London Area & Primary School

[user1490191001]

We're currently looking at moving to London in the summer to be closer to my husband's work (his daily commute is brutal).

Our daughter will start Year 1 in September and she's currently at a lovely and nurturing public school with very small class sizes. Unfortunately we may not be able to stretch to paying London rent AND school fees so we're looking at state schools. We understand that it may be tricky to move her mid-year so we might look at moving to a good catchment area whilst keeping her in an independent school for a year or so. We have looked at Blackheath high school as an option as we like their ethos but not sure about the area or the state schools in the neighbourhood.

We would love some recommendations of a good area. Ideally we would like to be within a 30-45 minutes commute to Canary Wharf. We prefer areas with independent shops, less suburban, great cafes, art and parks but the main thing is of course the school. We're looking to rent at first (2/3 beds and max budget £2250/month). Are we chasing a unicorn or do you have any suggestions that might fit the bill?