Moving to Shrewsbury, Shropshire
 

Hi everyone,

We have just received an email saying our "visa will be dispatched shortly"so we are assuming our spouse settlement visa has been approved but won't believe it till it is in our hands.
My question is I am the UK spousal sponsor & will be moving back to the place I grew upbut have no idea what it is like to live?
Any tips on places to live or avoid?
I left there when I was 11 to go to a theatre school & moved away from the UK at 20 so now many moons later I have a husband & young son & have no idea what to expect. We have done a few visits over the last 12 yrs but never with a view to actually living there.
Does anyone have any good advice re schools in that region? Also I have no idea being 2.5 does my son need to be registered for a school now? Education is high on our priority list & sadly I don't think we could afford private schools, also what age do they start school & do they do kindy? Sorry I am completely green to all this :)
Also with tots here in Australia we have a vast choice of activites for him, gymbaroo, playgroups etc - does the UK have similar things?
Any advice on Shropshire would be much appreciated from anyone.
Kind regards,
Natalie

Re: Moving to Shrewsbury, Shropshire
 

I can't tell you about individual schools around that area, but three and four year olds are entitled to free nursery provision for a certain number of hours a week (my kids are much older so I'm a bit out of date with number of hours etc). This can be at a nursery of your choice, either state or private. The money is given directly to the provider and there maybe a bit of a gap to pay of you choose a private nursery. Have a look at some of the websites which should give you some idea.
You'll find a similar amount of things to do with your child here as in Australia.
Have a look at this http://www.tumbletots.com/programmes.php?ID=4 which is like Gymboree.
There are playgroups (where you leave you child for a morning or afternoon and are usually less expensive than nursery - we used one as well as nursery) and preschool music sessions as well as toddler groups which are like the playgroup sessions in Australia.
If you can't find what you're looking for on the internet, once you register with a gp here your health visitor will be able to give you contacts for all the local groups. There's usually so much going on you won't be bored or lonely!
When you get there you'll also be able to talk to other parents about schools. Do a search for schools in the area then have a look at their OFSTED reports so you have an idea (they're tedious to wade though, but read enough of them and you learn to read between the lines!), then chat to parents and go to visit the ones you like. In some areas the schools are oversubscribed so there's a chance you wouldn't get your first choice, but that problem tends to be in areas with higher populations. It's worth asking though.
There are some very good secondary schools around that area so I've heard.
HTH a bit.

Good luck with your move!

Re: Moving to Shrewsbury, Shropshire
 

I was in Shrewsbury the week before last!

Was visiting mum who lives in Bratton and we always go for the day. It's got some lovely independent shops and a bustling High Street still.

There has been an enormous amount of new build in the Telford Area and there is still plenty going on. Just by chance I had a look in the window of one of the estate agents in Shrewsbury and there seemed to be a wide variety of property for sale. I believe that there is also a lot of property available to rent. Sorry I don't know anything about the schools - but remember that it's important to live as close as possible to the school you would like your kids to go to. Even then, though, that's no guarantee they will get in - there has been a huge stink in Sutton Coldfield about kids living less than a mile from Boldmere infants and Junior who couldn't get in even though it's a three form intake.

I have to say that I would love to live in the area if we went back to the UK; unfortunately if we do it would have to be south of Birmingham for OH's job.

Good luck with your move back!