Maidenhead - Good place to live?

[SupriyaSingh]

Hi,

We are an Indian family which would be relocating to London this April. Both me and my husband are working professionals and since my office is in Maidenhead (my husband's office is near Liverpool Street Station), we are planning to settle down in Maidenhead, preferably somewhere closer to the Train Station. We have a four and a half year old daughter who we are looking to get enrolled in a good school in Maidenhead. Since, we still don't have a permanent address in London but we have a very good idea where we would be settling down, I was hoping to understand if

1. Is Maidenhead a good place to live? It looks like an area with lots of greenery, parks and good schools which should be good for the LO but is there anything we should be mindful of?
   
2. I wanted to check if there is anything we can do which can help improve chances of my kid getting admission in a good school. I know we have already missed the first deadline for enrollment so if there is anything we can do otherwise, please suggest. Would contacting the schools and explaining our situation help?
   
3. What is the best way to look for houses on rent in Maidenhead? If there are any recommended agents, please feel free to suggest,
   

Sorry for the long post and for the many questions but I am hoping to do some research before coming over.

Thanks for helping.

Regards,
Supriya

[Mary21]

Right move is a good start for House hunting. It also has a school search facility.
In most areas you can apply for schools till you have an address. E.g. Signed letting agreement.
In England there is a class size limit for 4-7 year olds of 30. So if a class is full it is full. However the local educational authority has to find you child a place somewhere.
I don't know the Maidenhead schools.
Does your child speak English. If not it will be kinder for her to at least learn a few words. If you don't get a school place straight away it might be worth taking her along to some toddler groups or playgroups

[Mary21]

That should read you can't apply

[Ferguson]

Maidenhead is a nice place to live, but it can be very expensive - ourDS lives there.

Transport links are good, and getting better, with CrossRail due to open in the near future, which will give better trains into London.

It is very near the River Thames, and is quite a 'high class' area - which makes is expensive! There is nice countryside nearby, and smaller villages.

I don't know anything about schools, but if you need help I can probably find out from the county offices - Berkshire.

[NOTNITS]

Yes and No. The locals moan about the town center and rightly so, there is no comparison with near by towns of Marlow, Henley, or even the villages near by. As adults you will struggle to find bars, restaurants to drink in and the town center is quite rough, over half term many fights were noted between youngsters. Youngsters recently complained to council, they don't feel safe alone in the town.
There are no exciting shops for a Saturday mooch, however there is much investment in the area and I suspect in ten years it will be OK.

Its not somewhere we would choose to hang out or spend time in. If we could - we would live in Marlow, cookham, Henley and so on.

That said - for small DC there are plethora of social things on, groups, toddlers, baby stuff. You wouldn't need a car, many in town center. Its close to attractive places but cheaper, eg terrace house in Marlow far more expensive than one in Mhead.
Close to Motorways, good transport links. Most schools are very very good but there are a few with on going problematic reputations eg St Lukes. There are numerous cosy private schools but fewer good secondary schools, however you are near Grammar county in Bucks.

Cross rail coming soon of course will have huge impact on town. Depends on your budget.

[Allthebestnamesareused]

I was going to say the same thing - you might be better off living in Buckinghamshire (eg. Burnham Beeches, Marlow etc) so that you'd have access to grammar schools etc when your child gets to secondary age.

Also then your husband would have the option of going into London from say Maidenhead (not fast trains because the fast ones go from Reading and whizz past you) or High Wycombe or Beaconsfield.

[SupriyaSingh]

Thanks everybody for your kind and needless to say very helpful responses. As I mentioned in my comment, my husband's office is going to be near Liverpool Street Station so any further away from London would mean a bigger commute for him which we were hesitant to do. Also, it looks like the consensus view is that there is not much I can do on the school front till we get a permanent place in London?

@Mary21 : Yes, my child is fluent in English so dont expect language to be a big issue.

@Ferguson : Good to know that Maidenhead is a good place to settle down. We have also heard of something similar and hopefully it should live to our expectations.

@NOTNITS : Uh oh. I do hope safety is not an issue as I dont think I can compromise on that front. We do plan to buy a car so hopefully commute to nearby places should not be an issue.

@Allthebestnamesareused : Haha I loved your user name. Thanks for the suggestion. I would check again if Marlow is a good option.

Once again thanks for helping with my (endless) queries.

[toomuchicecream]

If your husband is going to be working near Liverpool Street, why Maidenhead? He'll have to get into town and then across on the tube. If you follow the train lines out of Liverpool Street to the north/east he'll be able to get a train straight in and not have to do the tube bit - far less stressful. I'm thinking Bishops Stortford/Saffron Walden/Cambridge way - it's over 20 years since I lived in that direction (Maidenhead now...) so I can't advise on area but I'm sure others will be able to.

[FreeNiki]

Maidenhead is ok. I dont like its proximity to Slough which is quite rough. Shopping centre is a bit grotty.

Its also close to Windsor which is nice. No idea about the schools. My friend who lives there has children but not school age yet, a baby and toddler.

Why live in Maidenhead if he works in Liverpool Street?

The money you save on London rent may be wiped out by an extortionate travelcard cost. It will be about £100 per week or £400 per month. Maidenhead isnt cheap to live in either.

South London has nice leafy green areas and huge parks. Good transport links too.

[FreeNiki]

Sorry. Just saw your office is in Maidenhead!

So that'll save you on transport costs to live in Maidenhead rather than you both paying them.

[SupriyaSingh]

@FreeNiki Yes, my office is in Maidenhead.Hhence we thought of staying somewhere close by... so that atleast one of us (me) would be close to house & our child's school/ day care ....

Thanks all for your thoughts .... any bit of information is welcome... helps us alot !!

[mumsneedwine]

Holyport is very nice.

[gandalf456]

If you are thinking of living in the centre, there isn't much choice of schools within walking distance. You are better off living to the west of the town.

The town doesn't have many good shops and is a bit of a young person's drinking town.

Houses are a bit overpriced for what they are.

Saying that, it is relatively safe

[FreeNiki]

Maidenhead is not good for shops.

My friend said there isnt even a baby specific shop now, e.g. no Mothercare or similar.

Reading is good for shopping and a bigger town. Only a 25 minute drive from Maidenhead.

[gandalf456]

There is one in Taplow, 2 miles away

[gandalf456]

Yes, Reading is good. Windsor is not too bad either

[WutheringFrights]

Cookham is lovely little village - it's just outside Maidenhead and has a small train station that links to Maidenhead station.

[Ojoj1974]

As a child I lived in holyport and went Highfield PNEU school on castle hill in Maidenhead. I have v happy memories

[Kay1773]

Hi girls,

I am moving to Maidenhead in September 2018, with my 14 year ds and 9 year old dd. I am looking into area and schools, also got a lot of information from the thread. I have a few queries:

1. My dd is fluent in English, currently studying English National Curriculum. How are faith schools in the area? Specially St Edmund Campion and St. Mary's primary schools? What about St Luke's?
   
2. Is there school transport for 9 year old or will I have to pick and drop her?
   
3. How is Desborough college for my 14-year old ds?
   
4. Is area safe for a teenager to walk into town centre?
   
5. How is renting in the area? I want to rent a 3-bedroom house, how much that would roughly cost?
   

Thanks a lot.

[nomita]

hi supriya , any updates on Maidenhead . we are also thinking of moving there .I heard it is a nice place.My husbands office is in slough and mine in different parts of london .please can you update on maidenhead feedback

[nomita]

hi all if anyone can tell me maidenhead is safe area.
My husband joins TT club and tournaments are late at night so is it safe to come from club/bus.We plan to live near 0.5 miles of maidenhead

[thaaaafuck]

@nomita I live in Maidenhead and would say it's pretty safe, like all towns it has its issues but it's a lovely place to live

[nomita]

thx :)

[OntheMove2020]

@nomita and @SupriyaSingh, How are you finding maidenhead? I will be moving to Maidenhead in May and wondered what would be a good area to rent for somebody that doesn't drive ie need to get to groceries and secondary school (DS) at walking distance. TIA

[Eshaar]

@nomita - how are you finding maidenhead? I am planning to move there with a 4 month old baby. Any suggestions on day care and rent?

[nomita]

We didn’t move there and are in London as my husband project duration was not certain and my job being in London