Good areas for families with primary school aged kids around Glasgow?

Hi all--we are potentially moving from florida to Glasgow area in the coming months and my biggest worry is that I don't know what areas are good for families in the Glasgow suburbs! Anyone know of any? We have friends that live in Paisley, Netherlee, in-laws live in east Ayrshire. DH hopes to be on a rail line into the city center.

Thanks so much!

Hi there, sorry I can't answer your question as I'm in the same position and have been researching for months without much luck. Good luck with your move and I hope someone will offer some advice here 

I can help. Can you give me more specifics so I can narrow it down for you?
East Renfrewshire schools are quite good, so if that's a priority, maybe start there. Then decide if you want rural, American-style neighbourhood, or someplace a bit more urban(ish). Giffnock, Busby, Clarkston, Newton Mearns.
But that's just one smallish area. Could recommend places closer into the city, or places that are prettier, etc.

Thanks Dani and EAToomey! I had forgotten I posted this. I have heard the same as what she noted above. We are a few months away from our move and so watching closely in the East Renfrewshire area. We happen to be going for Spring Break in a few weeks so going to explore the area a bit. I'll update when I get back. I have heard good things about Bearsden and Milngavie too? Those being north aren't as convenient for us because in laws in Ayrshire. We are toying with the idea of trying Prestwick or Troon but less options there and a farther commute. Dani, I'll buddy up--when are you moving?

You might be interested to know that there is a Whole Foods market in Giffnock! 

Lol! After this move we will be more on an Aldi budget! My DH found one of those in Newton mearns 

I'd shop at Aldi long before I'd go to "Whole Paycheck". 

Aldi is full of European yogurt and cheese, which is much better.  I try to avoid meats from there since the standards for animal welfare are so low in Europe.

I try to avoid meats from there since the standards for animal welfare are so low in Europe.

According to their TV adverts, their meat is British.

Learn something new every day!  I'll read the packages next time I'm there.

Thanks Dani and EAToomey! I had forgotten I posted this. I have heard the same as what she noted above. We are a few months away from our move and so watching closely in the East Renfrewshire area. We happen to be going for Spring Break in a few weeks so going to explore the area a bit. I'll update when I get back. I have heard good things about Bearsden and Milngavie too? Those being north aren't as convenient for us because in laws in Ayrshire. We are toying with the idea of trying Prestwick or Troon but less options there and a farther commute. Dani, I'll buddy up--when are you moving?

We still have a couple of giant hurdles but it sounds like our timelines are pretty close! We hope to go in late June/early July. I feel like my wishlist for an area is huge and I'm SO nervous we won't find somewhere that works well for us. Please do update here with what you find out!   

How old are your kids? We have 2 boys and a girl ages 8, 6, and 4.

Hi there! So back from our spring break/fact finding/house hunting mission in Glasgow. We ended up finding a home in Bearsden and taking it. I also explored the south side and really liked it too.

What I can explain best is that Bearsden and milngavie are very established and have a reputation for "posh" and fancy, and the southside is basically the main suburb for anyone with kids. My friend that lives in Netherlee said basically everyone in their neighborhood has kids.
They are also building a lot of new homes there, particularly around Patterton train station. If you need to be near rail, this could be a really good optIon. She drove me around Giffnock (which I think would be my favorite just on my short visit), Netherlee, Newton Mearns (huge and expanding)--then also Clarkston & Eaglesham. Eaglesham was really cool--older and more villagy feel. It does not have a train station though.

We ended up in Bearsden because we found a rental that accepted our pets...and that I did like the size of it. Seemed a lot more manageable to me than the southside, but it was mostly just "yes, we accept pets" that was the main thing for us! Also the southside rentals were pretty pricey for our budget.

Schools are all fantastic in the southside (East Renfrewshire) according to my friend who lives there, but overcrowding is an issue and it is very likely that there may not be a spot at your catchment school. This also (and already has) happened to us in Bearsden. Apparently, if you don't get into your catchment school you go to the next closest one that has room. The Bearsden people told me that they actually are responsible for taxiing my kids to the school too which is great (although hopefully I will not need that service).

Milngavie was really cute too with a huge pedestrian area and it seems to have a lot of culture. The West Highland way trail starts there too.

Hope this helps you!

That's great you found a place... I'm sure you'll like Bearsden.