Schooling in Liverpool vs London?

[MomofAM]

Hi. Let me give a quick backstory first. We moved from Liverpool to the South a year ago and just do not feel settled here. We miss the slower paced life, the friendly people, the lack of traffic. We also really struggled to buy a house in the South. Two house sales fell through due to the seller pulling out last minute etc and now a third is also not going well. We've been in a one bedroom with our 2 kids for the last year. We had two options now: buy a 2 bedroom here or we move back. We kept comparing houses in the South to Liverpool... "100k more for a house which is smaller than what we had there". We've decided to move back to Liverpool. Unfortunately, my husband and I will have to do long distance for about a year (could be 6 months, could also be 2 years). He will be living at his parents in London and I will be with the kids in Liverpool.
Anyways, a lot of people have been saying to me that we are making a 'backwards' step. They've been saying that the standard of education in London is much better and we are making a mistake by taking the kids BACK to Liverpool. One of my cousins whose family has been in London for generations REALLY hated on our decision. We have a 7 year old and 5 year old. If it helps, we will be moving to Prescot. The kids went to school there before we moved to the South and we felt it was a lovely school. A few of the parents didn't give the best vibe and could be considered 'trashy' but most of them were lovely.
People have also been saying that we are making a mistake as my husband's parents / siblings are all in London and it's important for kids to grow up around family (even though we are planning to come down every half term so kids can spend time with family).
I moved to the UK from America so I am not sure if this is all just stereotypes or if we are actually making a mistake. I'm starting to freak out now as I obviously value my children's education and would them to go grow up and be highly educated and sophisticated individuals. I also value quality family time... which we did not have in London. We used to go out as a family every weekend when we lived in Liverpool. In London, we just see family every weekend and have gone out together maybe 4 times in the whole year we've been here? I also value having savings and money to travel... which would also have been difficult in London. I'm so conflicted and confused now. As a mother, I want what's best for my children.
Any genuine advice would be appreciated!!

Well, you already know you can have an excellent standard of living, and an excellent education, living in Liverpool. And you know it’s stuffed with culture and outdoor adventure and well connected by road, rail and air. So why are you listening to Londoners who know nothing about it?

The biggest concern would be the (apparently temporary) splitting of the family, with your husband remaining in London with his parents. Honestly - that’s likely to be problematic in the long run. Every minor disagreement will be amplified by his parents backing him up - leaving you feeling isolated.

Is the sudden deadline for decision making related to your children and schools?

He is in GP training and is going to apply for a transfer back, we're hoping he'll get it by January because he can say his family lives in Liverpool now.
Tbh my in-laws and I have a great relationship so I don't mind him living with them, they don't get involved in our arguments. Since we've moved to London, if they ARE ever involved, they take my side haha.

I just feel all of the "your kids will now grow up to be dumb" comments are getting to me. I don't know anyone in Liverpool whose children went to school there and are now adults so I don't have examples.

All I know is we loved the city and our life there. We've been feeling miserable because of how inconvenient and fast paced the London life is. Even things like paying for parking at high streets?! My Liverpool retails parks could never haha

Where exactly in London do they live that (secondary) schools are so great? Aside from a handful of schools in North London with a tiny (and very expensive) catchment everyone is fighting over grammar school places which are extremely hard to get and require a lot of investment in tutoring. Otherwise, the good schools are all private. 🤷‍♀️

My kids are the same age as yours and yes the standard of education is very good in London. My 5 year old in particular has come on leaps since being in reception this year.
The schools have better provisions for breakfast club / after school clubs at decent prices. There are free school meals for all kids in primary in London.
Liverpool is a lovely city, and I am sure there are great schools there too but overall yes the standard of education for me personally is better in London.
Long term too at the moment there will be a lot more opportunities as they go into teen years.

Maybe at primary. Which London (non-grammar) state secondary schools are so exceptionally great outside of maybe Dame Alice Owen and Alexandra Palace School, which have absolutely tiiiiiny catchments?

London schools like schools in any city are variable. Some are amazing some are great some are not do good.

it’s less about great schools and more about the whole package

My daughter was educated in Chester and my son was educated in Staffordshire. When my daughter moved to London aged 19 part of her job involed schools. We found the difference startling, especially in what is known as cultural capital. Londond schools are close to schemes and initiatives and have funding. My daughter worked in a theatre. Many things were open to all but only London schools were close enough to get there for example. London schools seem to be better funded too. Then there is access to work experience opportunities and all the things that are available in London.

Incidentally she now lives in Liverpool and would not have wanted to have been brought up in London. If you are fortunate enough to be able to provid the extras a yourself then the cheaper cost of living and slower pace of life can outweight these things.

Your friend's attitude is exactly why so many Northerners hate Londoners!

We moved from outskirts of London to Cheshire 4 years ago.

My daughter's life is infinitely better. We have more space, indoor and outdoor. We have better access to green spaces. She breathes cleaner air. She is safer and has more social interaction. She can play outside unsupervised. We can afford better holidays, better life experiences and more fun. Her school is excellent- we chose a small village school over the "outstanding" academy across the road but both are brilliant schools. Obviously you don't get all the same benefits of countryside living in a city like Liverpool but there are other advantages. Just like London, you have theatres and shopping centres and so on.

We spent the weekend in London, and I had forgotten how crowded, dirty, unfriendly and scary it is for a small child.

I would never go back.

Have you ever lived in Liverpool or in the North to be able to make that comparison?

Thank you!! I agree. My husband was born and raised in London and after 6 years in Liverpool, he struggled so much being back in London for the last year. We feel like the only thing to do is go to central London on the train and that’s just such a hassle with kids. Everything else costs so much money. I took the kids to a petting zoo recently which was £19.95 per person, the one we used to go to in Liverpool was £4 per person. And don’t even get me started on lack of friendliness

People talking about access to culture in London often sound as if they have no idea at all about the existence of any such thing north of Watford. Whereas any budding musician, theatre performer, artist, designer, singer, living in Liverpool has the entire North - Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, plus Edinburgh and Glasgow, at their fingertips - without requiring a billionaire trust fund to survive on. Not to speak of all the ‘serious’ professions that thrive in those areas.

As someone who’s lived and worked there, but also all over the UK as well, I’d say London is an absolutely fabulous resource. But I breathe a sigh of relief every time I leave it.

But @MomofAM- you really need to do some deep digging into the schools that would be available to you (state or independent?) if you moved back to Liverpool. Your children’s prospects obviously have to be your priority.

Liverpool will give your children a much better life, and it has a great uni if they want to stay local, lots of locals stay in halls.

That is absolutely not true!

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/aug/15/why-london-schools-outperforming-rest-england

Can't read the article as it's behind a paywall, but could you name the London state secondary schools on that list (that aren't grammar schools)?

Some schools have a good reputation (like Holland Park or Fortismere) but are actually quite bad from knowing people who attend them. Outside the grammar schools, I don't think many London state secondaries are much to write home about.

Liverpool is brilliant

The Guardian doesn't have a paywall

And there isn't a list of schools.

Quick AI search:

London state schools are widely considered among the best in the UK, routinely outperforming national averages in GCSEs and A-Levels. While the city offers exceptional, world-class options, access is highly competitive, usually depending on living in a tight catchment area or passing rigorous selective exams. 1, , 4]

I think stereotypes go both ways. It’s daft and childish to make judgements about lovely friendly Liverpudlians vs cold unfriendly Londoners. It’s just about what you like and feel comfortable with. I don’t like Liverpool but you do, so that’s OK then!

Ah sorry, on my phone it looked like it did but it was asking for donations not payment to read the article

But all the schools listed in that Timeout article are highly competitive grammar schools, many of them single sex. The London grammar schools are of course very good, but insanely difficult to get into. The no1 school on that list - Queen Elizabeth Boys is (a) a single sex boys school and (b) probably more competitive to get into than Oxbridge. Of course those schools produce great results given the intake.

Where do you live in London currently
Are your children in state schools or private?
I’m origunally from Liverpool and don’t know any schools currently but Prescot (you’re moving back to?) is considered a nice area.
Still have grammar schools on the Wirral if that’s a consideration?

Does this help, @MomofAM?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/24/andy-burnham-plans-move-no-10-operation-manchester

One of my best friend's children were all educated in the Liverpool area:

1. At Oxford doing PPE.
2. At Loughborough playing rugby and doing Maths.
3. About to start next year at Northern College of Music in Manchester.

I am not saying that they would not have done as well academically or personally in London but like most major cities there are excellent opportunities educationally, in the Arts and with sport in Liverpool especially when children have the benefit of supportive parents who will help them in finding their way and making the most of the opportunities out there. It is the case that the lower cost of housing outside the SE often also means that there is more money left over for extras which is a big factor that most of us cannot afgord to disregard

How many threads about this now?! I’ve read this at least twice before

I don’t see the OP referring to secondary schools. Nonetheless we are looking to move to an area with two outstanding secondary schools and have a secondary area where there are a further two outstanding schools. There are many many schools primary and secondary. I was giving my own experience with children of the same age as OP.