To want to escape the ghetto

[N15]

I have name changed for this for obvious reasons.

I live in a part of London that has long resisted gentrification, and has a stubbornly high (and rising) crime rate. Stabbings, and even shootings, are far too common. Neighbours have witnessed shootings, with their children. The local secondaries are seen as finishing schools for criminals, with a lot of gang involvement, and knives carried around.

I really worry about my children when they reach secondary school age. I would sooner home school than send them to the local secondaries, but I don't have the ability to home school due to working. I work as a junior doctor, but the wages are low, especially for London.

Any suggestions for an area with decent schools that doesn't break the bank? I would need 4+ bedrooms. Even open to buying land and building, anything to escape.

I live in Hertfordshire. The Boxmoor and Felden areas of Hemel Hempstead are nice, the schools are decent and it's 30-35 mins into Euston on the train. Both areas have plenty of homes in budget that are walking distance from the train station so you could have a commute to UCLH for example that just involves a train. Watford General and Luton & Dunstable are close too.

Example house currently on the market: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135821270

i'm intrigued about the rising crime and persistent shootings in london near stokey that i've not heard about.

If it is N15 as in tottenham its generally dirty but where are all these shootings?

if you got a 1m budget why not just move to crouch end or all pally or archway?

Just have to note the inverted racist comments in regards to 'white' people based on the wrong assumption that OP is 'white'. Whilst also generalizing whole counties as being better for 'whites'.

Just wow!

Chislehurst
Bromley
Blackheath

Further out
Sevenoaks
Otford
Paddock wood

most POC don't use "ghetto" in london and haven't for at least a decade probably more

I don't know how to add a link...but I've just gone on zoople...put in blackheath and filtered it down to a four bed with a max price of £1million. Loads of nice houses have come up.

The suggestion you couldn't stay in London is ridiculous.

You could cycle to work from this one https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135821729

Also not far from the hospital https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134697920

*zoopla

With that budget I'd move out of London and privately educate the children but then I've never understood the obsession with living in London!

Never understood why ‘gentrification’ is a frowned upon concept. Why do people resist it? What’s good about living in a shit hole?

Oh leave off you Wally. How is it racist to point out FACTS.

Look at Newbury/Reading... close to London, M4 corridor. Still fairly expensive but you'd easily get a very nice house in a very nice area for under 1million!

Because the people who live there currently would not be able to afford to do so once it’s gentrified. Not exactly rocket science.

I live in a poor and deprived area and I call it a ghetto as well! Absolutely nothing to do with being racist! It's the best way to describe where I live!

I mean you won't get much for that budget in Mayfair or Chelsea...but there's absolutely tons of places in zones 4/5 of London where you can get a lovely family home for a million quid.

😅 people don't want to live in a shit hole but they also don't want to be priced out, over policed and ethnically cleansed from their local areas either.

suddenly gentrification starts and any time more than two black people stand next to each other the police turn up. and curtain twitching losers complain about noise every single day.

if you want silence move out of the city.

Pinner if you can commute on the Met line?

There are some decent terraced 4 beds in Tooting for that money. I don’t know about the schools but it’s a nice place to live and two big commons nearby. I never heard about any local stabbings let alone shootings while living there.

Or move all the way to Cornwall where they need doctors: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133121156

Are you wanting to stay close enough to your current job or are you wanting to relocate to another part of the country entirely? There are loads of choices if you’re willing to move jobs and completely relocate. I’m in the NW and you could live in a lovely area, safe with great schools for a million pounds (actually less in most cases). You don’t say in your OP if you still want to be close to work or not. If you want to stay then we need to know where the hospital is so that people can make sensible suggestions.

This isn't a recommendation as I don't know Pinner that well but:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131250413#/?channel=RES_BUY

I suppose it depends on what sort of area meets the non shite requirement

But SE London is a good bet.

Good point re location. Ideally I would stay in the North London area, or within commuting distance, as can be allocated to any hospital in this area. Changing areas while training is extremely difficult to impossible unfortunately.

How is your post any less offensive?

If you want to stay in London look at Streatham Hill / West Norwood areas where you can get a 4 bed semi for £1m (and some under).

Pay attention to catchment for primary schools: Hitherfield, Dubraven, Streatham Wells, Sunnyhill, Julian’s.

For secondary Dunraven. But Norwood is improving as is Elm Green, and in the area you have the option to try for lottery places / aptitude scholarships at Kingsdale, aptitude scholarships at Chestnut Grove or selective place at Graveney. If you are Catholic: Bishop Thomas Grant.

I've got a 6 bed detached <1 hour from Waterloo/Paddington paid £500k probably worth round £600k now. Decent enough schools nearby.

£1 million would be mansion-money round here!