Hertfordshire Vs Buckinghamshire!?!

[Delectable]

Ladies, I need your help please. We've been house hunting for two years. With inflation and house prices going through the roof we perhaps need to narrow down and just go for it. It's been so difficult to find anything we like. We found a lovely house in (the wrong place) Aylesbury -traffic was horrid. Haddenham is nicer but further out from London and not at all diverse but Aylesbury nearby is ok for a bit of diversity. I saw a shop that had plantains at 3 for £1.50 at the time (2020) :) pricey yet but there's hope! Lol!

We saw another lovely on in Maidenhead but we just happened to go to view it we hadn't been looking there. It's the best yet but that's Berkshire.

We like Buckinghamshire for the Grammar schools but get more value in Hertfordshire.

Requirements: 4 bed + 3 bathrooms, happy to do some work even an extension if pushed, outstanding schools, walking distance ie not more than 1mile to the station. Nice to have: village location.

Where do you suggest we look and why?

Bray is a lovely village in Maidenhead with fair prices but I'm not sure about Berkshire. I've lived on the edge of Hertfordshire so I'm familiar with it. Are grammars that important? Education is most important to us. I come from a culture where it's not uncommon to spend all we have on a child's education and skimp everywhere else. No Grammars in Berkshire but the house prices give the most value for everywhere we've seen. With Crossrail we should get a bit of an uplift in appreciation of our ppty value.

Haddenham is also a lovely village but feel it's too far out from London and too much traffic getting to schools in Aylesbury.

Thank you.

If you're aiming for the Aylesbury Grammar schools, I'm fairly confident that the traffic is bad coming into Aylesbury from all directions so I wouldn't rule out Haddenham on the basis of the traffic.

The traffic coming up the A41 from the Hemel Hempstead direction is also atrocious at that sort of time in the morning for example.

Whereabouts in London do you need to be able to get to? Between Herts and Bucks you could be getting a train into London arriving at any of the northern terminals: Marylebone, Euston, Kings Cross (Thameslink goes through to Blackfriars etc) or you can get on the Metropolitan line in Bucks. Where you need to get to in London should have a bearing on where you'd live. I was happily commuting into Euston and had a reasonable commute, then my company moved offices to the City and my commute became pretty much unviable (2 hours each way).

Re diversity, there's very little diversity in the Bucks villages as far I'm aware and in the West Herts villages. It's one of the drawbacks of this area.

Thanks so much for your insightful reply @INeedNewShoes we don't have to get to anywhere in London in particular. I'm WFH as a locum solicitor usually for a local authority. My DH gives talks from time to time but online mostly these days. We don't have a daily commute into London but till I'll like us to be able to get into London easily for work opportunities that might come up, socials and maybe markets (I know I'm asking for too much putting markets in the mix).

I'm glad to help. Only replying now to help bump your thread for you now we're in daylight hours as you might get more responses. There probably weren't many people around at 2am this morning!

Oh there’s quite a few grammars in Berkshire.

There’s this: www.kendrick.reading.sch.uk/

That’s where this lady who created the Chineke! Opera went (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi-chi_Nwanoku). A few more in reading and Slough.

I can also recommend Newbury in Berkshire as well. My Nigerian cousin who’s spouse is from another west African country just moved there. Kids in primary school and they say it has a good Asian population.

Oh there’s quite a few grammars in Berkshire.

There’s the Kendrick school. That’s where this lady who created the Chineke! orchestra went (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi-chi_Nwanoku). A few more in reading and Slough.

I can also recommend Newbury in Berkshire as well. My Nigerian cousin who’s spouse is from another west African country just moved there. Kids in primary school and they say it has a good Asian population.

We live in a bucks village and I have to drive into Aylesbury quite regularly for appointments and never have significant traffic issues?? Certainly no different than any other large town.

I wonder if you were looking at an area with some new builds going up so temporarily the traffic was bad? Sometimes I reroute to avoid those spots

It really is an excellent area to live with a great hospital

Came on to say that you are not asking for too much, tut tut! Grew up in Bucks, and don't be put off by the lack of apparent diversity in the villages. Give it time and people will start showing their faces. You don't mention how old your little ones are, but do have a look online at the selection criteria for the grammar schools, as some want for you to be there by the time the child is a certain age before you can apply (e.g. child has to have been in the district from 5/6/7th Birthday). I can't personally relate as I was private but have heard this. Also, get involved into a church / sports club to settle quickly and make connections. Lots of people commute into the city, and there are often car runs to the closest train station. I used one car pool from the church when i had to commute into Marylebone station.

But don't be put off by anything or anyone

These counties are very big so you need to be a bit more specific. Aylesbury is diverse to an extent but I wouldn’t choose to live there. I find it quite run down although the girls grammar is good there. I would stick to South Bucks depending on your budget. The villages have less diversity but we have always found it to be absolutely fine. Nobody looks twice at us. There are black people around and lots of Asians so you will find foods there like plantain like you mentioned. You could also look around Iver/Stoke Poges as you’ll still be in grammar catchment and they are quite diverse.

We also looked in Herts around Berkhampsted but found it far less diverse. Hemel Hempsted is more diverse so you could look there although I’m not sure about schools as we are private. I don’t know about east Herts.

Reading has grammar schools and is very diverse in Berks. I wouldn’t move to Maidenhead- I also found it quite run down and there are far nicer places to live. Not sure about the villages in Berks as we never looked there either.
As a general view, I’m finding the Home Counties are becoming more diverse over time so diversity issues may be less of a worry in time to come. Good luck!

Live on the West Side of Milton Keynes, grammar school in Buckingham?
Mk very diverse. Plenty of plantains! Trains to Euston.

(I don't know why it capitalised West Side there, it's MK not LA...!)

@TheSpottedZebra are you in the catchment for the bucks grammars if you live in MK?

I feel like that’s my biggest issue with MK, the lack of selective education

No, mumsqna MK is comprehensive. However people can, and do, opt in to take the 11+ and then apply to the Buckingham and Aylesbury grammars.
I don't live there but my sister does, and her 3 go to grammar schools, along with the odd few from their previous schools so it's not at all rare.

@INeedNewShoes how kind of you! I have a horrid habit of staying up late; I'm working hard at doing better.
We did see a nice house in Aylesbury but it's too far from London, too much traffic and isn't for us. We liked Haddenham but would prefer closer.

@mumsqna thanks. It's only Maidenhead and perhaps Burnham we're considering in Berkshire. A nice village or small development. Buckinghamshire and SW Hertfordshire are our preferred areas.

@PrayingandHoping Thanks. We came on a Saturday but think Aylesbury is too far. The traffic was towards the centre of town. We found the most lovely house just set back from houses on the waterfront, with open unobstructed views. :) but it's too far.

@TeaAddict235 our little ones are literarily on the way but as we've started our family later and this will be our one last move we need to get it right. Yes, in 5 to 10 years demographics do change. We're happy to do private as well. Only that my DH thinks in years to come universities and corporates will discriminate against privately educated. He was privately educated here and I was in Nij so I'm comfortable with the idea. We won't have a mortgage so it should be possible. Only that some are of the opinion that a good grammar in a nice area is better that going private. Perhaps we should have a thread to explore this better. My personal values uphold striving to give your child the best education so I'm open to ideas.

@Fretfulmum thanks. Not looking in Aylesbury. Yes South Bucks is closer to the M25 and that suits us better. The budget is the issue. Beaconsfield is nice and would be good for us but we seem to want more house for our money. We also took to Berkhampsted at first glance then I thought it was too one track in ethnicity. There're lovely villages like Bray and others in Marlow near Maidenhead but I prefer a bit further north ie South Bucks or SW Herts.

@TheSpottedZebra thanks. MK is just too far out.

We don't need to get to anywhere in London perse. We need to have a good reasonable connection into Central London for socials, potentially for work once or twice a week perhaps but we WFH at the mo. I like ethnic markets for fruit, veg and choice. The ones I know are East Street market SE, Dalston NE and Southall W. Ofcourse there's Upton Park and Whitechapel but not viable to frequent.

Thanks everyone for all your replies. Please continue sharing if anything springs to mind.

Have you considered places like Harpenden, St Albans, Redbourn etc. Not the cheapest of places but very good schools (although not grammar). Good railings.

I'm a white person living in Bucks having been in London for a decade before this. Swathes of it are very white but the towns (High Wycombe for example) appear to be more diverse. At primary level, if the two form entry school and the activities my DC did were taken as a sample, you/your DC may well be the only or one of a handful of black famiilies at the school gate/football/athletics/ballet etc. At secondary level that has changed but only marginally so. It's not a mono-culture by any means as a number of school gate friends and acquaintances are from a range of European countries and the Americas but they are all white.
The thing with the 11+ is to work out what your back up plan is. Every year there seem to be a couple of people who everyone expects to pass but don't. Therefore, you need to be happy with both the 11+ and the non-11+ school and find somewhere which is well within catchment for both. Also look into what clubs there are for the activities your DC want to do and whether they'll be in a similar location to school or in a totally different direction. I hadn't appreciated how much of my life would be spent ferrying my DC around! There is no public transport to speak of unless you live the requisite distance from your closest school and so the county is obliged to provide a bus (which may or may not turn up!) to the school but only at the beginning & end of the school day which is no use if you're in clubs or need to go back later for a rehearsal or anything.
If you are interested in Bucks, it's worth going on the school admissions website and checking last distance offered. Some of them have a catchment of 15 or so miles, others only 2 or 3. Also, their catchments can be odd shapes and can include out of county areas.
Obviously I can't comment on what it would be like moving here as a black person but it is an area where a lot of people move to from London. Some because they grew up here and have moved back to be nearer family free childcare/ but a lot (like us!) simply move here because of the house prices, surroundings, schools & commute to London.

It might be worth having a look at Amersham. The old town is nice and the new bit is good amenities wise and on the metropolitan line.

I think of Berkhamsted of being like a West London village that happens not to be in London in terms of feel and amenities.

Kings Langley could be worth a look. Just north of the M25 and 20 minutes into Euston on the train, but I suspect less diversity even than Berkhamsted.

Thanks @Riverlee Harpenden gives less house for the money but yes it seems to have the best collection of schools (private I think).

Thanks @Dynamitegirl I understand Bucks isn't as diverse as HW. We're just starting our family so I hope in 10years it'll be a bit more so. I'm also being mindful of having a bus service so we're not ferrying around all the time. :) I note you say there's no real public transport. I need an area that has PT and will be happy for recommendations. I just found this website www.thebucksgrammarschools.org/tbgs-schools and checked BHS's catchment to have a feel for the shapes etc. We need a catchment for both boys and girls schools so Dr Challoner's seems one to look at as it has both a boys and girls school. When you say people move there for the house prices, what do you mean?

Thanks @INeedNewShoes I don't think Berkhamsted has grammar schools. It's a lovely area. We went to see a couple of properties there but I felt the connection to London is slow. King Langley doesn't have selective schools I think. It's in Hertfordshire.

If you are looking for boys and girls catchments, you can also look at RGS for boys which has catchment overlap for BHS and WGS for girls. However, I really would caution basing it all around grammar schools as there is no guarantee all of your kids will get in. It is very very competitive to get a Grammar school pace in Bucks and lots of children who are bright and expected to get a place, do not get one. Many families move into the area or rent just before the cut off dates, and tutor for years, making it even more competitive. If you were planning a house and life move around grammar schools, I would look at good secondary moderns which you will also be in catchment for just as a back up. But they are few and far between in Bucks. I would also prepare to go private for primary to up your chances of a Grammar place as that seems to be a popular route to gaining a place. The Bucks Preps are very good. The catchment boundaries do change over time, so if you are set on trying for Grammar, then I would try to live as close to the school as possible in case you end up falling out of catchment or distance is used to allocate places as sometimes not all pupils in a catchment who pass the test, get a place as there are more pupils in the catchment area than places. Challenors you have to live about 4 miles within the schools to get a place (I think).
Housing in the catchments for Challenors schools and BHS are very expensive and you can definitely get more for your money in other areas. I would avoid HW itself, the surrounding villages are much much nicer, also look at Flackwell Heath and Bourne End.

Thanks @Fretfulmum. Warwickshire is looking more enticing. Excellent Grammars and Indes and more house for the money but of course without the benefits of London. We'll have a look at the villages you mentioned around HW. I think that's as far as we'll go for now. Are Kent and Essex better? I don't think we'll consider those. Perhaps Berkshire - Maidenhead

Harpenden non-private schools are very well thought of also.

Kent is a grammar school area - places like Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge etc may suit you. Sevenoaks is also very well thought off. There’s lots of lovely villages near the main towns if if you prefer a slightly more rural location. Not to mention lots of lovely coastal towns - Whitstable, Deal, Rye (across the border) etc,,

May not be the most diverse places, but are lovely areas.

Thanks @Riverlee Potters Bar for DAO and the Chalfonts for Dr Challoners seems he top contenders now.

We live in Amersham and have DC at DCGS and DCHS. Amersham is cheaper than Beaconsfield and Gerrards X. We think it’s nicer though Amersham has both the tube and overland so v convenient for town. We are a white family so can’t comment but neither school has that many black pupils. Some people hate grammar schools and I guess the school experience isn’t so great if your DC don’t pass the 11+.
Aylesbury really isn’t that nice so you’ve made a good choice. Ditto Wycombe imvho.
How about Marlow?

We live in south bucks and have just been through the whole 11+ thing.
Our child passed and got into one of the grammars. He's not that happy and the school is like a factory and are slow to respond to anything.

We have a second child and I am dreading the whole thing.
I absolutely hate the grammar set up.

The secondary moderns in the area are not great so the only other option if they don't pass is private.

If I could go back in time I would move to a non grammar area.

Also.. we live in an affluent south bucks town and it is safe and green and much more diverse than 20 years ago.

But I've also started to find it really dull and I've realised this is the problem with small towns. I crave to live in a beautiful city like Oxford or Winchester with yoga classes and things going on

@AvonCallingBarksdale my husband likes Marlow but we've not looked there yet as I feel it's a bit far out from London and counties I tend to have more friends. Glad to know you're happy in Amersham and DCGS.
@ceramicheart sorry to hear he's not happy at the grammar, you could opt for non grammar too. Best to go with the choice that best suits him. I understand your point about activity. It's why we need an area not too isolating. I trust you'll be more comfy soon.