Experiences of schools, neighbourhoods and diversity in Bromley or Chislehurst?

[IyaIbeji]

Hey, I’m a twin mum of young babies, one male and one female. I’m thinking of the future of my family and we are thinking of making the move to the Bromley/Chislehurst area in a few years God willing.

i wanted to hear experiences from people living in the area, on schooling, the neighbourhood and the diversity of the area, especially Chislehurst. I like the exclusivity and privacy of the neighbourhoods there.

Chislehurst is lovely, has good schools, the village is quaint and pretty, nice cafes, society is moderately diverse and people are generally relaxed.

I lived there from 1984 until I downsized just over two years ago. I didn't move far but would give anything to be back in Chis.

My son lives there and has a very good life.

I think you might need to say a little more about what you mean by "diverse". If you are talking about racial diversity then Bromley and Chislehurst are considerably less diverse than boroughs like Southwark and Lambeth, but more so than Kent. The best way to see what kind of mix schools have is to hover about at leaving time in some likely areas.

We live in a village just outside and love it. What type of diversity are you looking for?

I live in Bromley and it is actually very racially diverse. We are a white family but my children’s friends are almost all non-white, most families on our road are mixed or non-white. Never lived in Chislehurst but less diverse I think. Schools are good in both - for my DD we are applying to schools in both Chis and Bromley - where we live we have an outside chance of the Chis school.

Ethnically diverse? Economically diverse? Religiously diverse? Are you of a particular background and looking for that community ? Contrary to what people might assume the local grammar and private schools are much more ethnically diverse than the state schools for example (see eg private Eltham College which is over 60 % ethnic minority/global majority).

You're certainly not going to find economic diversity in Chislehurst! It is £££.

Census 2021 deep dive: ethnicity and deprivation in London | Trust for London https://share.google/hyjRXYFiSHm49XZwP

Bromley has one of the highest proportions of white residents in London, however, this is area dependent and my feeling is diversity is increasing - so you'd notice it more if you were around young families.

That’s so lovely to hear. I’m glad your son is still enjoying the area. Thank you for sharing your experience ☺️

I definitely meant to say ethnically diverse, I could have clarified this in my original post. Yes, I do think the general consensus is it’s not that diverse, so this is good to hear.

Thank you for sharing this!