Which Hampshire secondary school??

[SJS83]

Hi,

I'm looking for some help. We're relocating to Hampshire with two children, 8 and 3. We're obviously looking to move within a catchment of one of the better secondaries, and need to be within around 45 minutes commuting time to Southampton. So far we have shortlisted the following:

• Thornden + Toynbee
• Perins
• The 3 Winchester schools
• Wildern
• Romsey schools

The problem is finding a reasonably priced house within these catchements i.e. £600-700k for a 4-bed in the Perins catchment!

Can anybody recommend any other good secondaries in the area that we might have missed? We would prefer somewhere more rural if we can find one.

We looked at Salisbury but as we're not religious and don't want the stress of a grammar test, we have ruled out living in Wiltshire.

Thanks

We've just bought a new 4 bed in Medstead for your budget (Miller Homes, Austen Fields estate). It's in the catchment for Perins.

https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/new-homes/south-east/austen-fields-medstead.aspx?infinity=ict2~net~gaw~ar~275262988001~kw~miller%20homes%20austen%20fields~mt~e~cmp~Southern%20%7C%20Austen%20Fields%20%7C%20Brand%20%28Exact%29~ag~Brand%20-%20Austen%20Fields%20-%20Generic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoePsYjS3AIVyrHtCh3uVwleEAAYASAAEgIgIvDD_BwE

The "Knightley" = 4 beds, 3 baths for £575-595k

Catchments are changing all the time, where we live, we used to be able to choose between Kings and Westgate (ok, so that was a luxury choice to have) but now we are no longer in Kings catchment. So be aware that this happens (saying that, Kings catchment was huge!)

Hounsdown is an excellent school. They have had to deal with some serious issues over the last 6 months and I cannot praise the way the svhool has dealt with them enough. They also have the most dedicated team of teachers you can imagine to offer support to the DC taking the new GCSEs. It would take you 30-40 minutes to get to Whiteley from the Totton area. I used to do the trip each day along M27.

Ah, Whiteley, the largest Cul de sac in the UK
TBH you are best trying to find somewhere along the M27 or just up the A3M as the scale of house building around Whiteley is mental
and the routes into it from the North are still being fought over

Have a look at Petersfield - easy run down to Whiteley
also the Romsey schools, Perins, yup anything Alton, Bishops Waltham

further west and your husband will spend a LOT of time on the M27, especally with the new "smart motorway" work between J4 and J11 kicking off

If you're moving to whiteley have you considered Cams Hill in Fareham ?

I don't have your budget but would love to live in Petersfield...great links to London and coast and good run to Whiteley as above. Schools are good but then again so are the parents/intake (The Petersfield School is now holding it's own against the favoured Bohunt interestingly enough) Dd at TPS I love the teachers. I have always loved the town it has a lovely vibe. For sixth forms there is the new Bohunt sixth, Havant College , Alton College , Godalming or Peter Symonds further out but still commutable. So if you are looking East and not bothered about being near the sea that is where I would recommend

Crofton in stubbington is very good and near to Whitley. Have a look at Stubbington village

Bay House in Gosport is excellent, but Gosport to Whitely commute is slow.

Yes Crofton excellent as well

Alton is worth a shout, my DS is small but Eggars is supposed to be excellent. There are several new developments in the town at the moment including a nice Redrow development so it's a good time to buy.

Lymington on the coast and new forest, has very good school Prieslands and is within 30 mins. Very beautiful area to bring up children Arnewood school in New Milton is also outstanding

Oh yes Eggars ive heard is a lovely school. What other factors apart from schools are you considering? Parts of Hampshire are v built up and not rural and leafy and some other parts I would consider a bit cut off and possibly too rural. Do you want to drive everywhere or is easy accessible public transport required?

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like we’re going to be spoilt for choice which is only a good thing.

We’d like to be more rural if possible. We’ve absolutely ruled out southampton. Petersfield does sound good but looks very pricey!

Is Eggars preferable to Amery Hill? We’ve found some new houses (Bellway) near Four Marks but they’re just outside the catchment for Perins, and just within the Amery Hill catchment.

Bishops Waltham and Waltham Chase look reasonable for housing. Are those villages nice?

Romsey has lots of new houses being built which means loads more in catchment so they are now taking a lot less from further afield.

Whiteley is a pita for traffic particularly exiting that junction every morning, but work about to start on upgrading to a smart motorway.

You will need a college for 6th form , most popular are Symonds or Barton, so also consider transport to those.

Mine were Romsey School and Barton and I was very happy with both.

The ofsted for Eggars is better as I understand it but I think both are good schools. It depends on what else you need too, Four Marks doesn't have a huge amount in it so you would need to drive pretty much everywhere. Alton is more of a town and you can walk to Waitrose, pubs etc and the train station. Depends on what your needs are. Have you looked at the Redrow development? I'm not sure which catchment that falls under.

Also, look on the Cala development in medstead, they've been trying to sell the final house on that development for a while so I think you'd get a deal!

Also upper froyle is worth a look if you want rural, pretty sure that's in the catchment for Eggars.

Welcome to Hampshire ! Just off down the beach in a bit...it's a great county to live in . South of Petersfield is cheaper but catchments can be tricky ...it used to be that anyone who applied got into Bohunt /The Petersfield ( im 11 miles away!) but I cant see that being the case for the forseable more and more commuters are moving further down

This site
www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/findaschool?search=yes&q=school&requiredfields=ageOfChild:12%20Years.
lets you see ALL the schools and the catchment boundaries
and when you click on a school
eg
www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/findaschool/schooldetails?dfesno=5418
you get the current catchment map

PS
not all of the catchments make sense when you look at them on a map
www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/findaschool/schooldetails?dfesno=4015

Boundaries are moving all the time, as there is such a lot of house building going on.
Petersfield for example, used to have a lot of kids go up the A3 to Bohunt, and TPS (The Petersfield School) would fill up with children from miles away, even close to Portsmouth . That has pretty much stopped over the last couple of years, and the area will shrink further.

I would also be careful about the village Primaries, OP, as a lot are very small, and have mixed-age classes. My son, for example, was in a glass of 32 age 5 to 7 year olds. (they were allowed to go over numbers, as they had two "looked after children"). Some people like small classes, we didn't, as it really restricted the friendship groups, and facilities the school can offer. Very limited clubs, for example, or after/before school care. Teaching can be challenging, - my village school had a high percentage of children with additional needs, as parents often (wrongly, in this case) believe that a small school will mean more attention and help for their child. It doesn't, as there is no economy of scale, and the schools can't justify buying in extra help.

We have lived in Hampshire for nearly 30 years, and the travel & traffic situation has really deteriorated over the last 5 years or so. If you can, I would try and spend a few weekdays in B & B's near the places you are considering, and try the journey to work and school. Some routes are a nightmare, and doing those journeys on a daily basis is soul-destroying.

Sorry if that sounds negative , it really IS a lovely county, but you have to pick your area and journey routes with care.

Boundaries are moving all the time
The official catchment boundaries have not changed in YEARS

the areas that OOC (out of catchment) kids come from fluctuate all the time.

The HCC school bus contract maps have been static for a long time
hence why there are some crazy anomalies along the Southampton and Portsmouth boundaries

Eastleigh Borough is becoming insanely built up, as is Fareham and the south of Winchester district.
East Hants much less so
and the South Downs park has an impact

Boundaries are moving all the time
The official catchment boundaries have not changed in YEARS

Boundaries may not have officially "moved", but the op wants to talk about real life, and what it actually means about school "choice", or lack of it.

For example, if your child was at a Primary in Petersfield 2 to 3 years ago, you had a good chance of getting into Bohunt, even if you lived on the South side of town. These were the 2 schools most parents considered and visited, if you weren't going private.

Nobody from my children's old school got into Bohunt this year.