To ask how multicultural is the area you live in?

[Startingoveryetagain]

I'm seriously considering moving out of london, I'm mixed race and also have to DS's who are due to go onto secondary school in a couple of years.
With all the knife crime and violence going on I'm terrified they will get caught up in it all once they get a little older.

So I would like to get some information on where would be good to move to. I know it sounds awful, but I don't want them to be the only black child in the class as I do want them to have people around them who they cam also relate too, so where do you live and is it multicultural?

Brighton and Hove has one of the worst drug problems in England! When you live here it is quite evident what a problem it is. The general vibe of the place I now find quite seedy and depressing, I realise that when I visit my brother in North London.

I live in the Greenwich borough and I’m sorry but gangs are massive here so I can’t relate to pp. it’s a very big problem here and there are constant gang stabbing where I am so I can understand your concern. I also don’t want my kids growing up around this. I don’t know what the answer is though as I would really worry about leaving London. I’ve considered moving someone else in London.

@OneTC

I’m guessing you’re in Lewisham or Croydon? I can’t think of any other boroughs in South London where you’d be this worried about gang crime

wut?

I was wondering about that statement too 🤔

You probably wouldn’t want to live where I do. There’s zero diversity. Every single pupil and staff member in my kids school is white.

The neighbouring villages and towns may be slightly better, but really not my much.

I would stay in London. Just do a bit of Googling to see where the knife crime rates are lower then visit the area for a feel for it. Do it by ward rather than borough too. As others have said some boroughs have pockets of areas which don’t suffer from violent crime as much.

I’m mixed race and live in a very white area, I couldn’t give a hoot about it. Think it’s about 5% ethnic minority max I know because I was involved in a report about local food poverty.

Derby. I like the feel of it and it's multi-cultural enough.

OP I was wondering exactly where you were - I live fairly close to you (Peckham/East Dulwich) and also worry about DS being sucked into gang culture. I think I can visualise vaguely where you are and it’s a bit of a residential no-mans-land if I’m right? I understand where you’re coming from.

The difference though I think is that we don’t live in an estate so this isn’t a day-to-day worry. Your immediate surroundings sound very stressful - even within the borough there are areas that are much safer (East Dulwich, Herne Hill, Forest Hill). They tend to be quite middle class and are whiter though, and again you have to go by specific area within them! I’ve been thinking about it a lot and secondary school choice is so, so crucial. We’re near an outstanding school that is majority black and I’m thinking twice about applying as, while the school is excellent, I know some of those kids (boys) are out in Peckham late doing who knows what. I also know DS is the sort of child who would think that shit is cool!

Do PM me if you want to message about London - little knowledge of outside the M25 I’m afraid but if it looks like staying in London is easier, happy to talk safe areas, schools etc!

@Startingoveryetagain I'm in Didcot, moved here from Birmingham, and coincidentally know South London too. I would say it is worth a look.

I live in a small town in South Wales. It is the least ethnically diverse place I’ve ever lived. It shocks me. A few phillipinos working in the hospital and that’s it. Barely ever see Asian or blacks. I really wish it was more diverse.

Cardiff and Newport however are very diverse. Cardiff is worth considering as it’s a lovely smaller city.

For what it’s worth I moved here from Lewisham.

Bristol?

Im in a tiny village in Somerset. Almost 100% white.

I think most big towns are diverse and most villages tend not to be.

I grew up in Reading, the Cemetery Junction area and that was very diverse. Quite safe as well.

@LaLaLanded I think you've probably guessed where I am and you're right it's no man's land. I actually used to live here when I was young until we moved to West Dulwich which back then was much better.
This is my concern re secondary school, as that's always where trouble starts and there are no schools round here where I would even consider sending them even though they maybe excellent.

@Goldenbear It's reassuring to see someone who lives in Brighton with a young family agrees with me. I feel like a lot of my mum friends are in denial. Can i ask which secondary your DC goes to and where in North London your brother lives? I've looked at Teddington but it's so expensive!

Bemoreme21 Did you grow up in Brighton? I wonder if your mum friends are a bit desensitized to the whole thing. I grew up here and almost everyone I know tried drugs in sixth form/beginning of uni which tbh is a bit shocking looking back!

(My DC are 4 and a baby so tbh drugs in secondary schools were at the bottom of my thoughts when we decided to move back)

I am of South Asian origin and live in a small Norfolk market town. It is more diverse than you might think. In my son's year group of 220 there are 12 non-white children (south asian, or black) and about the same number of Eastern Europeans. I find Norfolk a great place to live. There is less racism here than in London by quite a large margin and my kids who are of mixed race have always enjoyed being here. You could move to Birmingham or Manchester, but I am from the Midlands originally and I found it reasonably okay, but the racism is far higher than where I am living now.

Another fellow Reading resident here (West). Incredibly diverse and multicultural. As with everywhere has it's good and bad points, but I like the town and my children are very happy.

"I would stay in London. Just do a bit of Googling to see where the knife crime rates are lower then visit the area for a feel for it. Do it by ward rather than borough too."

... I'm not sure this is would answer your problems. I am now 30 but grew up in a very nice, low knife crime for London area. Think Hampstead. As a teenager it was hell because other teens from rougher areas would come to our area specifically to mug us on the way home from school. It was targeted. I was mugged with a hammer held to my head, but many of my friends at knife point or scared of getting punched. It was not safe at all. And often we didn't even report the incidents because we'd stopped taking anything of value to school, so things not always stolen but the incidents were terrifying and frequent. Parents had to form an 'After School Watch' where they patrolled the streets in high vis jackets. It worked a bit, not sure if it's still going. Have seen other areas doing similar still, I feel sorry for the kids.

Leeds is very multicultural and a great city to live in/near.

@Camomila I grew up in a pretty rough part of west london but my school was excellent. None of my peers did drugs except maybe a handful smoked weed. In fact most of my friends from school have never tried hard drugs whereas DH grew up in an affluent boring town and they all did pills from a young age because there was nothing else to do.

I think when your DC are young Brighton and Hove can seem the ideal place because of the beach and parks but i worry about sticking around. Local friends with older DC have advised me to start saving for private school now but i'm not financially in the position to.

I live in pembrokeshire, in the primary school my youngest two attend which has 600 children only one child isn't white.

Bemoreme21 my "plan" for the teen years (lighthearted as he's only 4) is too fill each weeknight with a different sport so there's no time for naughtiness

@Startingoveryetagain yes West Dulwich used to be good.

You’re right about secondary school - home life matters but I think the pressure to be “cool” and be a “big man” really starts then and there’s only so much that pastoral care can do. It’s a really tough situation.

If I were in your situation issue #1 would be getting out of the immediate environment, whether that’s out of London or not. Nowhere is perfect and I found it difficult being outside London and growing up black in a majority-white environment - but there’s no doubt it was safe from gang and knife crime. Underage drinking and drugs on the other hand...

I hear decent things about Surrey?

Not sure what we will do tbh. Probably stay in London and I’m doing tons of research into schools and am willing to move to be within catchment, and also in an area that’s comparatively safe. I’m looking at what DS’ classmates are doing too - I think a lot will go private actually which isn’t an option for us.

@Bemoreme21 I am in the Borough of Redbridge. Waltham Forest has historically had a big gang issue, and this seems to be leeching more and more into the west of the borough. I still love it here though.