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AIBU?

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Original poster

Urgent - does anyone know Hastings?

158 replies

almostautumn · 28/04/2021 12:38

I know this isn't an AIBU, but I need some urgent advice so posting here for traffic. DH and I are considering putting in an offer on a lovely house in Hastings, but are unsure about schools - an important factor as I have two young DC.

Does anyone live in Hastings or know the area well - and if so can you tell me about schools, both primary and secondary?

Thank you!

OP posts:
Thisnamewasnttaken123 · 29/04/2021 08:37

You definitely don't need to travel an hour for a good secondary school.
I have heard good and bad about the secondary schools in Hastings, St leonards academy is rated good by Ofsted.
Some people I know their kids have got on well there, then others not so well.
Not far from Hastings Claverham has a great reputation and have heard great things about Robertsbridge too.
There's always Bexhill to consider too.

NettleTea · 29/04/2021 09:16

@BumCat

Battle is a weird place. Funny vibe.
Haha I live in Battle. There were people almost having palpitations on the local FB page because a tanning salon opened up. I remember a time in the late 70s when they didnt allow a fish and chip shop because it would 'bring down the tone' and a man used to come in a van twice a week and be absolutely swamped. Things have moved along. I lived several years in Hastings (late 80s/early 90s) and really enjoyed my time in the arty/alternative scene - there was a reknowned art college so that fed out amongst the young people. Took time out in London and abroad for a bit, and came back to Battle in 2000 when I had my daughter. I like it here. I dont need too much adventure nowdays and as people say, plenty of arty type stuff in the community without it costing a fortuine, as its deprived. Hastings is a love hate thing. My daughter finds it a bit too boring for her, but she can skip across to Brighton - Id say that was a fair comment - there is stuff for mums/adults but for teens they probably prefer a good nightlife, and that is now sadly not what it was when I lived there. Many people send kids out of town for secondary - so Claverham at Battle (didnt actually suit my kids, but is well thought of) or many go into Robertsbridge (tiny and bit rough round the edges, but good results and pastoral care) But reaching my mid 50s now, the wierd vibe of Battle is fine for me now
BumCat · 29/04/2021 09:42

@NettleTea no offence Grin

It’s just one of those places I feel like I need to leave as soon as I get there. Like most people feel about Hastings, apparently😂.

Different strokes and all that.

Vintagevixen · 29/04/2021 10:14

@BumCat its the Ley lines apparently !! There is one goes through the West Hill apparently. Maybe Battle has them too.

BumCat · 29/04/2021 10:15

@Vintagevixen I love West Hill. I just assumed I’d died there in a past life. 😂

HeronLanyon · 29/04/2021 11:38

Out of interest I did a google street view ‘tour’ of bits of Hastings. Was struck (and not in a good way) by the number of wicker heart fandangles on front doors. For some reason that often denotes (for me) real social ‘posturing’/divide and wondering what on earth those on estates on the undesirable fringes make of it all. Seen it in whitstable st Ives, etc. Lack of deep rooted cohesiveness. ??
Must stress only know Hastings through colleague who loves it.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 29/04/2021 11:48

Grew up just outside Hastings, and went to the Art College back in the days when it was in St Leonards.

It's a strange place but I'm very fond of it and enjoying visiting there much more than Brighton.

The things that would put me off living there now:

  • just that bit too far on the train to make London easy to get to
  • it's very high on the deprivation tables. This meant you rarely got good shops so you had to trek to Brighton, Eastbourne or Tunbridge Wells for a decent M&S for example (on the other hand, there are fab shops in the Old Town and King's Road if you like junk shopping etc), plus there was a big drug problem there, lots of street drinking and it seemed that London councils just dumped homeless and people with serious mental health issues on the streets down there. This may have improved, but while I never had any issues as a teen there, my parents weren't over the moon about us going out there.
  • Bookman's Halt is now closed
  • schools aren't great (parents packed us all off to boarding school to avoid back in the 80s and 90s).

That said, one of my siblings went to Bexhill 6th form and loved it (and got amazing grades)

Claverham wasn't great back in my day but heard it is better now.

Vintagevixen · 29/04/2021 11:54

@HeronLanyon

Out of interest I did a google street view ‘tour’ of bits of Hastings. Was struck (and not in a good way) by the number of wicker heart fandangles on front doors. For some reason that often denotes (for me) real social ‘posturing’/divide and wondering what on earth those on estates on the undesirable fringes make of it all. Seen it in whitstable st Ives, etc. Lack of deep rooted cohesiveness. ?? Must stress only know Hastings through colleague who loves it.
You probably "toured" the old town or around the edges of Alexandra park, Tis very DFL/Naice in both places (though I have no wicker heart on my door...yet!)
NCVoyager · 29/04/2021 12:03

Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey

BumCat · 29/04/2021 12:03

@OhCrumbsWhereNow there’s a big retail park on the st Leonard’s/Bexhill border with a massive M&S.

I’ve always been quite surprised by how much there is nearby. I’ve lived in places seemed far more desirable with a hell of a lot less and further to travel for larger shops.

BumCat · 29/04/2021 12:04

*deemed not seemed

GreyhoundG1rl · 29/04/2021 12:06

This wicker heart phenomenon is an interesting little side road.

Do they really indicate social aspirations? I just assumed they were an outer extension of the Eat, Bath, Dance in the Rain signage.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 29/04/2021 12:07

[quote BumCat]@OhCrumbsWhereNow there’s a big retail park on the st Leonard’s/Bexhill border with a massive M&S.

I’ve always been quite surprised by how much there is nearby. I’ve lived in places seemed far more desirable with a hell of a lot less and further to travel for larger shops.[/quote]
That is good news.

It is a lovely place with plenty going on, and you still get a lot of house for your money compared with most of the SE.

Gobbeldegook · 29/04/2021 12:18

@almostautumn

We’d be in the old town area. I’ve visited a few times for weekends and loved it - it seems far less deprived than places like Margate.

Ah, so not another Line of Duty thread.

Haha - I’ve never watched Line of Duty!

Why haven't you watched it!!! Get out from under that rock 🤣🤣🤣
Gobbeldegook · 29/04/2021 12:20

Also can we see the house? Love a good Rightmove post

BumCat · 29/04/2021 12:30

Also, about the deprivation. I’ve never lived somewhere where I’ve seen the people rally round so much to help. Hastings is totally aware of its problems and the community doesn’t turn a blind eye. A lot of the restaurants often do food drives and at Christmas some collected new toys for underprivileged children. The locals do their best to look after the homeless and food bank collections are always well stocked.

HeronLanyon · 29/04/2021 12:34

greyhound you may be right. For some reason they’ve always signified a LOT to me. Maybe I need a recalibration there.

BumCat · 29/04/2021 12:39

@HeronLanyon there’s a lot of doors and gardens with an array of “natty” tat around here. There’s a lot of shops that sell it. (Not that I personally have a problem with it. I’m a tacky old bint.)

GreyhoundG1rl · 29/04/2021 12:40

@HeronLanyon

greyhound you may be right. For some reason they’ve always signified a LOT to me. Maybe I need a recalibration there.
Are you confusing them with pampas grass? Grin We had a whole sheaf of it in the front garden when we moved in; it was there for about two years until it died of neglect It was only on here that I learnt there were all sorts of subtle or not so subtle signals being sent Grin We had no offers in all that time, though Sad Clearly we are very unpopular with the neighbours...
Drawt · 29/04/2021 13:15

Good luck parking in old town is all I can say, and watch out for all the post covid parties. Don't make noise complaints!!

rossclare · 29/04/2021 13:37

So when someone describes a place as 'arty' do you honestly not know what they are alluding to?

Really?

HeronLanyon · 29/04/2021 16:00

greyhound I have ALWAYS been very clear about exactly what pampas Fred’s means (and with no exceptions whatsoever obviously). You think wicker hearts are maybe a new signifier of the same thing ? Often seen on ‘bijou’ street fronting properties with no room for the pampas signal. Bloody hell. A whole new mapping level on my walks around town ! Grin

HeronLanyon · 29/04/2021 16:01

‘Grass’ not ‘Fred’s’

4PawsGood · 29/04/2021 23:00

@rossclare

So when someone describes a place as 'arty' do you honestly not know what they are alluding to?

Really?

What does it mean? Grin
NettleTea · 30/04/2021 09:13

@GreyhoundG1rl

This wicker heart phenomenon is an interesting little side road. Do they really indicate social aspirations? I just assumed they were an outer extension of the Eat, Bath, Dance in the Rain signage.
it may be wicker hearts in the naice DFL sections, but a few miles out into the strangely rural and isolated considering the SE overcrowding, and it certainly gets a bit more wicker man. Especially during bonfire season. But not at the big ones in the famous towns for it, but in the tiny villages with 3 or 4 houses and a closed down post office, where Health and Safety has never been mentioned
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