London or Leeds. WWYD?

[endoftether82]

To live, with 2 young kids. Crouch end in London, roundhay in Leeds. Which one would you do? And why preferably!

WhatsComingOverTheHill: but Londoners, Individual Londoners, don’t necessarily have toms of money. London has significant poverty, some of the most disadvantaged electoral wards in tne country. The PP was asking how it was fair that London kids get free travel. The answer is, we pay, via our council tax, we pay ‘in kind’ by havjng a busy, crowded, noisy city crammed with many visitors, and we pay by enduring sky high living costs.

Be careful what you wish for.

Love it.

Thanks fufulina

I grew up in Roundhay, moved to London, briefly went back to Leeds to work for a few years before back to London. I now live in outer London in a house with DH and DC.

Leeds is a nice city but returning there having been in London I found it very suffocating and frustrating. I would never move there again. It’s an individual feeling though. We decided to stay in London but further out so we could get a house, good schools, easy access to countryside and yet still be in central London quickly.

Yes financially we’re worse off but I think to us it’s worth it because of the variety and diversity of London and as we have friends and family here.

I’ve lived in Leeds all my life, currently in the Roundhay area. It’s a really lovely area with just enough going on to keep you entertained, but also not too far from Leeds centre or Harrogate.

Sure, it’s not London, it will be very different for you but a great place to bring up children. Beautiful open countryside is a 5 minute drive away, a vibrant city centre is a 20 minute drive away. That’s the beauty of Leeds.

As others have pointed out, unless you are planning on home/private education, you have to be VERY strategic in which street you buy on, otherwise you run the risk of being allocated a place out of area. A useful website to checkout, devised by local parents to help other local parents is www.faschools.org.uk/Maps/Primary

I get that Scrub, but it often feels like there is a kind of feedback loop going on. London is successful, so it gets investment, and is more successful so gets more investment and on and on. Meanwhile up north we're stuck with crappy pacer trains and investment projects are shelved for not being 'value for money'.

Whatsthatcomingover: Yes, I think that is what happens, and if it was up to me (Born and bred on the E Midlands coalfields, Londoner since Uni) the heat would be taken out of the SE and the high wealth financial sector diversified into regional centres, along with other employment-rich industries.

From your update you sound like you should stay in London. For friends, family, the kind of city you clearly need. If Muswell Hill feels too far out, all of Leeds will! That was what made me give up on our plans to move there. Looking at houses that were nice and wouldn't been perfect if that place felt right, but I just felt... so far away from everything I needed. Even if it's just that intangible London thing. So no amount of other people's pros will make it right for you. Certainly not cycle races and suchlike! The only thing I'd question is if it really has to be Crouch End. A bit of flexibility there would save you a lot of dosh.

*would have been perfect

@endoftether82

OP it's quite possible I'm in a bit of a bubble regarding schools and secondary school prep. It's a large bubble though! My friend's children attend a different primary to the one mentioned here and she has spoken of tutoring (and illicit tutoring) for the grammars and independents and also house 'moves' to get into the catchment of AP or Fortismere when the time comes. If you PM me, I will say the name of the primary school. I'm sure my friend would fill you in. She also felt Muswell Hill was a bit far out...

In principle, a school's reputation can change over time. But I would say that in our part of London...on a relative basis the schools' positionings haven't changed. So, I wouldn't count on some sort of major transformation. Literally the only trend I have observed is that the catchment areas for the best schools have shrunken and the grammars are even more competitive than they were, as are the independents. Moving to an area with a state secondary school that has been great for a good long time is never a bad idea.

In case that wasn't clear - my friend's children attend another primary in CROUCH END than the one mentioned.

We live in a different area of NE London. I've been here 20+ years now and have seen neighbours kids move through the system and my kids are now in it.

I grew up in Crouch End and it’s lovely. Leafy and green and lots of local shops and parks. A really nice place to live.

I don’t know anything about Leeds so can’t comment on that.

Yes end would your house be in the catchment for Highgate Wood?

Yes it would lotsof

As your children grow older they will be increasingly bored in the provinces.

yes ethylred because nothing happens outside London. We all just sit and stare at our whippets whilst we wait for t'fellas to back from t'mine...

I’d be happy with Highgate wood myself.

Would you not feel displaced moving to Leeds perhaps? I’ve lived and taught in Leeds and lived in Crouch (taught elsewhere in Haringay), and I would personally choose London, although I’m not from either place. Having said that maybe you’d enjoy the adventure of a new city and some wonderful countryside.

You lot need to shut up!

OP and anyone else in London there is absolutely nothing in Yorkshide coming here for. Certainly no culture, countryside or history. No cultural diversity (we're all white, working class and often inbred). Much better if you stay put.

Barbarian

As your children grow older they will be increasingly bored in the provinces.

Should everyone with children move to London then? At what point can I expect my dc to become bored and listless without an injection of London living...?

Leeds! I love roundhay and miss it so much. Can't wait to move back one day

As your children grow older they will be increasingly bored in the provinces

I grew up in central London (SW1). I couldn’t wait to leave.

As your children grow older they will be increasingly bored in the provinces.

There are approx. 54m people in England. It might surprise you to note that only 8.2m of them are in Greater London and that other cities and areas are available, with such luxuries as electricity, running water and more affordable house prices...

As your children grow older they will be increasingly bored in the provinces

Hahahahahaha

highgate wood is nowhere as bad as Hornsey school for girls or Greig. Different league altogether.