Best place to move to..

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DuntonBassett
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:44 am
Location: Lutterworth, Leicester

Best place to move to..

Post by DuntonBassett »

Hi, I would appreciate some thoughts on my situation.Given the uncertainty with Warwick admissions as regards to boundaries,catchment etc, it seems the best course of action is to move into Rugby, if possible.

The problem is how likely the changes can take place and are there going to be any surprises? I don't want to be caught out and my child is in Yr 4. Many of the Rugby parents reported as protesting in the Rugby Observer have younger children than mine and are likely to keep putting the pressure on. I am nervous about the whole education process(selection) especially the legal bits of the argument that keeps popping up and takes me a long time to digest.

I have 3 other children,2 boys and a girl, so I have to consider them as well. Ashlawn looks way too big a school. My first is a girl and she is very shy. It doesn't help that we have moved about a bit in Year 2 and 3 when we changed junior schools.

I have been told many times that a grammar education would suit my child to the T but everything seems such a lottery. Anyway, my question is to maximise the chances of being in catchment for all the good grammar schools , where would be the best place to live in Rugby?

Thanks for reading and thank you in advance for your comments.
guest201
Posts: 484
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:04 pm

Post by guest201 »

Hi DuntonBassett, I have many happy memories of that place.
I am sure Fed Up would probably recommend Bubenhall to live as it falls in the catchment area for the Rugby grammars and the southern area grammars, I believe the catchment secondary school is Bilton High if your DC doesnt get a grammar place. There is a lot of talk in Rugby about Bilton High at the moment, it doesnt have a particularly good reputation (this doesnt mean it is a bad school) compared to the other secondary schools, but a lot of parents have come out to defend the school and say that it is a great school and the children who are there are doing well, I cant give an opinion becase I have no idea I can only say what I have heard, I think in general the results are OK. It is generally said that Ashlawn is the best comp in Rugby, (I dont know if their results as a comprehensive may be a bit misleading because it is part grammar?) So within Rugby I would go for an area in Ashlawn catchment area, Hilmorton- which has a good primary school (Paddocks) or even Dunchurch whose primary school is also very good. Hope this helps.
Dadof3
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:40 pm
Location: CV 47

Post by Dadof3 »

DuntonBassett,
If you want to maximise your chances then I would suggest that you need to move into the priority inner circle defined as "Eastern Area." See Warks CC Admissions page for exact definition and list of qualifying villages.
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corp ... s+2010.pdf

However, I would hold off for a few weeks until the latest Adjudicator has made her 'determination.'

I would also study the Rugby Advertiser carefully and consider if you want to risk living next to such 'Educational NIMBY's' with their suspicion of 'outsiders' and discontent with a proposed allocation of 85% of places. What will they set their sights on next when then the population of Eastern Area increases with even more outsiders as it inevitably will? This in turn will fuel the argument that Grammar Schools favour the mobile middle classes and benefit estate agents, which in turn will benefit..........?

Elimination of all catchment areas is the sensible route forward!
DuntonBassett
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:44 am
Location: Lutterworth, Leicester

Post by DuntonBassett »

Thank you both for your help and information. I suppose you could call us education migrants then! I don't mean to upset anyone or squeeze anyone out of their turf. My situation is that I am a southerner and my ex and children live in DuntonBasseett for the present. On one hand, there are perfectly reasonable schools to send my children to and on the other hand the other parent, me, thinks there are better options. All this research and foreplanning has to come about for me to do the best for the kids. Is it any different to uproot and relocate to America or Australia? I wish I could do something that is failsafe but as it is, I am constrained by where my ex wants to live. I am not jumping into the pot right now,Dadof3 and will be keeping my ears to the ground and my eyes for a suitable property in Rugby. There is no way I can force the family back down south.

I quite like the area you suggested guest201 and all the parishes mentioned in the school document. That is a lot of research to do but I can't really get the feel of the place as I have not lived in Warwickshire. So any other comments from helpful members will be very much appreciated. You can describe the size of backyards if you like,lol, I don't mind but just help me by telling me where you think is good and whether life is good there for a young family to grow up,fractured though mine might be, and I can present it all to my ex. Hope it all ties in with what is happening in Warks this year!
guest201
Posts: 484
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:04 pm

Post by guest201 »

Hi Dunton Bassett,
Dont worry about what is going on in Warks this year, feelings are running high as it is the exam on Saturday and there is still uncertainty about who will be eligible for places.
In general Rugby is a nice place to live and education is generally good, if you want a village type atmosphere then Dunchurch is probably the best place, although it is attached to Rugby it still retains its village charm, and it does have a bit of atmosphere in the evening (pubs, restaurants). Within Rugby, the area around Hillmorton Road is nice too, fairly close to the town centre and with good primary schools (Paddocks and Eastlands). If you happen to be catholic you could try the catholic school in Hillmorton (although this year it has been greatly oversubscribed, and children with siblings in the school have not got a place). I dont really know much about the other surrounding villages as my DH is a bit of a "townie" so living in a village was not an option for us.
BTW have you looked at Lutterworth High School and Lutterworth College? I dont think they are bad schools.
Hope this helps
Rugbymum
Posts: 349
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:05 pm

Post by Rugbymum »

My OH and I moved to the Rugby area 14 years ago and have lived in four different areas, and have always liked living here. We feel it is well placed for travel, work, bringing up a family.

We now live in a village a few miles away but if we had to move back nearer town, I would probably choose to live in Hillmorton again, mainly because of schools.
Charlotte67
Posts: 893
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 8:59 am
Location: Cloud 9

Post by Charlotte67 »

Hi DuntonBassett,

I am originally a Southerner too and could never have imagined living anywhere other than London - until I met my wonderful DH and his work brought us up to the Midlands.

We originally tried a village about 8 miles from Rugby, which was great in the early days, but as the children grew up I found the travelling to school / activities / shops to be a bit of a bind.

We moved to Rugby 7 years ago (not for the grammar schools) and have found the town to be a great place to bring up a family. All of the schools are good to outstanding; people are very friendly and the town is large enough to have almost everything you could want - The available activities for Rugby children are extensive and of good quality - we have football clubs, rugby, dance, drama, swimming, athletics, trampolining, tennis, badminton, table tennis, cricket, etc, etc. Yet Rugby is small enough to make getting from one activity to the next reasonably easy. Having several children doing different activities on the same night in London would have been near impossible and would certainly have raised my blood pressure! I feel that we really do have the best of both worlds here.

Where to live? I think you'll be able to tell the most desirable areas by the house prices! Hillmorton is supposed to be good, but I don't know it well. Dunchurch is good - if you like that village feel, not really my cup of tea with everyone knowing everyone else's business, but I know many who love it. Estates such as Hillside and Woodlands are established, quiet and reasonable value for money. I would prefer Hillside as they are within Ashlawn's priority area. Have fun looking around - house hunting is one of my favourite passtimes and I sometimes regret that we are so happy where we are! Perhaps once the children have left home...

Charlotte
DuntonBassett
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:44 am
Location: Lutterworth, Leicester

Post by DuntonBassett »

Thank you guest201,Rugbymum and Charlotte67. Your posts have made me feel quite excited and positive about looking into living in Rugby.Sounds almost idyllic! The job now is to get to know the area a lot more and that you can only do that if you talk to people who have lived there a long time or contributors like yourself who have first hand experience. I am very grateful for that. I think I would prefer a town setting/larger village rather than a small village setting.

I have looked at the Lutterworth's schools' websites and they look promising but I don't think they are for my girl. Thanks also to Ed's mum for your pm. As for me, I have always been told by my daughter's teachers that she would really thrive in a grammar school and that I must try to find one for her. She tends to get lost in the classroom as she does not seem stretched despite the teachers trying to give her more challenging pieces.The search goes on. If I think of any more specific questions, I will come back to you. Meantime, thank you very much to those who gave their time to answer my questions.
DuntonBassett
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:44 am
Location: Lutterworth, Leicester

Post by DuntonBassett »

We are going to drive around Rugby this weekend to catch a bit of the flavour of the area and some of the areas I have picked out as potential good home and school places. Sorry if this is not a very good question but I need to ask ..are there any areas that are not suitable at all for family living? Estate agents tell you lots of good things but not so much the bad.
PM me if you don't want to say on here. This is only the second permanent home we are looking at, so it is a huge commitment. Renting is different as you can always up and go with some notice. Thanks again.
guest201
Posts: 484
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:04 pm

Post by guest201 »

Without wanting to offend anyone, I would say Brownsover is definitely an area to avoid. Also from what people say Overslade too, although I do some classes there and I think it seems ok, people have said it has improved a lot over recent years.
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