Need Advice on Moving to Northwich ,Cheshire & good Private schools in the area

[EbeMbakara]

Hello MNs,

Please looking for a bit of advice and people's view re-living in the Northwich area as well as the Grange independent school? I visited Northwich and thought it was alright but read it is a rough area of Cheshire... true or false?

Any advice from people living in the area would be welcome. We are a young couple with DS1 in year 4 and DS2 in year 1.

Some friends of friends have children at The Grange and seem very happy with it - particularly the rowing opportunities.

I’m ambivalent about Cheshire - obviously it has some super pretty villages stuffed to the gills with billionaires’ cottages. But those villages are a bit overcrowded - and for every resident there are three expensively kept dogs, which you may or may not find tedious. The non-billionaire housing is depressing.

Northwich town centre itself is beyond grim. One of the most depressing places to spend a Saturday afternoon there can be in the entire UK. Good Waitrose, the rest is awful.

If you must live in Cheshire look towards Altrincham, which is completely delightful.

I really wouldn’t call Northwich rough. It’s where the residents of Altrincham move once their kids have finished with the grammar schools. I know quite a few people at The Grange. They’re very happy there, it’s very nurturing but it’s not academic at all (it tends to be where kids who struggle with mainstream or who can’t get into the other privates go) - it really depends on what it is you’re looking for. I believe there’s a good Catholic school there too though I can’t remember the name now.

Really? I live in Altrincham (which is in Trafford, Gr Manchester, not Cheshire) and wouldn’t dream of moving to Northwich nor do I know anyone who has! They’re very different places.

OP Northwich isn’t rough but it isn’t a desirable place to live either. It’s one of the most affordable places to live in Cheshire because the town centre is a bit run down, there isn’t much there and it’s mid-Cheshire so it’s not easily commutable to anywhere. It’s on the slow stopper train to Manchester and Chester. It feels more like a town that’s been forgotten and left behind with not much going on or to offer young families.

I’d suggest looking at Knutsford which isn’t far from there but much prettier, with more to offer and closer to Manchester with access to the same schools. It’s more expensive than Northwich but still affordable compared to the nicer areas of Manchester like Altrincham and Didsbury.

Macclesfield also has some lovely areas and is fairly affordable although Macclesfield town centre isn’t great (but still better than Northwich).

I love living in Altrincham but the great schools have pushed prices up so much that you really don’t get much for your money unless you’re willing to live in the less desirable parts or further out from the town centre.

Just to add for balance my SIL lives in Northwich, they have a 1 year old and love it so everyone’s different! They do have things like a play cafe, baby swim etc and naff family events throughout the year. However they’re both from a working class background and they were able to buy a fairly big family home there which they couldn’t afford anywhere else in South Manchester or Cheshire.

I don't know of anyone that has left Altrincham for Northwich, but a couple of friends' children have bought first homes there as the Altrincham area is unaffordable.

I second Knutsford as an alternative. Lots of independent shops, a Booths, mini Waitrose and an Aldi.

Various friends DC have thrived at Knutsford High School and you still have a slight chance of getting into a Trafford Grammar.

My mistake! My rare trips to Cheshire generally also include a visit to Altrincham so I think of it as being part of Cheshire.

Don’t know what your priorities might be, @EbeMbakara but if I had to move to somewhere in roughly that region I might look over the border into Wales. Hawarden in particular - though I have no idea about the schools. Chester would be your nearest town.

Queen's and kings schools are good in chester

I know of at least 15 people who’ve done that 🤷‍♀️ I can completely understand why with the cheaper housing in lNorthwich too.

Thanks all for your responses.

@Wordless Billionaire and footballer areas are definitely out of my budget. Our budget is hopefully not anything over £700k. I looked at Altrincham and the prices sent me running. Priority is getting boys into a school where they are academically challenged stretched. I am not sure I want to get into the grammar school race.

Would love to get a house that I wouldn't need to move out of in 5 years so spacious home and back garden is important. Also we have family in Manchester so getting ro Manchester under 45mins is also important.

@Maddy70 I looked at Chester but have no clue where to begin in terms of areas. I have also considered renting to get a sense of places but don't know where to begin.

@whiteroseredrose will start looking at Knutsford.
I have lived in villages mostly and I liked the community feel but conscious that may not happen so willing to let that go.

Thank you to everyone that's contribute... Will have to list out pros and cons now.

If you have boys the. You want uk consider MGS which has no catchment so you can choose anywhere in Manchester. I’d also consider Stockport if I were you - big houses, affordable, good transport links and Cheadle Hulme private school

I’ve seen boys commuting by train from Liverpool to Manchester for Manchester Grammar School.

Northwich isn’t the greatest spot to live- hence the cheaper house prices.

Chester has lots of nice suburbs/nearby villages and decent independent schools

Altrincham formerly came under Cheshire, as did Hale, etc

Agree with Stockport. The nicer parts of Stockport like Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme are still affordable and you can get a decent family home there for £700k. Also have a look at Marple Bridge if you like somewhere with more of a country village feel. It’s a small, pretty village on the edge of the Peak District surrounded by countryside but with direct trains into Manchester. Easy access to private schools like Stockport Grammar.

I know but it hasn’t been part of Cheshire since the 1970s! Stockport used to be in Cheshire, Saddleworth used to be in Yorkshire and Liverpool used to be in Lancashire…

You could look at Laurus Trust state schools. Definitely two secondaries in Cheadle Hulme and other parts of Stockport. Now have primary academies tops

They are a bit marmite, but get top state school results so will be academically challenging. Friend recently moved into the catchment to avoid the grammar school race in Trafford.

I used to work in Northwich, it's run down and not great. I think there are better places to live/send your children to school than paying for The Grange.

I'd go knutsford & use knutsford high or Bramhall / Cheadle with good state of Stockport grammar / Cheadle Hulme school.

If you fancy west cheshire, look around the Malpas area. Great secondary school at Bishops heber. Lovely little villages

Anywhere except Blacon really

The only people I know who have moved to Northwich from Altrincham are those who can't afford to live in Altrincham, it's not a desirable town but it's also not rough. There really isn't anything wrong with Northwich but with a 700k budget I'd probably live elsewhere.

How many bedrooms do you need?

My family has lived in Northwich since they came in on the boats in around 1750. There are some less salubrious areas and some that are very nice but the town doesn't offer anything like Knutsford or Altrincham.
With your budget, you would probably get a nice house in Hartford or Davenham that have a handful of shops/pubs/restaurants or you could go further out to one of the surrounding villages like Pickmere, Antrobus or Whitegate which only have limited facilities and need a car.
The Grange school has a good reputation and seems to have plenty of extra curricular offerings that are also available to the wider community but I don't have any personal experience.
The town centre itself has lost most of its chain shops in recent years but it's never been a go to place for a shopping experience although there are some nice independents and coffee shops and a fair few events at weekends which seems to suit young families.
It's a shame really, poor planning, lack of investment and a split of the unitary authority (West and East) so therefore double the cost thanks to Hazel Blears in the last Labour govt. has meant that large parts of the county have lost out in my opinion and we are apparently having yet another layer of government foisted upon us so likely even less money to go round.
Happy to help if you want a local opinion.

Thanks All, we are going with Cheadle Hulme as first choice ,then Knutsford.

Hi, we have two children at the Grange, one in the prep and one at the senior school and we live close to Holmes Chapel/ Congleton in a lovely village. You don't have to live in Northwich to go to the Grange, the catchment is massive with a huge school bus network and Hartford, the village the schools are based in, is lovely.
We are around a half hour drive which I would say is very commonplace- we did look at moving closer to school but we like where we are too much. We don't really find it a big problem as everyone is quite spread out.

You've got muddled up with a different school- possibly Abbey Gate. The Grange is an extremely competitive and very academic Independent Grammar School with a high number of leavers going on to Oxbridge or to study medicine. I went there and wouldn't send my own child because it was very high pressure and not very supportive of neurodiversity.

Cransley School is more nurturing whilst still having high standards.

I wouldn't recommend St Nicks at all, it is a very traditional Catholic school and it's very backwards in terms of sex-ed etc.

Northwich isn't rough at all, it has pockets of deprivation like all large towns but it's one of most affluent parts of the country. The small villages surrounding Northwich- particularly Hartford and Davenham- are very well-heeled indeed.

'I went there and wouldn't send my own child because it was very high pressure and not very supportive of neurodiversity.'
I think things may have changed since your time there, they now have an excellent SEN department and I have found them to be extremely nurturing, many of dcs classmates are ND.