Move to Bournemouth or Chichester

[Purplemine]

Hello,

Me, my DH and 2 DC aged 5 and 8 live on the Isle of Wight. I'm really concerned about the state of the schools. The Island is trying hard to sort it out and they're having a major shake up, which means school closures, amalgamations or expanding schools. It could be great in the long run but it will take some to settle.

We're wondering wether to move altogether. We love the Islands landscape. In the summer we regularly pick the dc up from school and go for a swim in the sea. They have so much freedom here, beaches and land to run around on.

We'd love to be near the sea still but with a chance for the dc to get a decent education and to have choices later on.

We're looking at Chichester and surrounding areas or Bournemouth and surrounding areas.

Anyone live there? Any tips?

Further along there’s Climping, Ferring, East Preston, Angmering, Shoreham.

What's your house buying budget like? I think that would be quite a key factor.

Lived just outside Bournemouth for years. Fab beaches, wonderful countryside around. GC go to village school, local schools fine including grammars if that’s an option. They paddle board, kayak and bodyboard. Yes the town centre is horrid at the moment, but the students make it a vibrant place. The police need to crack down on the drugs (ifyswim) and homelessness. Love living where we do and for children living slightly inland is amazing. Seems to be plenty of big companies for work opps too, not to mention the uni.

I would say that if you move to Chichester and the surrounding areas for the schools, you would do well to develop a strong and lasting faith very promptly if you don't already have one - both the C of E and Catholic secondaries are excellent but being a regular churchgoer from a young age is necessary to get in unless you live right on the doorstep as both are so oversubscribed.

Grew up in Bournemouth. I moved away 10 years ago. Don't move there it's a hole

Chichester. Bournemouth is a bit of a hole.

DH and I both grew up in Bournemouth but moved away 20+ years ago. We still go back to visit relatives.
It is an absolute dump.
I can't believe how much it has changed. I wouldn't live there if you paid me. It's dirty, overcrowded, has a drug problem, high crime, and the traffic is terrible. I can't comment on the schooling except to say that the girls' grammar seems to have doubled in size since I was there. Classrooms have been built on the green spaces that used to surround the school.

I live in Sarisbury Green; it's not cheap, but can't be beaten in terms of lifestyle IMO, and there are some very good schools in the area. Warsash, while lovely, is over-developed. Hamble has seen a lot of development and also suffers from poor access, having only one road in and out. Traffic is often a nightmare. Anyone who needs to commute and looking to move here would be well-advised to concentrate on properties north of the A27.

We have a flat in Branksome (between Bournemouth and Poole, near Canford cliffs) it’s beautiful and leafy and close to the beach and I’d live there in a heartbeat but it’s too far from family. There’s a very good primary school in Lilliput.

I live in the Sarisbury Green area too - having just moved from Portsmouth. Agree with all the points made by the previous poster in the same area.

I'm not a fan of Bournemouth, and Chi traffic is beyond awful.