To want to move my family to London

[Miralala]

I've been offered a job in Zone 1 (mix of wfh and 5 hour return commute on diff days).

I really want to take the opportunity to live in London now, as live fairly rubbish city I don't like - however we have the 'ideal' life now with great schools, 3 bed semi, leafy suburbs, nice little high street and park 5 mins away.

We can up our house budget so could we keep any of that lifestyle anywhere in London for £700k? Absolute must is a nice secondary as kids are gentle souls and getting to secondary age, and son plays music, chess, etc - would be eaten alive in typical comp. I have no idea whether / where to start looking in London.

@MMAS

London is not what it used to be - Lived here having moved from Ireland at 18, then went to Spain at 39 as had got tired of it then, moved back in Dec 2019 - very big mistake. The London I had left was dead and buried in my opinion but price of property had shot up. People now trying to move out, me included, as no longer a safe place to live even in some of the suburbs. Your gentle souls will not meet a like kind - kids are hard here - no love in their eyes anymore, more a come on then what you got attitude. Unless you can afford to send them to private school then it won't work and even then they have to walk the same streets of other kids hardened by life. Why not stay where you are, find a B&B to say overnight for when you need to come to London (your work should be able to help on that?) and then make a decision. Check out the Staybridge Suites at Stratford International - talk to them as great for long term travellers - you might be able now to get a suite that you can keep as yours for 12 months at a good rate. In any event, would not recommend up-rooting your children (I don't have any and am on my own - now 60) to move to London just now. Keep what you have and check out above - great connections to central London and a high speed train also. Good luck x Not sure how things go here but if you need to talk when happy to do so.

?!

@cafedesreves

Shooters hill! Crossrail to zone 1 and an incredible community. So much greenery and getting better every day. We bought a 5/6 bed Victorian terrace with an 100ft garden for well under 100k.

Sorry should say under 700k

Also love London but be realistic about your budget. Living as a family here is not just more expensive because of housing, transport costs, eating out and activities also cost way more. People don’t move away because they have a romantic view of the suburbs, they’re forced out financially.

@Midge75

Also, 700K could definitely get you a 3-bed semi somewhere around Surbiton. Certainly Tolworth - which also has a train station (though not as fast as Surbiton)

It's likely 850k for 3 bed semi for Surbiton e.g www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=87066394&sale=12655144&country=england.

@DedafalalalalalusBloom

As a teenager who lived in zone 6 I can absolutely guarantee you that your children will drink and do just as many drugs as they would further into the city. Zone 6 is absolutely riddled with places that mushrooms grow!

As will they anywhere - urban, suburb, semi rural or rural...

@Londoncallingme

Have a look at Harpenden, Herts. Train from there is 21mins into West hampstead (tube into central london). Harpenden has the best state schools in the country, beautiful little town. Really best if both worlds. You’ll get an ok 3/4 bed for £700, might need to make some compromises or get a do-er upper. Homes near decent schools in a nice part of London are beyond your budget. Are the kids exceptionally bright? You might get some support in the form of a bursary from the private schools but it’s hugely competitive.

I just looked as I'm looking too.. but the first 3 bed semi I can find in Harpenden for sir john lawes (good comp secondary) is £1m.

Crack on and good luck op..

Could not think of a worse place to
live and to bring my children up...

( born and bred Londoner - generations of family from there too)

Horrible cess pit these days.

< Runs and gets hard hat>

@Wecando

Crack on and good luck op..

Could not think of a worse place to
live and to bring my children up...

( born and bred Londoner - generations of family from there too)

Horrible cess pit these days.

< Runs and gets hard hat>

What is it that makes it a cess pit? Could you expand? I am also a born and bred Londoner who still lives here

I think you will struggle in the West tbh with that budget, unless you'd be happy downsizing or living in a flat? You've mentioned commute to work and school preference but not what you'd like in a house. You have acknowledged what you would give up but not what is a deal breaker.

I used to teach in some excellent secondary comps in London and I do personally think the expectations in those high achieving schools were much higher than my current rural (still outstanding and amazing workplace) school, so don't tar them all with the same brush
Here however are some things to think about.

1. You mention you don't like the focus on grades. This means you need to really research the catchment area schools. Some schools mentioned on here are really amazing and I have several friends who work in these schools, but grades are the priority. One of the schools, which a pp has also flagged up, does not value pastoral support past the legal safeguarding obligations and all they care about are getting the highest possible grades out of the kids. This is brilliant for some families, but it doesn't sound like that's what you are after.
2. Consider whether your budget would stretch to private, if you are looking for grammar schools and if you'd be happy with single sex. The catchment area changes all the time. Several years ago we had so many applications for one year that our catchment area was a 50 meter radius of the school, in which the houses were around 3-5mil. The other schools in the area were really rough, so if parents in our usual catchment area couldn't provide private, then they had little choice. where I used to live, the only decent schools were either grammar or single sex.

.

I am having a giggle at the dramatic post about "kids hardened by life". I live in SW London, and don't think I have ever seen a local teenager "hardened by life" 😂. So many of the "negatives" are sweeping generalisations, OP - London is massive and varies enormously by postcode.

[quote HaveringWavering]@Teawithsugar40

Just to add some balance. We live in zone 3, commute to Holborn would be approx 30 mins. Our house was more than 700k but there are family properties in that range near us.

I lived in London for several years and really was blown away by the quality of life when moved away. Just the little things like being able to get a seat on a bus

I rarely have to stand on any bus in my local area. They are so frequent that if one is full it’s less than 5 mins to the next one. One of my pet hates outside London is the big gaps between buses. We also live on a train line, not a tube, with very spacious trains to central London, all brand new rolling stock introduced 2 years ago, with loads of space. Can get a bit crowded at rush hour but I’ve never had to stand for more than 2 or 3 stops.

Being able to get my child into the local primary school only a short walk away
We are in catchment for 3 ofsted good schools, furthest away is 8 mins’ walk.

nursery places not having a 2 year waiting list
Ours had no waiting list. Local ones round here are often undersubscribed.

ample parking for drop offs
Nursery 2 mins walk away, never needed to drive there.

just a lack of waiting lists for everything
What were you waiting for? I genuinely can’t think of anything I have had to go on a list for.

20 minute commute to work with minimal traffic
My commute is 20 mins door to door on public transport (see above)

how much cleaner and less crowded everywhere was
I’ll give you this . Though there are some immaculate parks near us.
pedestrians not randomly walking out in front of you or being snapped and fined for stopping and dropping someone off on a yellow line at 3am etc etc etc

I do drive. You’re right that London driving is more aggressive, but I don’t find London pedestrians any more stupid than ones elsewhere in the U.K.! I’ve never had a parking ticket or fine for a traffic violation and it’s legal to stop on a double yellow to drop someone off anyway.

I’m not saying your experience is not true, but, fortunately, it is not universally the same experience for everyone living in London.[/quote]
Hopefully things have changed then since we lived there (although still travel there to visit family and friends) there were plenty of local school but they were all so massively oversubscribed. A few nurseries with places but not of the standard I was happy with, did eventually manage to get a place at one happy with. The aggressive driving and mindless pedestrians are very rare in the city we currently live in but still seem commonplace when driving in London, even little things like people not being willing to stop and wait when trying to parallel park in London or respect giveaway lines at busy roundabouts, even less let someone out.
A 20 minute commute door to door (30 mins including school and nursery drop offs) is commonplace where I live but in London is probably more the exception
Think the housing will be the biggest issue for the OP, we lived in Zone 3 and would be a serious downsize to our current house if we considered moving back. Not such an issue if was just us but wouldn’t fancy it with children. With a budget of 700k (and assuming a similar salary to match) would perhaps have the wealth to be insulated from some of the difficulties of London but the OP would still likely very much notice the difference

OP, I live in an area by a secondary school recommended by PPs and all I'd say is do your research. I don't want to send my DC there because I don't think it suits them at all. Look at dept of education website for the results, visit it, speak to the students/current parents if possible.

There is so much misinformation on this thread.

How can posters declare that it is not possible to get a good school within budget when numerous links (without even trying) have proved the opposite?

‘Comp’ is not a euphemism for a young offenders institute. And I can assure you that many of the hard working, decent, kind young people in my DC’s comprehensive school are lovely young citizens in the making. Of course there are young people with troubled past, present and sadly future, too, but your D.C. are unlikely to be affected.

London doesn’t suit everyone, of course it doesn’t. But the OP does love cities and doesn’t want to live in a rural market town so…,

Why all the factual nonsense and vitriol?

You could buy somewhere nice in Essex for that money . Dependant on where that would make your commute 45 mins to an hour . Shenfield , Brentwood and surrounding areas are nice .

Finchley - Central, West or North are all within you budget, and in zone 3 or 4. Great secondary schools, great links to get into Central London or out to Hertfordshire and Home Counties. I've lived here for 17 years and love it!

Unless you live in zone 1 or edge of 2 it isn’t really London
You would be better living in Corby or Kettering which are quick on the train in. Shooters hill etc are not going g to give you a London experience

@TheHoptimist

Unless you live in zone 1 or edge of 2 it isn’t really London You would be better living in Corby or Kettering which are quick on the train in. Shooters hill etc are not going g to give you a London experience

I disagree with this. Woolwich is definitely the London experience, however you can quantify that.

DC is in High Barnet. I love it around there. & its on the end of the Northern Line tube so very easy to travel into Zone 1.

Also agree with sm40 re Beckenham/ Langley Boys and Girls schools.

Is West Wickham reasonably priced? Not looked into house prices but always assumed it was expensive.

@PurpleCatLady

Hate to break it to you, but your budget isn’t nearly big enough to get a house near a good state school. London is dirty, expensive and full of traffic. Why anyone would choose to move there is beyond me. We finally escaped a couple of years ago after both growing up there. Swapped our small terraced house in Tottenham for a detached house with an acre in Kent (and got some change), a stone’s throw from three grammar schools, and have never looked back. DH can commute on high speed line, we are all so much healthier and happier, and I no longer need my inhaler.

Based on what? We live in zone 5 and have three outstanding state secondaries around us. Spoiled for choice. The schools are one of the biggest things keeping us here. The opportunities for teens are huge.

So much rubbish on this thread!

700k will buy you a house in many areas & many with good local schools, primary can be more tricky but the op doesn't need that.

I was born & raised in London & had a normal upbringing.

Equally living in the outer zones is not that different to other towns, cities in the country as teenagers spend most of their time on their locality.

People don’t move away because they have a romantic view of the suburbs, they’re forced out financially.

I disagree with that, I know lots of people who had budgets over 1m who have left. Largely schooling was the driver & bigger gardens, less pollution etc

@cafedesreves I do think it's changed though. I'm half torn about whether to leave or not, so many y friends & neighbours have that I've got fomo. The pollution worries me & the traffic is infuriating.

Unless you live in zone 1 or edge of 2 it isn’t really London

That won't go down well 😆

@Etherealhedgehog

I think people romanticise the countryside and small market towns tbh

Too right.

I think you’d have to figure on an hours commute OP but if you aren’t in every day should be fine. You could either go for an edges of london (eg Crystal Palace/Norwood/Anerley/Penge, or Greater London (eg Bromley), to give 2 south east london egs. The latter has Grammars. There are quite a few articles online so dig in, ID half a dozen areas, and then reduce to a shortlist of 2 locations by visiting, and also just give someone like Foxtons a ring (evil though they might be,)

@urbanbuddha @UniversalAunt @Charley50

I am the seller of the house you mentioned. It's totally safe Fortismere catchment. Always has been - always will be. DS is there now and very happy. Excellent primary school, too.

It's a great neighborhood. Fantastic access to ancient woodland and playing fields. We must have the world's most supportive neighbourhood whats app group. Love the house, too. It served the four of us very well indeed. Lots of room to extend if needed both to the back and/or loft. And totally agree on what you say regarding pricing, too.

Used to walk to East Finchley for the commute but also many other options.

@Miralala any questions give me a shout

Should have added that Fortismere is great for music.