Viewing 26 posts - 1 through 26 (of 26 total)
  • Any immigrant on here with little kids?
  • juan
    Free Member

    Hi I would like to have some pointers about moving to the UK with a small kid (age 4-5).

    Specially about schools and activities?

    Any pointers appreciated.

    Cheers

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    We moved out (non-British anyway) from UK to Ireland as the crap you have to put up with in London-ish area was beginning to affect out family life. At least here I can say what I believe in and not worry about being offending anybody (ok, I shouldn't be wearing an England football top possibly).
    Schools vary from one borough to another, no discipline unless it's private, education mostly consists of praising kids for their effort, nobody seem to care about knowledge.
    Before I get slaughtered for having written the above, I spent 12 years working with primary school kids on a daily full-time basis.
    Never again, for my kid's sake.

    boxelder
    Full Member

    Juan,

    It really is going to depend where you move to, what you are going to be doing here and what your child's first language is (I'm assuming French?).
    Doing it with a 4-5 yr old is going to be much easier than with older kids.
    We live in the Lakes and the primary school is fantastic and under subscribed. Finding a means to live near it is more of a problem.
    Where you thinking and what do you do (education isn't it??)

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    juan
    Free Member

    Boxelder I am applying to a 2 year position in old good soton. I take it the uni might be able to help me/provide some courses, but I'd like to have as much info as possible.

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    Yep, pay massive attention to the location. It'll make or break it.

    zaskar
    Free Member

    Pay massive amounts in private education and they'll be fine…

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Location is all. About 700+ km north of soton will do fine.

    Schools vary a lot as you can tell but rural bette rthan cities on the whole.

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Which part of southampton?

    KT1973
    Free Member

    Holy Shee-it samurai, I'm glad I don't live where you do- sounds grim. Don't get me wrong, my town is a shithole but most of our scumbags are local

    juan
    Free Member

    the grateape I have no idea yet. I'll be working at the uni (if obviously)but I can commute if I need to live close to a better school for the kid.

    nimrod2410
    Free Member

    Juan.

    The best school is Springhill RC in Shirley. Admission is from reception 4-5yrs up to year 6.
    Fantastic school, it is over subscribed so you will need to apply and hope you get a place.
    Hope this helps.
    http://www.springhillcatholic.southampton.sch.uk/

    juan
    Free Member

    nimrod in shirley…? Now that is a bit surprising. But I'll have a look cheers

    Juan

    DA_DOOD–lulz
    Free Member

    From my experience, that whole, spreading conurbation around the Solent would be the last place in England that I'd live in. Avoid any urban areas (apart from those in the very South West) and stay in the countryside. You'll find a different kind of dickhead there but your quality of life will definately be better.

    nimrod2410
    Free Member

    Juan.
    You asked for some advice, up to you if you want to take it on board.

    tron
    Free Member

    Not an immigrant, but my view is that it's relatively easy to find a decent primary / middle school as they're smaller. Secondary schools tend to have a massive intake, so you get kids from failing schools & excellent schools being educated together, with predictable results.

    If at all possible, move somewhere where your kids can go to Grammar school.

    The key thing to remember is that schools vary enormously in quality in the UK, and that school quality has a massive bearing on house prices. One of the few countries in the world where what school you go to has a major bearing on your adult success.

    DT78
    Free Member

    I live in southampton (shirley) and wouldn't want to bring a kid up here. In fact me and the missus have said we will move out of southampton before they are schooling age.

    Winchester is really nice, but very pricey. We'll be looking for somewhere north of southampton but west of Winchester

    If you haven't already got commitments I'd be looking to settle somewhere else! Plenty of much much nicer places in the country.

    EDIT – not an immigrant tho, have lived in soton for 10yrs now…

    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    If you do bring kids over they are always welcome at our house to play with Adam, Ethan, Abi and Natalie.

    SuperScale20
    Free Member

    I think you should be looking at the private system makes life far easier when you don’t have to worry about your kid’s education. To get a good grammar school your child will need to be in the top 10% within the borough you are, them having a private education certainly does help this.

    I have found London & Surrey the easiest place to live in the country you have everything at your doorstep you don’t need a car to get around. Yes everything is slightly more expensive but you get what you pay for in life.

    KT1973
    Free Member

    WorldClassAccident – Member
    If you do bring kids over they are always welcome at our house to play with Adam, Ethan, Abi and Natalie.

    The Rottweilers!

    Only kidding WCA! 😀

    convert
    Full Member

    Why would someone coming over for a job in Southampton want to live in London or Surrey? And there are no grammar schools in Hampshire.

    Can't say I'd want to live in Southampton itself, but moving out a bit and its pretty good. Winchester, (bits of)Chandlers Ford, Romsey are all easy commutes and have good schools. A few nice villages within easy distance too. I lived in Portchester (part way between Portsmouth and Southampton in a never ending urban belt) and recently moved inland a bit and glad I have. Even in Portchester though, 10mins on my bike and I was surrounded by fields and another 10 and it was all pretty quiet. Most folks crash back and forth travelling east and west along the coast and only venture north on the motorways so the rural bits inland from the coast are relatively quiet.

    Mountain biking is not going get your heart a flutter around theses parts though….

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Pauvre gosse!

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    And there are no grammar schools in Hampshire.

    no – we do things a bit different down here – no 6th forms either.

    Juan – chandlers ford (on way to eastleigh/ winchester) has very good schools.

    I commute it most of the week – 6.5 miles/ 30min to the uni. There are buses too (not brilliant)

    be great to have you back. 🙂

    juan
    Free Member

    Thanks everyone for all the input. I'll dig the chandlers ford/winchesterish area. I'll try to pm my friend that are still in southampton about school.
    But yeah the kid is what scares me a bit… Specially since he's not mind. nimrod sorry if I have offended you. It's just that I hear (first hand) so much crazy stories about shirley
    XXX

    Edukator
    Free Member

    My son went into petite section at two and a half and was pretty street wise by four. At four the child will be starting with the rest of the English kids so more advanced social skills may well offset any language difficulties. I think you'll find the crazy stories concern secondary schools. Even in the roughest primary and junior schools it's not crazy and you can probably compensate anything lacking at home.

    juan
    Free Member

    To be fair I was more after some personal experience about how hard/easy it was for your kid (I know it will be kid dependent).

    I'll check out the school once I am there with obviously help from people from the "hood".

    P.S. I know there is some better place to leave in the UK (like cumbria or scotland). Unfortunately I am going where the jobs are 🙁

    Edukator
    Free Member

    I taught a lot of (older) immigrant kids in classes and they got on just fine. Their personality, sociability and ability were far more important than their origin. Present it positively, don't let your fears become his/her fears and be attentive to behavioural feedback.

    My wife teaches in a bilingual programme that goes through primaire, collège and lycée – the kids appear to have benefitted from the experience not only in linguistic terms but also in general mental agility. I accompanied some of them on an exchange to Germany and they're really bright.

Viewing 26 posts - 1 through 26 (of 26 total)

The topic ‘Any immigrant on here with little kids?’ is closed to new replies.