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.

It is rife on here

Good on you for calling it out

Seconded - it's also way more diverse than that ignorant poster suggests.

You can find places in Barnet, Totteridge, Hendon for around 900k. I know doctor families with kids who live there.

Ar you serious?? With a budget like that? Flipping hell.

I used to live here. It’s got nice schools, pretty genteel place. Might be a bit suburban if you’re used to be right in the middle of things, it’s not London but it’s very close by train into St P, which is a short walk away.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136193750#/?channel=RES_BUY

(the train, not St Pancras)

If your budget is £800k - £1million, look at Bounds Green, Southgate, Palmers Green type area. Or, further out on the great northern line that goes into Moorgate like Winchmore Hill etc.

I live in north London, would love to afford one of the lovely £800k+ houses here but will never be able to. I’ve never seen much crime here although a fox robbed our food box last night

I live in London but you don’t get change of a million for a 4-bed house in zone 3 - you could go to zone 5 and probably find something decent. High Barnet, Essex borders, Watford/Harrow area - anywhere where you can train/tube in to central London really. I don’t know south London well but maybe the other end of the northern line?!

Look in Essex, thats what we did. Very friendly people here, less crime and we were able to afford a three bed house. In London we could just about have scraped enough for a one bed flat!

There’s loads of places in SE London for your budget, great area, easy commute, fab schools. Has its problem areas like anywhere (including out of London)

It’s 800-1 mil for a 3 bed house in Barnet. It’s where I’m from.

I’ve just seen you have a budget of 1 mil 🙄 This is such a non problem. Pick a spot on the tube line in zone 5 or 6. Epping is nice.

Essex. Have a look at chalkwell, Eastwood, Rayleigh, Westcliff area. Close to Southend hospital.

I'm in zone three...I have a four bed house worth 550k. There are many 4 bed houses round here for less than a million. Its such a myth that you can't live in London unless you have millions to spend.

I moved out of Hackney many years ago as I didn't want to bring up children there. I didn't want my children to have the same rough upbringing that I had. There were stabbings and gun shots down my road many times. I never got scared because it became normal life, which is sad. It has made me stress wise and resilient though.

I live In Surrey now. It's like a different life. Quieter & green. With your budget, you could move anywhere 😊

*Street wise

I was going to say that if you were able to relocate away from London by getting a job elsewhere there are lots of lovely places in Yorkshire, Derbyshire etc. Plenty of good sized houses at reasonable prices.

I used to live around there as a student 20+ years ago. Remember coming out of our student house and a man sitting on the wall outside. He asked me for a pound and when I ignored him he said I know where you live. I gave him a pound then.

Ruislip in the NW and Worcester Park & New Malden in the SW. Both have excellent transport links into London. All leafy.

Into central London I meant.

Shootings? For a second, I thought you were talking about the US. Didn't know there were guns in the UK, enough to have regular shootings. Knife crime, I get.

Anyway OP YANBU. I also don't understand people's resistance to gentrification. I mean I get not wanting to be priced out of your own area but to clean it up and make it safer, nicer, better? There has to be a way that can happen and (lawful, well-behaved responsible) residents would still retain their homes.

Can I ask whereabouts?
I'd love to move closer to central London but didn't think my budget (~650k) would ever allow that

I think an outstanding school is one of the key things that push up house prices, and one of the major influences on a young person's social circle, so a good way to escape ghetto influences even if you don't live in the area.In your position I'd try and beat the system by selling your current house to rent a smaller flat in the same street as a top comp, timed to match the year of application for your eldest. Pick one with a solid sibling policy, then you can move out after the eldest has started school. You can the buy a house in an area close enough to bus in to school, but far enough to not be priced at a premium for being in a top school catchment.

Come North OP, you will get a lot of house for far less money