What are the best ares in London for State Schools?

[zoed3]

Hello,

I am looking to move house within London and am hoping for some friendly advice of areas/neighbourhoods that feature great state run primary and secondary schools. We won't be able to afford private education, but we're really keen to ensure that our kids get the best and most well rounded education possible including academics, the arts and sport.

We currently live in Putney, but our jobs are in East London and the City so we're open to most areas in Zones 1 and 2 and some in Zone 3.

We're not terribly familiar with London... any help that can can be offered would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much!

Zoe

Muswell Hill

Tower hamlets has great primary schools and apparently good secondary schools, Also the area around victoria park is a lovely place to live with kids, lots going on and the museum of childhood on your doorstep

Another vote for Muswell Hill - at least 4 ofsted "outstanding" primary schools and 2 "outstanding" secondary schools (Fortismere & Alexandra Park). Moreover, it is a wonderful place to live - lots of green and very family friendly.

have you considered Brockley (SE4)? There are some lovely houses and it's in zone 2, click on the link for info about schools and the area in general:

www.foxtons.co.uk/living-in/brockley/

It has two very sought-after state secondary schools, Prendergast Hilly Fields (girls only) and Haberdashers Askes Hatcham College. Watch for tight catchment areas though.

We lived there for about a year and it's a great place.

Richmond upon Thames
Nearly all the primary's are graded ofstead outstanding and the ones that are not people in other boroughs would still kill to attend .
But obviously very oversubscribed and admissions becoming a nightmare

but what zone is that playgroup? I think the op is after somewhere more central. I would also recommend Bromley if she is prepared to go to zones 4/5, specially the area of Hayes.

Forest Hill/SE23 area is great for kids and has some fantastic state schools (Fairlawn, Horniman, Eliot Bank, Stillness, Dalmain), but make you live very close to be in catchment.

Thanks everyone for all the help! We have our work cut out for us, but now we have somewhere to start!

Richmond zone 6 so I good then

No good then I mean

LB of Redbridge has lots of 'outstanding' secondary schools - Valentines, Seven Kings High, Oaks Park, Chadwell Academy to name a few plus a girls' grammar and boys' grammar school. Housing costs a lot less than Muswell Hill too.

I think it's in zone 4 though...

Plenty of areas in London have great primaries.

However, watch out for well heeled areas where a large proportion of children go private for secondary, leading to a rather divided school system. (This is a problem in some parts of Richmond - people who can afford to spend millions on a house generally can also afford to go private.)

Picture changes if you can tick the CofE box. For example Pimlico (very much Zone 1) is fine if you can do St Peters followed by Greycoats.

Ditto the Oratory primary and secondary for those with Catholic boys.

Wanstead. Two tube stations on Central line, within 15 minutes you are at Liverpool Street. Brilliant schools. Two faith schools (CoE, and Catholic) and many very good / excellent schools (Nightingale - Outstanding re. Ofsted, Snaresbrook, Alsdersbrook) and some really excellent fee paying schools. Great place to live.

The state primary is great. Didn't have a good reputation some years ago but now it's really good. Good sports facilities, and it's a performing art school.

Be careful about Muswell Hill though - to get into the oversubscribed outstanding primaries you have to live metres away from the school. Quite a few MH children ended up with no school places this year or offered places as far away as Tottenham.

This threads really brings home the different views we all have on areas. There are a couple of areas recommended above which I would certainly want to avoid.

Barnet! great league table results.

NK, I agree. We left Tower Hamlets because of the schools. Not good ime.