School advices for expat - All inputs on my thought appreciate.

Yes but with respect, re crime rates in Sevenoaks etc, that’s not knife crime. The towns you’ve mentioned (St Albans etc) as well are (and it’s just personal opinion based purely on driving through, perhaps there are areas of Sutton that aren’t very built up with identikit roads and the odd 70’s High Rise) are also extremely attractive.

You're going to make OP paranoid. Some areas in London do have high crime rates (all the mentioned places of Camden, Islington, Pimlico) but so do some places outside London. I've worked in over 100 state schools across London so have a good sense of what areas are actually like and it has little to do with house prices. Many of the very expensive areas close to central London are interspersed with some very rough areas so just because you pay 3 or 5M for a house, doesn't mean it's a safe area. And loads of schools are pretty rough. I even worked in one with 2 police officers on premises at all times and saw 6 police cars full of cops trying to break up gang fights. By contrast, I've done bits in almost all the secondary schools across the borough of Sutton and it's all lovely. And crime rates for the borough are actually lower than Sevenoaks, Guildford, St Albans etc and about the same as Winchester.

But anyway, the OP can always visit a bunch of areas and see what they fancy.

The Kent grammars also have catchments, pretty wide within Kent but different for each school. I live in Sevenoaks and would echo everything about Orpington, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells being affluenf, desirable areas. Perhaps Orpington aside, some but not a great deal of ethnic diversity though!

Some of the London grammars do have catchments - our 2 did and so did the next nearest. Very big catchments though and you could do test and move afterwards.

In your position I'd look in Sevenoaks, Orpington or Tunbridge Wells or thereabouts - particularly if you are commuting into Canary Wharf or the City. These are affluent, middle class areas, safe and with good schools. I do t think you have said where you need to commute too but 50 mins door to door might be difficult further out. Orpington has a 20 minute fast train service to London and has very good schools as the Grammars there are super selectives (so no catchments) making the comps good. Petts Wood is also a pleasant area. Reigate is a lovely area too but I don't know about the state schools there.

I would counsel against going anywhere that doesn't have any diversity as you may find it difficult to 'fit in'. Just from my observation. Don't be put off by diversity - it is what makes London great and different to other areas of the U.K. There are many safe areas even with a diverse population!

Others have mentioned location of work is going to massively affect that 50 min commute. I live out of London near Basingstoke and my DP works in St James it takes him around 1hr 20 mins to get to work and that includes the 20 min walk he chooses to take from Waterloo to St James.
We have friends who live on Lewisham and one of them works in Kings Cross her commute is 1hr 30min.

She has a 2 bed one reception terraced house in Lewisham for the same money around us she could have a four detached with at least two receptions. We are half way between Newbury and Basingstoke and if she lived here her commute would be slightly shorter or the same.
The vast majority of people who work in London have a commute of at least 1 hour, so 50 mins is putting you in the most expensive housing areas.

First area I lived in London I was very violently attacked with a crowbar after going shopping by a stranger for my handbag no warning just started hitting me. Second area, a very middle class area with many £1 million pound houses but someone made the great decision to close the police station and make it 30 mins drive away you would hear of kids being stabbed at 5pm. Lots of stabbings around the tube. If you look at statistics there 20,000 violent crimes (which excludes other crimes such as murder, burglary etc) per month in London - with a population of around 8 million that's a 3% chance of being violently attacked per person per year. Four of my friends had been violently attacked too, one in Islington, two in Pimlico. It's definitely not just estates with the criminal coming up first and or the other MN favourite of the criminal will politely ask first and all black people attacking each other as portrayed in the right wing media.

Yep sadly knife crime is creeping out into the outer boroughs Kids are being targeted buy gangs to do the dirty work for them.

It’s very sad.

For 400-609k you can manage a 3 bed with a reasonable commute to kings cross from Herts.

For St Albans that will be a very small 3 bed tho. Another 200k might get a ok sized one. At Albans is ridiculous

But ware Hertford Welwyn Stevenage
Wheathampstead Harpenden all doable.

@JoJoSM2 knife crime isn't just restricted to sink estates in rough areas. For example, 3 men were stabbed in Barnet in the summer, one of whom died. The children of two families we know in North London in different but non dodgy areas have both had police come into their state secondary schools to talk about knives and one of them witnessed a knife incident in their school between Year 10 boys. Barnet obviously isn't rough but unfortunately thanks to cuts in policing and lack of investment in youth engagement and development programmes, violence like a hydra does seem to be popping up in wider locations. Yes there is youth crime outside London but a far far smaller percentage of that involves weapons. I'm not sure for £600k and presumably looking for 3 bedrooms you'd find much in the desirable areas of North London either.

All of the above have supermarkets.

Honestly, what is it with the gang culture? The OP isn't looking to move to an estate in Lambeth, Southwark or Newham. Some London boroughs have 0 gang activity and crime rates below the national average. They're very safe places to live.

Finance jobs in London are often based around Liverpool Street or Canary Wharf though more boutique can be in Mayfair but that's rarer. Do you have a job already? Where will it be based? Location of the job will affect where is 50 minutes.

Grammar schools usually have catchment areas but they are very large - the one DD went to its catchment covered around 200 schools. The grammars in London are very hard to get into (roughly the top child in each primary for ours - primary had 60 kids and only DD got in), grammars in Kent are easier and much higher percentage. There's a forum called the 11 plus forum which can go through that when the time comes. My daughter hated the grammar so now at a comprehensive. A lot of areas do not have grammars in them.

We moved out of London to countryside partly due to the crime, safest areas are out of London unless you've got infinite money. It's worth looking into train routes rather than tube if you are based by Liverpool Street. Somewhere like Hertford (East) or Ware are very safe and have good schools, commute would be under 50 minutes if by Liverpool Street. The commuting costs can get high though. Further out there's Bishops Stortford which is fairly safe, good schools and good value. Saffron Walden is lovely and amazing schools, incredibly safe but you have to get 2 miles to train station and commute is over 50 minutes and not always reliable in winter. Sawbridgeworth is pretty and safe but very small.

Whereabouts in London will you be working? This should really determine your search if you only want a 50 minute commute.

How about Bromley? Hayes grove, Orpington, Chislehurst, West Wickham and Beckenham (the latter two are lovely in particular) and all good transport options into central London. (Train from Hayes grove to London Bridge half an hour for example)

All supermarkets deliver in the UK. But you do get brick and mortar supermarkets everywhere too.

But I would agree that commuting to London from Winchester isn’t sensible!

Winchester is hardly outlandish (extremely attractive and with a great deal of history!). Like @madeyemoodysmum I wouldn’t consider London either. I lived there for 15 years and somehow still manage to live a ‘rich life’! It’s a very London attitude to assume anywhere outside is inferior but having lived in both, I prefer green places, bigger cheaper houses and no police coming into school to give my children talks on knives! Barnet is ok with decent schools but personally the quality of life for all age groups where we live now is infinitely better with the same access travel time wise to centre of London that we had when we lived outside Richmond

I wouldn’t even be considering London if you can avoid living there. Gang culture is getting worse and worse and as a parent I wouldn’t be able to let my kids out.

For st ALbans you need to be very near the school you want to get in.

There are no graders that I’m aware of except maybe the girls school but I thought that was a private school.

My house is for sale near the London train Lovely 3 bed. Buy that

there are good state schools in barnet borough, inc some that go all the way from age 5 to 18, eg in Hendon, which is very popular. Colindale is not particularly working-class, more mixed, but has many good supermarkets and a specialist oriental zone with shops and restaurants. Finchley is also good and they are all well connected, with access to alternative routes into town in case of disruption on one line.
for your budget you will be a little limited in terms of family homes, have you thought of Borehamwood, good shops, railway, still near good schools, where prices are a little lower. but being outside the London boroughs children will not get free bus travel.
I wouldn't consider such outlandish places as Winchester, as the mother/wife esp may feel v isolated. near to London is much better for a richer life, so many cultural activites and easy public transport. remember that outside London, public transport hardly exists, which will severely cramp your children's activites as they get older.
I know people who grew up out in the sticks because their parents thought it was a better life style, but the children once into double figures, hated it, not being able to get around, do things, meet up, without being dependent on being chauffeured by parents. some really resented being so isolated and couldn't wait to leave home, get into a big city.
good luck.

Winchester, Alresford or Alton

I second the suggestions for Mill Hill/ Barnet/Hendon/Finchley if you're thinking of North London. Diverse, plenty of green spaces, good schools, decent transport links. And a lot of supermarkets - although I'd suggest getting your food delivered, TBH.

Further in, and more expensive but very pleasant, there's Crouch End/Muswell Hill/Alexandra Palace (but don't cross the tracks into Bounds Green/Wood Green).

OP, if you wanted to look at market towns, then south of London my favourites would be Dorking and Reigate. Horsham is a bit further out and pretty too. No grammar options that way, though and not very international (and that’s generally the way with the desirable market towns).