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.

If you're in Tottenham why don't you pop over to E17?

😂

To be fair, twenty years ago it was. It has gentrified very rapidly. I can't see Tottenham following suit though.

I apologise for any negative connotations or offence from the word ghetto.

If you’re in Tottenham, you’re really not far from Essex at all. Have you checked out places in zones 5&6 on the central line? Easy commute into London and some very nice areas with good schools.

@N15 your children may still be in the catchment for Fortismere School if you live off Colney Hatch. I think they are a 9 form entry school.

@NomadicNarwhal the junior doctor bands are very wide. We have no idea which stage the op is at but it is reasonable to assume that they are more likely to be significantly post qual than otherwise.

How many secondary school children have been stabbed in the schools inyour area?

Drama lama

I know pp in East Barnet who are happy with the secondary schools.

Potters Bar in Hertfordshire is only 15 mins by train into Finsbury Park. It is leafy and pleasant. Has good secondary school - Dame Alice Owens.

You could get a nice detached 4 bedroom house within walking distance of the station for your budget.

Detached with garden and driveway for off street parking close to Ofsted rated good and outstanding state and independent schools in Mill Hill

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136126226#/?channel=RES_BUY

N20 Whetstone there are a variety of places in a road called Baxendale. This one needs doing up but is around £100k cheaper than the others for sale in the road

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136560611#/?channel=RES_BUY

Even Muswell hill post code where you said you couldn’t afford. There is another in the same road and a few more close by

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126795392#/?channel=RES_BUY

And then there is Highgate

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133013762#/?channel=RES_BUY

There are places if you do even a cursory look

A 4 bedroom house in St Albans for £800k-£1m? You would be lucky to get a 3 bed with off street parking for that amount anywhere near the station or in good catchment areas.

Teddington has great schools. It’s zone 6, but that does mean you always get a seat on the train to Waterloo. You can just about get into a 4 bed there for your budget. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127538273#/?channel=RES_BUY

Have you ever been to an inner city London council estate?

IMO Northumberland park is the only rough part of Tottenham, and that is exacerbated by its proximity to Edmonton, the rough end of Enfield. Both come together as one.

There are areas outside of London that are worse, because they don't benefit from the diversity/infrastructure/culture on its doorstep. I lived there for 2.5 decades before marriage and crime didn't find me. I have had break in attempts where I currently live outside of London. But I appreciate that the area is not everyone's cup of tea.

Going further into Haringey, The Green Lanes/ladder area is my favourite, but has always been since that's where I spent most of my time growing up (Bruce Grove too).

Yes, that poster was jumping to (wrong) conclusions. I’m going to jump to conclusions and assume that offended poster was white (but I could of course be wrong).

Wasn’t there a BBC documentary on the Met police recently that covered Tottenham? I wouldn’t want to live there either and I grew up in a rough part of London too.

Yes i have.

Every single black person I know refers to places in South London as ghetto. I knew the OP wasn’t white from when I read the OP

I grew up on a not so bad one. A kid wielded a baseball bat at me once. But I also stayed on the Angel Estate in Brixton when it was there.

I would call that a ghetto. there were frequent drug raids in the night that woke us up and worse things.

Interesting article on the word 'ghetto' in modern vernacular, from 2016 but still relevant.

OP has acknowledged it wasn't the best choice of words.

Move to Scotland.

Unless there's a pressing reason to remain in London but since you're North London - High Barnet, Potters Bar etc

Don't bother with SE London unless you can cope with 'care in the community' men who are generally menacing, and target women and girls for intimidation and shouty abuse. It's the main reason I got out, may not seem right to say it but living with that on your doorstep is no joke

Muswell Hill could also be an option, also has good schools. Nice 4 bed for 900k:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86226669#/?channel=RES_BUY

Forest hill
sydenham

There’s loads on this thread alone, Rightmove will show hundreds

Unless want to live means you’ll only do very expensive areas

Beckenham/Bromley in SE London is nice. Good transport links into central London and you could get a 4 bed within your budget.

Who / what are care in the community men?