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.

OK op I'll bite on this one. London is fabulous. We lived in zone 2 for more than 30 years before moving to Surrey. London has everything: museums, theatres, opera, dining, galleries, shopping, and is culturally diverse. Nothing for me, even now, beats coming out of the theatre on a rainy night and seeing the reflections of the lights on the shiny wet pavements, looking up to see the yellow gleam of a black cab to jump into and out of the rain. Or literally, as we did a few weeks ago, leaving a nightclub at 3am and wandering through West End streets in the dark and sans the crowds. Add into that the sports clubs and Tennis: Hurlingham, Riverside, Queens, Rosslyn and some fabulous golf courses on the outskirts and you can transport yourself to heaven. £700k could buy a three bed flat in a reasonable part of SW London or a former LA house.

However, and I can only speak for schools in SW London, whilst the primaries are excellent the secondaries are not. We lived in Wandsworth and there was not one single secondary that offered a decent MFL provision, a classical language and triple science. There were a few cofe schools in neighbouring boroughs but they were stifling and whilst diverse, there was a distinct separation of different cultures/class.

It's a difficult one and I think you will need to compromise either on the Greater London experience or the children's education.

I miss it desperately.

Door to door for me to London Bridge is about 15-20 mins. It’s the extra bit of the journey to get to Oxford Circus that makes it up to 40

I don't understand your point, as there's generally an extra bit of most people's journey. Getting into any part of z1 isn't really the point. It's the door to door journey. i'm in z3 close to the tube & rail. The times are very quick but I still allow about 40 minutes to get to most places in central London door to door as I live on the platform & platforms aren't my destination.

There were a few cofe schools in neighbouring boroughs but they were stifling and whilst diverse, there was a distinct separation of different cultures/class.

Do the schools in Surrey have less of a separation?

gilorga I don't know as mine didn't attend them. However Surrey is very much less diverse overall and there is less of a divide and possibly more of a postcode lottery. I suspect the dc's SW London independent schools were more diverse than Surrey state schools.

That's what I imagined although parts of SW London aren't very diverse either.

The problem Gilorga is that many families in SW London moved out as their dc reached year 5 or transferred them to the independent sector.

The church schools also had some interesting selection criteria. Some cut out the Baptists and the Methodists; some became 1/2 church/1/2 not. Interesting patterns evolved out of it all. None of which were very acceptable. In my experience Greycoat did it best but I think had very few non church places whilst drawing from the while of London.

I suspect the dc's SW London independent schools were more diverse than Surrey state schools.

This very much chimes with my experience of living on the London/Srrey borders. The only racism I encounter is from middle aged men in pubs and football clubs in Surrey. Don't see it anywhere from kids nowadays though I have to say, they don't seem to notice or care.

Would need to try Sutton, Wallington, Epsom , Ewell, Surbiton, Walton on Thames , Worcester Park etc to get anything for that price with great schools.Possibly some parts of Kingston.

@RosesAndHellebores I went to very diverse schools in London in the 80s/90s in SW London. I actually didn't become friends with anyone who wasn't a 2nd gen immigrant until uni. All the neighbours kids were too. this was z2/3 though & those areas have changed quite a bit.

@Miralala I can't offer you specific area advice but def more general lifestyle change advice.

We lived in a big detached house in leafy Home Counties but it was very much go out the door, in the car and drive everywhere.

One of my DC was at secondary school in a large town nearby and the more we saw the more we wanted that life-walk everywhere, on the river, great schools, vibrant town centre, good trains etc etc but very, very different type of life.

Initially I was looking at the leafier outlying areas and realised that if we were driving everywhere and not living in the town centre there was no point in moving.

I threw out my must haves- mainly an en-suite and off street parking and went for location and embraced it.
Ended up in a victorian semi-dropped down to one car because I rarely drive anywhere and are so so happy.

I would say if you are craving the vibrant London life you should take the plunge and not try and compromise too much or you won't be getting the experience you are looking for.

PP have made some great suggestions about flexibility around flats etc.

Good luck!!

It hadn’t changed much by the mid 00’s gilorga. I got a little sick of hearing middle class parents tell me it was against their principles to send their dc to private schools whilst ensuring they mixed only with people like them through the cofe schools. None of the DC’s primary friends mixed outside their “comfort zone” when they left for secondary. Our DC have friends across all cultures.

I'm in zone 5, very torn whether to move out or not. If Surrey, what sort of areas have good schooling?

Personally, I would rent for one year before deciding where to buy. It is a massive investment (think how much stamp duty you will pay if you then dislike the area!). You are limited on the budget front for 700K but still plenty of areas to go for that budget. Bear in mind that even living in zone 2, a 45-min commute is fairly standard. Adjust to that reality!
One aspect worth thinking is safety - some of the areas of London suggested here are not great and if you have secondary age kids you should seriously think about where to move as they become more independent.
I work in Holborn, lived in south east London, north west London and south west London.
Based on my experience of living in London and for your budget and catchment areas I would suggest something like Kingston / Surbiton.

You can easily reach the two grammars from Penge. My son did that journey every day. 20 mins to Orpington by train and then a 15 minute walk from the station to school.

I have lived in London all my life and I wish I had brought my children up outside london.
My DS will not wear tracksuits on the London streets as the (road men) have tried to rob him and his friends. He went to a catholic school that was run by a “superhead” but let teachers run classes that they knew nothing about.
My DD is constantly harassed by grown men and one used to wait in the bushes near the school bus stop and pleasure himself.
I know this sounds awful and it doesn’t happen to everyone but this is a reality.
There is also the problem of pollution and it is bad.
When I bought my property 23 years ago it was a lovely street but over the years people haved moved out to be replaced with a transient community which bring its own problems. We must have at least 3 different drug dealers on our street , which the police know about and yet they are still there.

And this happens all over London.

What’s a “road man”?

few meanings - a young streetwise man who may be in a gang/involved with drugs/& knows what's going on etc.
Then there are the parody road men if that makes sense, middle class kid who wears a tracksuit, north face jacket & speaks the road man lingo whilst cycling round the cul de sac. 😆

Ah OK I did wonder why the Council street repairers were so dodgy!

[quote mumsiedarlingrevolta]@Miralala I can't offer you specific area advice but def more general lifestyle change advice.

We lived in a big detached house in leafy Home Counties but it was very much go out the door, in the car and drive everywhere.

One of my DC was at secondary school in a large town nearby and the more we saw the more we wanted that life-walk everywhere, on the river, great schools, vibrant town centre, good trains etc etc but very, very different type of life.

Initially I was looking at the leafier outlying areas and realised that if we were driving everywhere and not living in the town centre there was no point in moving.

I threw out my must haves- mainly an en-suite and off street parking and went for location and embraced it.
Ended up in a victorian semi-dropped down to one car because I rarely drive anywhere and are so so happy.

I would say if you are craving the vibrant London life you should take the plunge and not try and compromise too much or you won't be getting the experience you are looking for.

PP have made some great suggestions about flexibility around flats etc.

Good luck!![/quote]
This made me smile.

Yes, pollution in London is an issue… often cited by those who have moved out to suburban or rural areas where every member of the family gets a car as soon as they pass their test, you can barely buy a pint of milk without driving, everyone drives to work, drives their kids to schools, clubs, every social event until they buy their own car…

We live in London and do keep a car for visiting relatives who live in far flung areas, and camping hols. My kids walked to school from Reception to Yr13, have used public transport independently for every activity since they were 11, and no one I know has ever driven into central London for work.

The per head level of pollution generated must be so much higher amongst rural and suburban citizens, and it all goes into the atmosphere. How much do people care about that?

@Watchamocauli

Thanks *@massiveblob* this is exactly what I’m looking for. Similar story… brought up abroad in a big city and tired of where I’m now. Love london and visit couple of times a month for work. Office in same location as yours and have one kid looking for selective secondary schools in London.

Our plan to rent out our home and rent in the city until we figure out depending on what school we get.

Good luck to you 👍

Sorry @Miralala , I tagged someone else .. thanks for the thread.

The per head level of pollution generated must be so much higher amongst rural and suburban citizens, and it all goes into the atmosphere. How much do people care about that?

I think when people complain of London pollution they mean the impact on them as opposed to how much they create. "London has had illegal levels of air pollution since 2010. In terms of nitrogen dioxide, which inflames lungs and is linked to shorter life expectancy, London is nearly as bad as the Chinese and Indian capitals — and much worse than other developed cities such as New York or Madrid."

hence ULEZ

congestion creates a lot more pollution. And it's not just people driving their own cars but taxis & delivery vans.

@jeepersdeepers

The per head level of pollution generated must be so much higher amongst rural and suburban citizens, and it all goes into the atmosphere. How much do people care about that?

I think when people complain of London pollution they mean the impact on them as opposed to how much they create. "London has had illegal levels of air pollution since 2010. In terms of nitrogen dioxide, which inflames lungs and is linked to shorter life expectancy, London is nearly as bad as the Chinese and Indian capitals — and much worse than other developed cities such as New York or Madrid."

hence ULEZ

You can check the pollution of your postcode here:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42566393#include-1

I just put our London postcode in, then a random St Albans one and they were both the 2nd best possible.
Different areas will have different levels of pollution.

@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

Ha this did make me chuckle, I do get your point about not having the Notting hill/film scene experience of London if your outside of zone 1 and if that’s what your after then you may as well live in an easily commutable much cheaper, more beautiful town. I used to live in zone 3 and it could take me not much less time to get into central London, the theatres etc than it would take me from the platforms of e.g Peterborough or Cambridge, so yes in terms of the best of both worlds then that’s what I would choose. However having lived in zone 3 it is very much London and being London is hugely different to anywhere else in the UK, definitely very different to Kettering and Corby!!

Different areas will have different levels of pollution.

@cafedesreves of course who said they wouldn't? What are you trying to say, that London doesn't have issues with air quality?