Areas with great preps AND great state schools

[arizonagirl]

We are in a huge dilemma at the moment and need to move area - dh is ok about commuting for up to one and a half hours to London.

Our children are currently in preps but we are considering moving them into state. I know some state schools are fantastic but our children love their schools and the whole intimacy thing so this is weighing heavily on me at the moment.

My question is can anyone recommend an area where there is a selection of very good preps BUT also a great back-up of state schools.

Before anyone jumps on me and tells me to stay in preps and not waste valued places in state schools - we are not rich by any means - otherwise I would not be asking this question. Sorry - feeling rather sad at the moment : (

Thanks for any advice.

Sorry we own more than £500,000 property but couldn't afford school fees (nearly paid off the mortgage too, foreign holidays are camping, one car etc.). Lucky we have great state schools!

Agree with anonymous, Uttlesford - Saffron Walden area. Prep school - Barnadiston (about a 15-20 minute drive). State secondary - Saffron Walden County High. Private school for 3-18 - Friends. All have good repuations, plus a good range of State Primaries in the villages and RA Butler in Walden itself. Close to Cambridge but a lot cheaper. Easy commute by rail or car (M11). Nice market town, good shops, nice countryside around. Lots for dc such as soft play, museums etc.

chocolatefroggie I agree with. Brockenhurst would be a good option with direct trains into London.
Primary school is lovely. They have some excellent preps too, I see many mini buses from about 3 different preps doing drop offs. Also has a great College and good secondary schools.

Would you consider Wiltshire? 1hr 20 mins to Paddington from Chippenham. Lots of good village primaries and the comprehensives are well regarded. There are also some good prep schools locally. And you are close to Bath for shopping etc.

Rugby is 45 mins train from London. The town is awful but surrounding villages lovely and substantially cheaper houses than down south. There is Rugby School which has day and boarding and the day is good value compared to most top Public School fees. There is a prep called Bilton Grange and I'm sure many others. There are also grammar schools in Rugby too.

Thank you so so much for all this wonderful help - means a lot and has given me lots to look at. Will have a look at Brockenhurst, outside Cambridge, Wiltshire, Rugby, Saffron Walden - don't know these areas at all so would never have thought of them without you

Mummytime - you are lucky to have almost paid off a 500,000 mortgage and must have wonderful state schools as you now have a choice of whether to be mortgage free or invest in your children's future. Nice position to be in. I think you may have missed my point that having returned recently from ten years abroad we have tried in several areas to get into a state school. Have probably rung about fifty separate schools and independent county councils. All schools that are worth a second look have very long waiting lists and we would be right at the bottom as we live outside of catchment. We were offered a place locally at a school which has been graded as 3 and 4 in all areas. I will ALWAYS rent and not invest in bricks and mortar before putting them there. You are lucky not to be in that position and have the best of both worlds, imo.

You sound like a great mother and a lovely person to me - putting your childrens happiness/education before all else. Have you found a solution? Hope so.

I know you have ruled out tunbridge wells but how about mid kent you get more house for your money and the grammar schools aren't as over subscribed as the ones in west kent.

Try around Peterborough ( obviously not IN Peterborough tho'!) There are excellent private schools both sides, grammar schools in south Lincolnshire and property is relatively inexpensive. Tranport into London isn't too bad either

You might be better off doing a search on the OP's name and reading the scores of threads she wrote on this subject. There isn't a prep or state school south of about Cambridge that she hasn't looked at! Maybe one of those threads has a conclusion.

Aylesbury and villages around it in Buckinghamshire.

Good prep schools in MK (25mins) and GS area

Is Oxford(shire) too far away?