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.

@JustMarriedBecca where would you advise one to stay around Manchester to have access to MGS and Grange Northwich. I have 2 boys so Withington not an option for me. Not a fan of big cities but want to be able drive into one (45mins max). H

Thanks so much for this @JustMarriedBecca! Very helpful!

Cheadle Hulme is great, but not rural. We moved there from London and I found it quite cliquey. CH school is good, as academic as the Grange (both the private and state). Hale, Bowden, Lymm all worth a look but traffic a nightmare. Budget might be an issue if you are looking around £700k. I'd say you'd need a minimum of £1.2m for Hale / Bowden.

I don't know that many parents who use and recommend the Grange. There are a couple at Alderley Edge Cricket and Hockey clubs. They travel to Alderley. But that side of Alderley I'd say. Alderley out of your budget.

Mottram worth a look - again, excellent state primary. You'd get private education in the state sector to be honest. Lots do state primary then MGS from there.

Macclesfield is 20 minutes by train to Manchester, about a 30-40 minute drive.

Wilmslow is also worth a look. It's closer to Manchester and good access on the A34.

We rarely go into Manchester though. It's not like London in terms of culture, it's strangely set out. I also can't get over families who have a "day out" in Manchester and drag three generations around the shops (most of which are terrible). I view the Trafford Centre in similar vein.

Sorry, didn't mean Mottram, I meant Peover. Lower Peover. Just South of Knutsford. 15 minutes from the Grange.

Hartford has two train stations, one on the Liverpool-Birmingham line and one on the Chester-Manchester route. You could live anywhere on the Chester-Manchester line and your boys could easily get to the Grange.

Delamere is a gorgeous village. It's closer to Chester than Manchester and would be a bit of a trek for MGS, but is only a 27 min drive to Kings Chester which is a similar sort of establishment.

Then on the other side of Northwich there's Hale, Knutsford, etc.- a bit bougie but nice if you like that kind of thing. It's not unusual to travel from Knutsford to the Grange by train.

Northwich is not rough and the town centre has actually changed a lot. 15 years ago, I would have agreed it was an absolute dump, but the council have put a lot of work into revitalising it and now there's a cinema, a decent leisure centre with a theatre, a few nice bars and places to eat, the river has become more of a focal point with dragon boat racing and the river festival, and other events throughout the year which give it quite a nice sense of community. I wouldn't rule out Northwich and it's surrounding villages.

If you're into walking and the outdoors, there's a lot of options- the Anderton boat lift and Marbury park with lovely canal-side walks in between, and Delamere forest.

Have you considered Holmes Chapel or Sandbach? Both lovely areas to live and both on junctions of the M6. Terra Nova School is close to Holmes Chapel, and for secondary age (although not private) there is Sandbach Boys. Your budget would get you a fair bit in those areas.

Don't rule out Cransley. It's an absolutely amazing and nurturing school and definitely not only for SEN or those that can't get in elsewhere, but if your kids do have SEN then they're also in an amazing and loving school. It's the best choice we ever made.