I have a cup of tea and all is back to normal.

Can't learn Welsh. Brain's full. Haven't read a book since Lloyd George was a boy for same reason (that's bad isn't it). Play music though,work full time (stressful) trying to learn a bit of italian. Can't find space for anything else.

House is full too. We've decluttered often and it's still full. We also need another bedroom - only got two here and my mother has to sleep in the front room when she comes to visit, for a week at a time, which is only going to be more often as DS is in school and she helps out with the holidays.

I'm a tight old lefty and wouldn't shell out for private. And there's still my "local children all at the local school" ideal, which private wouldn't deliver.

I love you all for coming along and trying to sort me out, though. But if you lot carry on making interesting suggestions I'll be posting links to houses for you to check out! Anyone fancy house hunting with me???

[lljkk]

Peaches: your DS is only 6. If it were me I would not move now and forget all about the rest for another 3 years. Then reassess.

If you really want to move house regardless of school situation, and just can't get your ds into school local to new house, then what Theodore's mummy said.

[Fillyjonk]

and xenia no decent privates round here tbh

[Fillyjonk]

lol at xenia

or you could stay home and mn and drink coffee

oooh tough choice

[Judy1234]

Never does people harm to go to church whatever the reason. You might even find God.... and it's particularly good for small children to learn to sit still and shut up. Excellent process.

On schools get an ace job and then just pay for him to go somewhere great where houses etc don't matter.

Learn Welsh anyway. The more we test our brains and learn new things the longer our brains work well.

[Fillyjonk]

oh i don't think any of those things need to be a massive problem, peaches. can explain more. loads of non welsh speakers (and with no INTENTION to learn welsh) at welsh schools, they are, so i have heard, good at integrating such families

the only thing might be is if your ds is already in shcool

[PeachesMcLean]

No, sadly, it's not an option for us. DH and I are not welsh speakers and it's just not something we'd take up. More chance of going to church for three years rather than learn welsh to get DS into a better school. Church is only an hour or two a week, learning a language is a big commitment and I don't feel I have space enough in my brain for it. And I wouldn't want to be unable to look in DS's books and help with work.

You're about a mile from us in that case. We're in "lower roath".

[Fillyjonk]

heath is nice,deffo.

i might mean llanederym. i am near waterloo gardens and suchlike

most of the gardens round here are small. BUT you have the park

and there is one big plus. people are very friendly

is there NO chance of going through the welsh system? welsh schools are, i think, good locally, most local teenagers are in welsh school IIRC.

[PeachesMcLean]

You're probably in the llanedeyrn catchment area. [snobby cringey emoticon]

I think what you say about the number of teenagers around is interesting, and yes, some of the houses we've been to see clearly have young children and they're movng out. I'm now taking that as an omen. And again, impacts on my priority of "lots of children to play with locally"

I did wonder about those streets you mention but the gardens are typical postage stamp size and that's fairly high on my list of priorities as well (I'm a very picky girl I know) We'd been looking at the semis on the right of colchester avenue as you go up the hill away from Sainsbury's. Yes, not the really gorgeous part of PyL but close enough to be walking through it everyday.

We'll arrange to go and see a load up round Heath next week, around the Saints I think. They've got reasonable gardens and we're into Whitchurch and Llanishen schools then. No wellfield road and little park but we drive to those at the moment so can do it again I suppose. Wish me luck.

[Fillyjonk]

aw

but schools are important. we don't know what we're doing about schools but if they go through the state system, then we WILL probably move as they start to approach secondary.

is it llanrumney that you are worried about? (can't work out what school we are in catchment area FOR-very few local teenagers and they are mainly at st t's or somewhere on appeal) if so...aaargh.....tbh, i think you probably are right to be.



houses on the left of the rec as you go toward the park-bangor st, montgomery st etc, I THINK are in the CH catchment area and always used to be relatively cheap. Ditto Shirley Road-lots of house for money.

[PeachesMcLean]

Hi filly, the house we've seen is definitely out of catchment for Cardiff High, most of PyL is at the moment I think, certainly the bit we can afford. And today I was told that they require 3 years worth of church going for St T's, which is one heck of a hobby for non believers like us. I was also told there are 20% of places for non church places (contrary to what the school secretary told me on the phone ) but that competition for these is very stiff, and that's a big risk for us.

I think if I'm to be so picky about schools (and I'm not sure DH agrees) we're going to have to look at a different area. It's off to the suburbs for us I think.

[Fillyjonk]

ohhhh


peaches, it IS lovely. really. well we bloody moved here just before having kids! Its green and leafy and there are small local shops where people know the kids names. The library is stocked by bloody weird and terrifying librarians but its still nice.

IIRC and this was a few years ago, you CAN get into CH on appeal.

you're right re the school though. no wouldn't touch with bargepole tbh. bascially, everyone leaves this area when their kids are about 8


but whats wrong with cardiff high? are you moving to out of catchment? is the ciw school st t's? is there NOTHING else? i shall ponder. one of my friends did move 4 streets to a tiny house opp the park, just to get his boys into ch though

[PeachesMcLean]

Start with p and end with a? No no no no no no no. I don't speak welsh and I don't work in the media. And certainly the Ll school is another no - a young acquaintance of mine went there and said it was like the flat earth society when it came to teaching religion. He put me off that one.

No, it's the P - N one. I think you know it well, if I remember correctly. And I'm sure you'll laugh that it's our dream area! But it's where we know people, the shops are great, the park's fab and the little playground behind the library is just one of my favourite places. It all makes me feel really smiley.

[Fillyjonk]

i must know where you are moving to peaches

does it start with p and end in a?

or p and end in n?

or LL?

[PeachesMcLean]

Hi Marialuisa, Sadly Welsh medium isn't an option for us but I know there's a lot of people around for whom it is. Interesting to hear your comments about the school - all the school secretary would tell me, when I phoned to enquire, was "yes, you have to go to church". She was less than helpful. Their admissions policy on the website also doesn't specify.

So we're left with hoping the catchment area changes or planning on the further away school and keeping DS in the current primary (which is good) Or looking at a different area altogether. [sulky emoticon]

Will go and look at bus routes to get him across town everyday...

Why can't we just have good local schools for local kids???