Relocating to East Sussex - advice needed pls

[Catsandfelix]

Hello

We are relocating from the North and need help figuring out where we should live.
Looking for somewhere no further than 1 hrs drive to Hailsham
Top budget is 800k, 3 beds
Need options for sixth form, independent or state
A town or city where a non driving family member won’t feel lost without a car, so near a town centre (15 min walk is fine)
Good for teenagers
Safe but with some atmosphere, cafes shops etc
Would like off road parking and or a garage
So far considering Eastbourne, Worthing but not sure. Like the look of Lewes and Tunbridge Wells, very expensive but look great for non driver and teenager.

Don’t know the area at all and is a huge move for us. Any advice or areas to look at or avoid would be gratefully received.

The college in Eastbourne is an FE college so more than a 6th form. It's big, has a lot of vocational courses and adult learners. It's inclusive as it runs courses from entry level to level 3 for 16-19 year olds.

There are no 6th form colleges attached to schools in Eastbourne (state schools).

Kent College have excellent 6th form but on other side of Tunbridge Wells going out to Pembury. TWGS you might get into if daughter is academic and catchment is closer from Rusthall .
Mayfield College is approximately 15 mins out of Tunbridge Wells and I think has a mini bus coming into Tunbridge Wells .

I'd suggest Eastbourne, Seaford or Bexhill(assuming Hailsham itself is a no-go for some reason!) and probably in that order with a teenager. Lewes will feel very small and boring to a teenager and Tunbridge Wells is very expensive.

Worthing is excellent (I live here and grew up here) but it is not really an hour away from Hailsham. Google Maps says 48 minutes right now at half-nine in the evening!

From a no car perspective then Haywards Heath is probably worth a look.

Especially if public transport is important. It has great links; Brighton in 15minutes, London in 45 minutes, plus direct trains to Worthing, Eastbourne, Lewes, Gatwick and even Cambridge.

Personally I think Eastbourne wouldn't be great for a teen or young adult. Little kids maybe, and older adults definitely.

Thank you so much everyone. Still reading through all replies.

Very much. I have had kids at a variety of schools and think the pastoral care at Bede's is second to none. They do not pursue grades, but encourage every child to achieve their best and so have the best "value added" scores in the south east. It's also a very happy school. One of mine is there and is getting straight As, but I know l children with other talents excelling in their chosen sport, or drama. art or music. They even have a zoo and a number of the pupils go on to work with animals. It's really worth a look.

@Catsandfelix I absolutely agree that state secondaries in TW are amazing. Definitely no need to pay, just wanted to mention in case you preferred private education x

Absolutely happy, and tweens as well. It’s not perfect and there are some rough bits as in any town, but the meads is well away from them.

Hastings is great for a day trip and you can see that lots of money has been pumped into it in recent years, but having also dated one of the aforementioned tattooed bikers who spent a lot of time in some of the less salubrious pubs, I can assure you that there is a reason you can get a lot of house for your money there.

Eastbourne might not be comparable to the excitement and entertainment you’d find in Brighton, but it’s safe, it’s nice, it’s not grimy or depressing. You can take your family out for a walk in the evening, grab a cup of coffee or an ice cream and not worry about dealing with someone who fancies having a fight. The schools seem to be pretty good. Everywhere is either within walking distance or on a bus route and if they want somewhere with a bit more of a buzz about it, it’s 30 minutes to Brighton on the train.

Avoid Saltdean and Peacehaven

Out of interest what do you dislike about Saltdean? It has the Lido now and the undercliff walk right into Brighton, and is set so beautifully between the sea and the downs.

Peacehaven I agree with you. Drab as.

The kids in my village who went to Bedes have all gone somewhere else for sixth form.

I think this is me you're quoting...! To be perfectly honest I've not actually been to Saltdean since the lido reopened, so I'm basing my judgment on not-particularly recent experience! If I was choosing somewhere to live in that sort of area it would definitely be Rottingdean but I imagine it's a) expensive and b) not much going on for teens (tho v easy to get to Brighton...)

@louderthan I know it does get compared very unfavourably to Rottingdean, and granted much of the housing stock is not frantically exciting bungalows - but with OPs budget she'd be able to get one of the lovely big art deco looking places.

It might be perspective though - I moved there from somewhere proper rough and it was like paradise but maybe for someone used to posher areas it wouldn't seem great?

Look at Bexhill VI college - it is the academic one and takes students from TW, Eastbourne, Hastings and smaller places - catchments are pretty elastic for that age group

I’d stay away from Eastbourne, it’s a shithole… lewes or Ringmer are pretty nice areas. bishopstone and Seaford ain’t too shabby either.

I live in Hailsham and it is rough for teenagers. It's basically doubled in size in the last few years and is struggling to cope. Lots of really cruel and sometimes violent behaviour. Lewes would be a good bet, Eastbourne pretty dull imo. Is Brighton outside your remit? Cos that would be teen heaven. Going the other way there are a lot of lovely towns like Battle that are great for bringing up kids. It has great schools, one of the best gp surgeries in the country, very quaint and beautiful. Maybe not buzzing for teenagers but a good train connection to London and Brighton

I had 7 teenagers in Uckfield they all love(d) it and return often ..

Proper high st, lots of clubs, sports , tennis courts, leisure centre..

Train to London in an hour and 10.. Croydon east in 40 mins..

Great schools both private and state ..

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133255778

I know Battle very well. It is fine in many ways and ticks lots of OPs boxes but:

1. It is not connected to Brighton or Bexhill by train
2. The primaries are great but the secondary has no sixth form and Battle Abbey ( the independant) is only ok really.
3. There isn't a decent supermarket
4. The shops don't open till at least 10am during the week. But as I say it is fine. East Sussex is very white generally (as is T'wells), if diversity is important go for Brighton definitely.

As a 30yr old who grew up in Tunbridge Wells, now living in outskirts of Eastbourne...

I grew up in the St. John's area of T.Wells and went to TWGGS. I absolutely hated it and was really miserable there. It was very snobby and stuck up and found that the school did not have a lot a care for students unless they were top A graders. My brother and friends went to Bennett which they were really happy with. The area itself is OK, but as a teenager there wasn't a great deal of things to do and it was actually quite boring! I've still got friends and family in the area and apparently there is quite a lot of drugs done in the parks around the area. Also - yes you can get train to London, bus to Brighton...but there's not much more around the area tbh. Also - very much a commutersville now. Also, some rough estates there too - as rough as all the other places mentioned! (High brooms, Southborough near to St.Johns and their not the best places)

People who are saying eastbourne is gods waiting room, full of old people etc...years ago maybe. But now it's quite a vibrant place, lots of younger couples and young families. Some rougher areas as to be expected with everywhere, but some lovely areas too (willingdon, old town, ratton) really good public transport. Perk of eastbourne area is the beach, the south downs, links to Brighton...Bexhill is OK too, have quite a few colleagues in their early 20s who live there and love it.

IMO I would have preferred to have spent my teenage years in Eastbourne!

Parents now live in Heathfield which is lovely, has bus links but probably a bit quiet for teenagers - although would suit some!

My husband is a teacher at a nearby private school, and he says a lot of the kids spend their time in Hailsham! There are some ok parts there, Hellingly is nice which is nearby but not sure what the transport links are like!

All the mentioned places so far are all quite different! Would be worth coming to visit them all and seeing what you think!

I just wanted to say that whilst shoreham is further west than Brighton re Hailsham distance, or has incredibly fast access to the A27 which makes it much more commutable than Brighton or hove in many ways. You won't have to it in traffic to be on it in less than 5 minutes from pretty much anywhere in the town.
Brighton and hove are excellent places to live ( if you have the budget) but can take quite a while to get out of for Hailsham.
Shoreham has the advantage of being on bus routes and train routes to Brighton and hove for teens, enough pubs and cafes and shops in its own right and the beach.

Having said all of that - I think Eastbourne would be well worth a look. It has changed a huge amount in recent years and lots of my colleagues rave about it ( 20s/30s have moved out from Brighton).

There are hotels in Eastbourne being used for Asylum seekers but they are only in a small area of the town and could easily be avoided.

@NadjaCravensworth1 Hailsham is definitely out then. Thank you for your
advice.

@MIBnightmare Thank you. I love that house, much more similar to what you’d get here for your money. We are going to explore Uckfield 😊

@Mama2be23 Thank you for taking the time to post. Your experience of TWGG is very similar to our experience. Well regarded, fabulously school but doesn’t suit everyone and not always inclusive. I’m looking for a sixth form, where pastoral care and friendships are more important than top results.
Great to hear positives about Eastbourne from a young persons pov.

@missfliss great info re the distance. Don’t want the commute to be too painful. Thank you

@MummyItsallaboutyou Thanks. Good to know.

Ditching would be worth checking out, OP.

Ditchling probably a bit too isolated and £££

Uckfield is a lovely town. It has a good secondary school with sixth form plus good transport links to Brighton via Lewis which has a tertiary college. You can easily get to Hailsham from there.