good state schools/areas

[Guest dalton]

Hi all moving to brighton soon but not sure if we will stay in that area rentals look a bit pricey so may look more to the hills, aberfoyle, blackwood?? Any suggestion for good schools over there junior & a 14 yr old??????????

[snifter]

I know the Brighton high school zone is much in demand. Can't recall what suburbs/areas fall under it, check out the zoning for it and see if there are any places within it to suit your budget. I know we are looking to be within that zone if we can manage it for when our son goes to senior school. We've a few years yet so something to aim for

 

I know someone who goes to the school and from what I am told it is very good. And most everyone I speak to speaks highly of it.

[Guest ebstar]

Hi we have recently (4 weeks ago) moved to Happy Valley.House prices are reasonable around here with fantastic views and can still see the sea. We have 9 and 10 yr olds who have started at Happy Valley primary school and love it. My 14yr old has just started at Reynella high school and is having a great time and making lots of friends. We looked at Aberfoyle but it really didnt meet our expectations at all. Obviously choosing a school is a very personal thing so you may have a different view.When we went to look round we were walking through so much rubbish and food both inside and outside.Several of the rooms including toilets had signs reading closed due to vandalism. Most of the classes we passed had children sat outside the class for bad behaviour.The lady that showed us round said there are enough computers for most of the students but they dont work.It may have been a combination of a bad day and the counciler not giving us any confidence and being unable to answer any questions we asked.Maybe its not a great school.I had heard lots of positive comments on the school before we looked around.It deffinately was not the right place for us but like i said you would need to look yourself to see what you think.There are some great places to live and really good schools it just depends on your lifestyle and what suits your family.

[Rachiegarlo]

Blackwood High school is generally well thought of, it follows the IB middle years programme and then offers the senior programme in yr 11 and 12. It has a wide curriculum and my friend who has a son with aspergers and a son with high academic ability found it catered for both very well. They offer a wide curriculum and have a netball specialist programme. The primary schools in the area which feed it all do IB and are generally good. Blackwood primary, Coromandel Valley primary, Belair primary and Eden Hills Primary off the top of my head. This part of the hills has a good little community, some parts have a rural feel yet are only 20 mins from the city. This area is also close to the beach, about 20 mins to a number of good beaches and 10 mins to entertainment like cinemas at Marion. Rentals in this area are usually not over the top pricewise.