Schools in Didsbury, please help!

[Swedishmum1978]

Hi all, I would really need some help. I have recently moved here to work as a doctor at The Christie. My husband and three sons will join as soon as we manage to find a decent house. Since I am on scholarship we we will not be able to pay for private schools. We plan to apply for places in year 4, 6 and 9 respectively, from mid April and to Christmas. Is there a possibility that it may be easier to get a school place since it is only temporary? Which schools are okay and which should we stay away from? As everything will be new for my kids we don’t expect them to get good grades, just to manage and that the school is nice and safe and not rough. I would appreciate any advice, thanks!

Hi
I live not too far away in Wilmslow.
I have heard really good things about Parrswood high. My friends children are at the catholic school in Didsbury and she is really happy with it

I used to live opposite the Christie! If you aren't renting a house yet, you may find it easier to speak to the local authority (the council) about which schools have places in your year groups, then try and rent a house in catchment for those schools... it's quite tricky sorting all this out, in my experience!

Are your children currently year 4, year 6 and year 9 ages? Your year 6 child will transition to secondary school in September then.

Parrs Wood has a big and varied catchment, and is generally well regarded. It is over subscribed for entry in Y7, but there may be a space in Y9. For primaries in Didsbury, I think you only have Beaver Road (big - & expanding - might give you a better likelihood of a space coming up?), St Catherines (Catholic), and Didsbury C of E (small I think). I can't imagine you would run into problems with any of those. If you go up more towards Withington end there's St Paul's (also small). Cavendish Road in West Didsbury is also well regarded. But all of these schools will most likely be full...

I live not far from here and I went to the Catholic high school, a long time ago.

A few years ago the primary schools were desperately over subscribed and people were not being allocated any places in reception. Re the secondaries if you aren’t Catholic then you need to make sure you are in catchment for Parr’s Wood rather than Burnage High/Levenshulme girls which whilst improving, aren’t great. Whilst Didsbury is a very affluent area , for some reason the secondary schools aren’t brilliant, and many send their kids private and some to the grammars in Trafford.

What do you all think about this order in the application:

1. Parrs Wood
2. Chorlton High
3. Loreto High
4. Barlow RC High

We aren’t Catholics though, but don’t want to go with Burnage.

I think it’s more a case of which you are offered. Chorlton highly unlikely. You’ll be at the bottom of the pile for the Catholic schools and where you end up will depend where you end up living , because if you are on the Withington side you are almost certainly going to be offered Burnage/Levenshulme HIgh. I would do your homework in advance.

Oh, should I even consider sending my kids there? Or let them stay back home and commute to Sweden every other weekend. I will miss them to death but at the same time I dont want to bring them to another country and send them to a bad school. If we would use our savings and go for private, which would you suggest? And is it even possible to get a place in those schools?

No I didn’t mean that at all. I’m sure that they would be ok in any of the school but some are better than others. I would recommend you looking round them and enquiring in advance about places vs where you propose to live.

There are private schools but I wouldn’t know about availability or cost.

I would ring the council and find out where there are any spaces right now in the years you need in South Manchester schools.

Another option could be to home educate, if your husband isn’t working here? There is a big home ed community in Manchester, but might not give you the language immersion you presumably want, & is obviously a different set up!

There is a new school opening Sep 19 - Didsbury High School. Part of the Laurus Trust which manage Cheadle Hulme High School. They are only taking Year 7 for Sep 19 intake though. Sep 20 intake will be years 7 - 11 years I believe.

www.didsburyhighschool.org.uk/

Didsbury high school is situated just off the top of Princess Parkway, on the West Didsbury side, likely to be very sought after.

Is there a greater chance of getting a place in a preferred school for year 7 if we apply now, before the second round of applications to year 7 is finished? Or equally bad as if we will apply in a month or two? I mean would they then take into consideration that we would live in the catchment area of Parr’s Wood now but weren’t able to apply at the normal deadline as we weren’t in the country? Had planned for him to start school after Easter but if it will increase our chances we will of course apply now (for year 6 to start now as well as for year 7 in September). Just trying to work this out as good as possible 😬

St Kentigerns isn't too far from the Christie and is a fantastic primary.

My sons attend Loreto and Im on the Withington side.

Would you consider living in Trafford and having a commute to work? There are some really good schools in Sale/Alchringham area and it's not very far.

I work in one of the schools mentioned and have visited others - let’s just say I would rather send my kids to Levenshulme girls than Chorlton High or Parrs Wood, behaviour there is not as good as you might expect. Can’t speak for Burnage but it has recently had an outstanding Ofsted. I think it’s really important you visit if you can as they are all very different but none of these schools are ‘bad’.

I’m not hearing great stuff about schools Sale High or SaleGrammar lately tbh. Think cuts are starting to really bite in more affluent areas - ironically probably why Levenshulme and Burnage are doing well. Schools change very quickly which is why you should try and visit and find parents who have kids currently at the schools.

Am I reading you right, OP, that you only will be here for 2 school terms?

My contract is for longer but my husband has agreed to stay for at least two terms, but longer if the children settle in well at their schools. That’s why I desperately want them to go to good schools from the start...

I wouldn’t send my kids to Parrs Wood if I could help it. The Heatons are very commutable for The Christie (about half an hour max in rush hour) and Priestnall is a sought after school. If you want more info, happy to help.

OP as you are moving from overseas you may want to give the Admissions team at Manchester Council a ring, their number is on this page.

Chorlton High and Parrs Wood are usually oversubscribed, Didsbury High also looks to be oversubscribed for its first year's intake. I know Loreto and Barlow RC High still had places available after the year 7 offers were published a week or so ago.

There is also a new school CHS South which is affiliated to Chorlton High, they opened for Y7 in September 2018 and were undersubscribed, they seem to be undersubscribed for this Sept also (when they would have a Y7 and a Y8). They are not yet in their new building (still under construction) and are temporarily housed in a customised office block near Chorlton High...

All the primaries around Didsbury and Withington are great or good...most have spaces by Yr4 as kids leave in year 3 to do go private. I know loads of people with kids in all the schools. All are mixed demo graphics. Parrswood High is a brilliant school. It had a wobble many years ago but again, I know loads of parents and teachers there who rave about it. Kids love it and parents describe it as pushing their kids.

Priestnall in the Heatons is definately not without its own issues despite being a good school. Barlow RC is a good school, with very mixed intake. OP look a options but none are a disaster