Moving to Cheshire East - advice needed please

[AmyLisa82]

Hi all,

We are relocating to Cheshire East and really need some advice about where to go in terms of secondary schools and catchment areas for my two girls, 10 and 8. We have heard that Holmes Chapel Comprehensive, Sandbach Girls, Brine Leas and St Nicholas are good schools? Is this still accurate? Are there any particular differences … my husband is less keen on single sex but I am open to all the options. Looking for a friendly community school in a lovely area. We will have to consider good primary schools too, in the interim years. Any advice would be so welcome as we do not know the area at all.

Thank you in advance :-)

A friend has had two children go through Holmes Chapel and she’s been very happy with the school.

Views of Sandbach is mixed. I know a teacher whose daughter went there (her son was in a selective private school) & I assume they were happy but I’ve heard others not so.

Ive not heard of St Nicholas. Brine Lees I know very little about.

My DD went to sandbach girls... she is now in her thirties but it was an amazing school then. I hear it still has a good reputation

My hubby is from around there but I can’t remember what school he went to I can ask but he is in his 40’s now so they may have changed a lot.

St Nicholas is a mixed catholic secondary but it is not cheshire east it is in cheshire west in Northwich. Of the other schools you mention Brine Leas in Nantwich is considered the go to school at present. Sandbach Girls is well regarded but there are some who do not like the school at all. Holmes Chapel is also a good school.
The problem you have is that your 10 year old daughter is I am assume going to be in year 7 in September 2019 and you are already after the normal cut-off for admission applications. You are also after the second cut-off date of 7th December for those who are moving houses. All the schools that you have mentioned normally have far more applicants than places and as you are only going to be able to join waiting lists after allocation day on the 1st March you need to be realistic that you are unlikely to get a place at any of the schools other than via admission appeals. Even then you will be competing with many other families who are appealing for a place.
If however your eldest is not in year 7 in September 2019, then you should consider Brine Leas. Sandbach is a nice area but there is a lot of building going on. The other secondary school in Nantwich is Malbank, which ten years ago was the go to school but is now definitely behind Brine Leas in parent's estimations. You do need to look carefully at the catchment area, which is based on the catchment zones of the feeder primaries as to where about in Nantwich area you should be moving to. If you look at the school website you should be able to find the feeder schools and the cheshire East website does have the catchments on the site. If you are not in the designated catchment zone for any of the schools you mentioned then you are likely to struggle to get the offer of a place.
If you are moving for work purposes you also need to consider the daily commute. The M6 around knutsford, sandbach area is a slowly moving traffic jam most days, so you probably do need to consider the commute you will have.