Moving to London...advice on where to live and schools?

[janet75]

Hi
We are relocating to the London early in the new year and I am trying to research where we should live and information on the UK schooling system.

We have a 4yr old and 1yr old so want to live somewhere that is suitable for families but not too far from Canary Wharf. We've been looking along the Jubilee line and Greenwich Blackheath. I would really appreciate some comments on the areas and what life is like with Kids.

Also would like some info on the best way to select schools my eldest, turns 5 in August 09. Here (Australia) he would not start formal schooling until January 2010 but from the limited information I have been able to find on UK schooling I think that your education system starts a year earlier?

Also I am a little confused over the classes of schools public, private, independant? And how to choose between them?

Any comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Janet

good point Anna

Getting out of north london not too difficult but the only worthwhile coast is norfolk at least 2 hours away.
Then again you can fairly easily get to the cotswolds

I'm currently renting in the "nice" bit of Greenwich (ie West of the park) - our DS is only 1 so we're not worried about proximity to the good state primary school yet (which is in East Greenwich).

To give you an idea of costs - we are paying 2000 pounds a month for a 2 bed, 3 storey Victorian house in a conservation area. It's a lovely house (with a reasonable size garden) on a really quiet road that is packed with families with young kids.

I work, but my landlady was a SAHM with 2 young kids and she said she (and the neighbours) took part in mother and toddler type activities at least 4 times a week.

I love Greenwich so would highly recommend it - Blackheath is equally nice but the transport links into Canary Wharf are nowhere near as good.

If you have any more questions, please let me know! Good estate agents to look at would be Humphreys Skitt, John Payne and James Johnston

janet57: "Is it a rule that people only use their cars infrequently and generally use public transport or walk? Must be hard to do with a newborn, thankfully were through the stage of having to pack half the house every-time we go out."

As a general rule, because parking is so difficult and expensive in central London, you would take public transport into central London, and drive to go outside London. But if you have to get round in a buggy, you want to live somewhere with good local facilities for parents and toddlers.

Greenwich has all this with a fabulous huge Royal park that has a super playground, flower garden at the top, pond with paddle boats in the summer, coffeeshops, fairs. You have mummy groups that jog with their buggies to lose weight, so many baby/toddler groups that I could not attend all of them in my 1 year maternity leave, baby massage at the local surestart centre - if you go for this. It is really easy to make friends. IMO South London is more relaxed and less competitive - No one rams their Tarquin and second homes business down your throat and my dd attends a private school. Many families move here from overseas so terribly multicultural - though a lot of London is like this anyway.

"I see that not many places apartments or houses have parking as a feature. We will likely get a car anyway for travel on the weekends etc. "

There will most definitely be houses in Greenwich/Blackheath with offstreet and available onstreet parking. It is why people move to the area. As for the new flats, I see they mostly come with parking.

Anna is right about holidaying in Kent. The last school hols, we drove down to the Kent coast and it was ridiculously easy and painless, considering we have always previously holidayed north and west. You need a car if only to drive out to Bluewater shopping mall and Lakeside for serious shopping blitz! Bluewater is particularly baby friendly.

Janet, re driving, we thought the same so bought a car just before DS was born. We did use it on weekends, but public transport is so easy that we almost never used it during the week. Parking in SJW/MV will almost certainly be on street, but with resident's parking permits we never had a problem.
You will find that you simply don't need or want to travel the safe distances on a dailiy basis as you would in Sydney. London is like a collection of villages and you will, for the most part, stay in your "village" or the surrounding villages.
On the holiday front, as an Australian my bet is you will want to holiday in Europe rather than english beaches (for a bit of proper heat and sun). You can always do weekends to beach/country from anywhere in London.

Research Dulwich. Lots of schools, both state and primary and feels like Mosman- even has lorikeets in the park!

The only other area I can think of that you might really like is Hamstead Heath, but not sure about transport to CW.
Anyone know?

thanks everyone this info is really helping me in my planning / research. I have a couple more questions:

1. What are the areas Queens Park, Belsize Park like for living and transport to Canary Wharf?

1. What is Swiss Cottage and Finchley Road like for living?

1. Does the Jubliee line like for breakdowns etc?

1. What would the typical weekly shopping cost for a family of 4, it currently costs us about $220 australian dollars per week, delivered.

Thanks.

Queens Park is v nice (Syd North Shore type) and only 1 stop further than MV. Don't really know Belsize Park well enough to comment, and don't like Swiss Cottage at all (think Chatswood).
The Jubilee is not particularly bad for breakdowns, but I know a lot of people have a bike as a back up plan (no matter where they live/work).
To get an idea of what shopping would cost YOU, got to ocado.com (Waitrose delivery)and you could do a practise shop and see what it comes to. This will be the top end of what it will cost you as Waitrose is the top end of the supermarket options (v good though).

Thanks I'l checkout the chopping suggested.

Queens Park isn't on the Jubilee line is it? What is the line like that it is on, or is it possible to go to one of the Jubilee stations from Queens Park?

It's on the Bakerloo which works fine (as good as any) and you just change at Baker Street onto the Jubilee. Same with MV.

Queens park is also nice but maida vale way better.

Bakerloo line is as efficient as any other line and the interchange in baker street simple and efficient (but busy - unless you DH like mine starts at ungodly hours)

Belsize park is a lovely north village. It starts behind St J W/primrose hill and goes up (litterally) into the hills of gorgeous Hampstead all the way up to the heath.
Very bohemian chic. Great school on the way up to hampstead both public and private.

For the commute it would be about 20 mn on the northern line (southbound) and interchange at London bridge then 3 stops.
The northern line is ancient, hot and stuffy. I've been away 2 years now. Maybe it's been upgraded?

Swiss cottage and Finchley rooad: You'll hate it when you walk out of the tube. Finchley road is a big large noisy rooad.
But take a turn into the side streets and it's gorgeous leafy low rise red brick mansions and split victorian houses all the way down towards west hampstead or up into Hampstead village. With foxes and nesting birds in the garden.
Very good for transport and amenities.

Breakdowns/delays almost unheard of on the jubilee.

shopping: go to tesco or sainsbury or ocado online.

That said, blackheath/greenwich are really good. I just don't have experience of living there.

And lets face it, if you want the 4 bedroom house, that's where you should concentrate your search

The Northern Line is called the Misery Line!

Well, there you go, now I remember why we never actually moved to belsize park!

Thanks, we are after the 4 bd house or apartment but I've seen a few online that look good for not too bad rents.

How does the rental mkt work there, do you usually have to pay more than what is asking to secure the property or can you offer below and still be in with a chance of getting it?

What is South Hampstead like?

Janet

Not any more! The property market is disintegrating at the moment, so you will have lot of hand - make an offer. Most places come furnished, but you can negotiate if you want extra things or want some things removed. Generally they don't do open-houses, you call and agent, tell them what you're after and they drive you around and show you places. Then if you take a place through that agent you pay them a fee. The agency starting with F charge through the nose, but they often have some of the better properties.

I am a north londoner so I am very biased. Personally with young children I would go for South Hampstead / Queens Park / West Hampstead or Belsize Park over Maida Vale or St Johns Wood. MV and SJW are gorgeous but I don't think that they are particularly child friendly and can be a bit snooty. The other areas I have mentioned are perfect with young families and have most of an urban vibe and are a bit more trendy rather than posh. If you find that they are too expensive then I would consider the mapesbury area of willesden too. All these areas are great for getting into london and are a short drive from Brent Cross which is a good shopping mall if you need more chain stores and can't face going into town.

North West london is very multicultural and that is what I love about it. It is the centre of the UK jewish community, there is a massive 2nd / 3rd generation Indian middle class, lots of black families a large wealthy arab community around SJW and loads of expats esp americans plus a big new eastern european community.

If you would consider going slightly north rather than north west and being on the Northern line which is actually fine then Hampstead garden suburb is very beautiful and has a fantastic state primary school called Brooklands plus there are good state schools in Highgate which is the other side of hampstead heath and also really lovely, great for families and beautiful

The only thing I would say is that unless you go to church / syngagogue the state schools are poor and you would need to be looking at private. Hampstead area private schools are upwards of £3k a term and have long waiting lists so if you are considering this area you do need to get names down now. However, people register with everywhere so places do come up.

Hello

I agree with Enraha. South West London is very popular, for instance Kingston area. Trip to city = 20min train trip to Waterloo and then a short trip on the underground to Canary Wharf.
Is on the Thames and right by Richmond Park, so wonderful for children. Is near other parks and Hampton Court etc. A short journey down to Surrey.
Has a lovely out-of-town feel to it.
Has excellent state and private schools - I think Tiffen is in the top 10 state schools in the country.

A few of my banking friends live around there.

Best wishes.

Thanks all for the help so far. I am wondering if anyone can tell me a little about Kensington and the trip to Canary Wharf and life with kids in that area? We are still fairly focused on the Hampstead / Primrose Hill location however I have had a few people say that we really must look at Kensington / South Kesington. My husband also visited Greenwich recently and really liked it...someone above mentioned "the nice Part", where is the "not nice" part? (so I can avoid it!!)

Also on another matter, can anyone tell me what the best / efficient/ cost effective internet connections are? As I'd like to have that sorted when we arrive so that I can order shopping etc.

Thanks!

Hi!

Kensington/south ken is posh. Taken over by expats from the financial sector. Many part are like a little pocket of chic continental europe ( the french lycee is there).

It's lovely if you can afford it. Prices are dipping. Maybe 4 bed houses still a bit pricey.
My friend just upgrading their flat and renting other place (4 bed / 200 sqm at 1,000 a week to give you an idea)
Hyde park at your doorstep.

Commute is circle or district line to westminster and change for jubilee. so about 30mn.

Greenwich is certainly more understated.

Greenwich is pretty much split by which side of the park you are on - the "nice bit" is West of the park (ie, West Greenwich), and the "less nice" bit, is East Greenwich.

Certainly the nicer roads and boutique style shops are in West Greenwich, but the better state primary schools are in East Greenwich, if that's a concern. House prices will be much cheaper in East Greenwich, unless you're in the right catchment area for the good state schools!