adynlucy

Hello everyone,

We are hoping to be over in May for a visit. We have been trying to look at schools on the net, but reviews from parents are best of all.
My youngest is 2 1/2 and my oldest daughter is 8.
She has been going to a v small primary school with just 70 pupils. This is obviously close knit. We are hoping for something similar, but most importantly an excellent school. We are looking at the (forgive me if I have got this wrong!) Chignecto - Central, Annapolis Valley, Tri-County, South Shore, and Halifax regions. The school is so important to us, that we dont mind the travel to work. Any reviews or help on finding a good school in these areas would be great.
We were looking in the Tatamagouche area for living, as it looks a nice area? Whats it really like? and where is most tourism located as we would possiby like to set up chalets for guests, to bring economy in.
Thanks,

Lucy

Paul Wildy

My own experience is that we lived in a rural part of Cumbria and had a child at a primary school with only 30 pupils. We loved the idea of a small rural school with small class sizes, lots of individual attention etc. But unfortunately our child hated it. Relocating to Halifax area we discovered that most of the schools were large - huge comparred to what we were used to. By chance we ended up renting a house near Fall River and put our child in Ash Lee Jefferson elementary. Despite having over 600 kids and being an endless maze of corridoors and classrooms our child is unbelievably happy there. The facilities are fantastic and it is really well run. In fact we ended up settling in Fall River (not originally our first choice) as a result. So I guess it goes to show that small isnt always a plus.

As far as tourism goes then the South Shore gets the most tourism by far. Other areas that are popular with tourists are Cape Breton and Annapolis Valley. I believe TIANS (http://www.tians.org/) would probably have some data on how many tourists each region gets and also the following report looks useful: http://www.gov.ns.ca/tch/pubs/insigh...f&downloadfn=2. Halifax probably gets lots but I would say the accommodation would be more focussed on Hotels rather than chalet type accom.

You would expect to spend a lot more to buy toursit accommodation on the South Shore than other areas such as Cape Breton or Annapolis Valley

deanjp32

We live 5 mins from Tatamagouche and although i cannot talk about other areas of NS i can say that in the summer months the area is short of accomodation and could well do with some extra accomadation.

As for schools we have an elementary and a high school in town both of which are very good. I know the head of the elementary, 1 of the teachers and a supply teacher in the school are brits. We have a thriving community in the local area and quite a few brits considering the low population of the area.

We have a hospital although on occasion the ER closesdue to lack of doctors but that seems not to be uncommon

There is so much to do locally and i would recommend the area to anyone. Jobs are a little harder to come by but you can get them if you look hard enough. We have!!!

The area has lots of small business potential with lots of cottage industry locally providing almost anything one could want. The area is looking to become more self sustainable which offers lots of scope. I could not believe the small businesses that are around when we 1st got here.

Property prices are still cheaper than the south shore but choose your realtor carefully (other be members will know who i mean)

All in all the North Shore can offer you everything you want in your move to Canada but as with everything you should see for yourselves before deciding on any destination as it's you who will have to live with it.

All of NS has something to offer, it's just the individual that has to decide what area offers the best for themselves

Good luck

destinationnovascotia

My youngest son came from a small school in the UK to a large P9 school here and has adapted really well. The classes are small and the teachers are really dedicated. We live half an hour from Dartmouth in a small friendly coastal community.

I have a couple of (Canadian) friends who live in more rural areas where the schools are very small. The problems that they have are:

1. Limited curriculum opportuities (no economies of scale).
2. Several staff live a long drive away and so are eager to get home at night, this limits the opportunities for after school clubs and activities.
3. From their rural area (which is lovely) they have to travel so much to allow their kids to experience things that we just take for granted eg cinema, leisure centres, clothes shopping etc. They tell me that their kids just hate the car because they have to spend so much time in it.

To get a school as small as you are used to would probably mean living a long way from amenities and although many schools are larger than you have been used to, I know of no-one who has moved from the UK who is unhappy with the schools here.

I hope that this helps.

adynlucy

Thank you for your replies and advice.
Can you tell me the name of the realtor I should avoid?? I guess you cant post this, perhaps pm me?
Thanks,

Lucy

destinationnovascotia

You need 3 posts before you can get a PM so post again.

deanjp32

Just avoid the newest brit realtor in the area

adynlucy

Thanks again for advice. Is there much in the way of Riding School/holidays in the Tatam area?
This is something I would be looking at setting up. Any ideas how they are with regards planning permission etc?
Thanks,

Lucy
PS (think this is my 3rd post?!)

deanjp32

there is a riding school in the Tatamagouche area. It is called Elysium stables. They do riding lessons but not holidays. They have an indoor arena although a little small for a jump course. The stables are in need of repair but they are looking at a new barn. I think she charges $300 per month for boarding etc

The area could do with a high quality facility though. We had horses in the UK and are keen to get back involved now we are settled here. We did western predominantly but ride english also.

Not really a problem with planning permission. It seems no where near as complex as it does in the UK.

PM me if you need anymore info

adynlucy

Deanjp32, ive sent you a PM
Thanks

horsegirl

Hello British mates-
just a word from Elysium Stables, the only local riding school in Tata. Although it's great that we have been mentioned, we just wanted to clarify that we are not 'in need of repair', we are actually currently under construction, and hence there are always jobs to be finished. We just wanted to clear things up as it would be incorrect to think of us as ramshackle in any way. We are brand new, and finishing up projects as we speak. We are also ever expanding and are looking at lots of possible new features. If you do have any questions about Elysium Stables, or the industry in this area, please feel free to contact us directly for accurate info. Thanks, and welcome to anyone moving to the area!
[email protected]

deanjp32

i dont think anyone said it was ramshackle

Paradisefound

I highly recommend Elysium Stables it is a fantasic facility to have in our community. My daughter loves her weekly riding lessons and has been going since she was 5 and now at 7yrs old she is a very confident rider.

Paradisefound

So lets get back into the business here by being negative about a future competitors business.

adynlucy

Thank you for your reply. We dont want to step on anyones toes, we were simply enquiring if there are any facilities in the area.