Moving to Sittingbourne

[Sherads]

Hello. We are planning to move to Kent and we have found a lovely house in Sittingbourne. What's the area like for raising kids? I have heard a few bad things about the area but surely there must be some good as well. Thanks

[Hakluyt]

Can you say where it's near in Sittingbourne?

[Sherads]

Emerald Crescent.

[NickelBooks]

Hmmm.
I live in Sittingbourne.
Sonors Fields is a lovely part of sittingbourne, actually, so you've chosen well there :)

It's okay for raising kids - some very good schools, lots of parks etc, and things to get involved in.

[NickelBooks]

Not Sonors....
Sonora

[Hakluyt]

I don't know that area, but I like Sittingbourne. You need to be aware that, if all goes to plan, there are going to be major works starting in the city centre which will be very disruptive. I don't know whether that will affect your bit. And also remember that it is a selective education area, so unless a miracle happens, the 11+ will loom large in your life as some stage........

[Sherads]

Thanks all. We are going to drive round the area in the coming days to get a feel of it. Will also do some research about the planned works Hakluyt.

[Hakluyt]

Some lovely country pubs!

[NickelBooks]

"Research about the planned works"
Good luck with that research
even the planners and KCC don't know much about the planned works.
It's all a bit of a mess, really.

[NickelBooks]

Anyway, your local council is Swale Borough Council and the works arw in association with Spirit of Sittingbourne

[Hakluyt]

I was going to say if you found out anything come back and tell us. My teenager was promised a Nandos...........

[Sherads]

That bad, oh dear.

[Hungryhamster]

We moved to Sittingbourne about 6 years ago. We live in the south end of town which is pleasant, I'm less familiar with the north end of town so can't really comment. But I do know lots of people who live on Senora and it is a very pleasant part of town, full of young families and nice, friendly people. There us a popular 2 for 1 there and new village hall, parade of shops etc. Our daughter attends Bobbing Village School (which is part of an academy with Iwade school) and she is very happy there, she is thriving. Obviously I can't speak for all the parents, but we have found the standard of teaching to be good, and when our DD had an issue with some (short lived) bullying by an older child it was very swiftly dealt with by the teaching staff, we were impressed. As an area it is generally very friendly (I've found it to be) and while it isn't anything special to look at it is a really useful town to live in as far as services and amenities go. There are lots of parks and playgrounds, masses of brownies/cubs groups. Swimming lessons at the local leisure centre (Swallows) are a bit meh though and there isn't another alternative locally for swimming lessons that isn't a trek to get to. There are some pretty villages and countryside to the south of town (Tunstall, Bredgar, Borden), and a farm where you can do strawberry picking. Lots of secondary schools of varying quality - two grammar schools (Highsted for girls and Borden for boys). I believe Westlands has a good ofsted report but don't know much else about it. If your kids love halloween then Iwade (village just north of sittingbourne) is the place to go, they really go all out. Grove Park is always busy at the weekends with kids doing extracurricular team sports like football. In the Eurolink trading estate there is softplay (Merry-go-round) and Little Potters (where kids can paint figurines and do soft play). Traffic on the main road through town can be pretty bad if there are roadworks (which there often are), and the A249 often has traffic jams. But Sittingbourne is very handy for the M2 and the M20. There are proposals for a huge housing development in the south of town (Borden) which is being fought tooth and nail by local residents who don't want local green fields destroyed and traffic made worse. There are always rumours flying about of regeneration in the town, some of which still haven't happened - although we were all very excited when an M&S Foodhall opened up recently . So, although Sittingbourne is not what I would call my forever home, it is a thriving town with a lot going for it and I am now very fond of it (after initially being unsure about moving here). My DD absolutely loves it here and is thriving, which says it all really.

[Hungryhamster]

There is also a country park (White Horse Wood Country Park) just up the A249 - nice for family walks.

[Sherads]

Thanks Hungryhamster for the info! We did drive round town last week and we liked it. We couldn't find any of the nearest primary schools within walking distance though. The only one we could find was Regis Manor which was a drive away.

[Sherads]

All I read about was Pizza express and home bargains and there was some signpost in the town centre when we drove past. It looked like work had started or about to but I could be wrong.

[Hungryhamster]

If you are looking to move to Senora then Bobbing Village School should be within walking distance, most of the pupils at Bobbing live on Senora. It is on Sheppey Way and you can either go around the back of Senora and turn left then left again, or there is a footpath which goes from Senora to the Bobbing Roundabout then direct to the school. Hope that helps.

[Sherads]

That really helps, thanks.

[fbdmum]

Hi, we are looking to buy our first home and considering Sittingbourne as it looks quite reasonably priced.... We've viewed a couple of houses which look lovely and in quite cul-de-sacs (between Kemsley and Milton Regis), but we don't know the area at all (other than a few specific roads to avoid) and have seen it referred to as "shittingbourne" I'm aware they are regenerating the area so this should make it much better, right?... Can anyone give us any advice please? Much appreciated