Moving back to the UK - stressed re schools, any advice?

[CharlotteSimmons]

Hi all
We have been in the US for 4 years and are moving back to the UK this summer. We need to be commutable to London (Euston) and I am having a nightmare trying to find a place to live that is nice, has good schools that have spaces in them. I am starting to get really stressed, has anyone else been through this and can offer me some advice
Thanks

[PetraArkanian]

Try berkhamsted or tring..

[Secretsquirrel13]

What kind of commuting time would you consider?

[NigellasDealer]

St Albans?

[CharlotteSimmons]

Thank you - I have looked at and like all of of those places but my impression is that the schools are really oversubscribed and my DC will be going into years 2 and 4 in September, I don't know if there are villages near them that have schools, although they will probably all suffer from the same problem!

[HalleLouja]

Wheathampstead is near St Albans and you may find places there. One of the schools will definitely have places for year 2. Secondary schools are an issue but they are hopefully building a free school in time.....

Hertford is really nice with good schools.

[Lovage]

Milton Keynes! It's where the house prices get cheap but is still very commutable to Euston (30 mins on Virgin trains). And if you've been in the US, it'll feel just like home - grid roads, have to drive everywhere, huge shopping mall in the middle of town. Or if you want proper British feeling places, one of the older settlements within MK like Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell or Bletchley. Newport Pagnell has a particularly good secondary school.

[CharlotteSimmons]

Thanks - someone else suggested Stony Stratford but I can't remember in what context!
Where we live here doesn't fit the US stereotype, we can walk everywhere and the roads are all over the place and you have to drive out of town to find the big malls!! Not sure I could handle the irony of returning home to road grids, big malls and driving everywhere!!

[GRW]

Leighton Buzzard is a nice town on the mainline train route into Euston (about 45 minutes), and the schools are good too. It is in Bedfordshire so they have a 3 tier education system, and I know a few go to the grammar schools in Aylesbury at 11. Stony Stratford is nice too, but doesn't have a railway station so you would have to drive about 6 miles into Milton Keynes.

[redmapleleaves]

Welwyn Garden City (though the secondaries aren't great.) We moved back to Milton Keynes,where the schools are fine but its a longer commute. We had to go to appeal for school places and I think realistically for many that might be what you need to do.