Which suburb would you choose?

[GroovyOne]

If you could live in any suburb in Wandsworth - where would it be?

We are moving to London from Australia in the middles of 2014 and are trying to decide where to live.

We have 4 kiddies - DD 11, DS 10, DS 6 and DS4.

So many places to live and options and schools, and, and.....

Would be GREAT to hear comments etc. that you lovely ladies may have.
xx

State school or private?
If state then you may want to be next door to your chosen secondary
Otherwise I'd be looking at how you are travelling to work - easiest commute etc

State or private is fine.

Hubby's work will be central. Green Park.
My work : TBA (part time 4 me, or maybe more study)

Buying or renting accommodation?

Honestly I'd consider schools first before you think about any other factors. Schools are a notorious minefield in London (not wishing to scare you but...)

If you want a place in a good state primary in Wandsworth you need to live very close by - catchment areas are tiny - or attend the right church for the religious based schools and living nearby with those helps too. Have a look at the Wandsworth council website, there is a document which sets out the entry criteria for each state school and for the catchment based ones it tells you how far away the furthest child offered a place last year lives. For some schools it's as small as 300 metres. If the distance is larger it's generally a sign the school is less sought after (though that doesn't necessarily mean it's terrible - there is a lot of herd thinking!)

For private primaries you usually need to register well in advance of entry (for some, quite soon after birth...!) However this may be a bit different for your 6 year old as they're not going in at the bottom iyswim, so it may be a little easier to get a place. Most will bump siblings up the list. Might be best to phone around a few of the private primaries that you like the look of and sound them out about spaces.

Secondary schools in London (both state and private) vary a lot. What sort of school would you want? Are your older children academic? Sporty? Again it might be an idea to phone around some schools, or email given the time difference, and ask about entry.

The Good Schools Guide is helpful for private schools.

Green Park is pretty easy to access from lots of areas of Wandsworth, the overground from Wandsworth Common and Clapham Junction goes into Victoria or there's the Northern line tube stations and change at Stockwell. Or he could cycle it in about 30 minutes (once he's got used to the London traffic that is!) So I'd go with schools first and worry about commute later.

What's your budget? And what do you want in the area? Some areas of Wandsworth are a fair bit more expensive than others. Some have bigger gardens but fewer shops, some have more green space, etc...

Putney! Four amazing primary schools, buses straight through to Green Park, two underground stations, great pubs and a beautiful part of the river! Not at all biased! Good luck

Are there any good secondary schools in Putney One4TheRd?
I live in Clapham Common with a 4 and 1 yr old private schools but would be interested in having them in an outstanding state school

There wasn't a lot of choice for us as we are in a bit of a black spot for catchment areas - close to putney common. My dd started off at an "outstanding" school in H&F and hated it enough for us to move her in October of Y8. She now goes to Richmond Park Academy, just in the Richmond borough. Not yet an "outstanding" school, but definitely the best decision we have ever made!!! When Putney Park closed quite a few of the girls went there and are very, very happy! DD is thriving and getting what I call the best of both worlds.
Don't be blinded by the term "outstanding"! I work in education, and know about the "hoops" that schools have to jump through. I think that in the right catchment area you can be spoilt for choice in Wandsworth...we just weren't so looked outside the borough. LOTS will change in the next 6 years...ofsted could have come round twice in that time...

That's a good point,haven't even consider that a good rated school might also produce unhappy children...
Thank you

It's such a dilemma though. If you're lucky enough to be able to go private you can get a much bigger house for your cash as you don't need to worry about catchment areas. If you are going for state then you really do need to buy very close to the school (see my post with the distances above) and then you have to pay a premium for your house.

The schools thing is such a minefield but definitely it's worth looking at secondary - around good secondary schools you usually find decent primary schools but it doesn't always work out the other way around. I recently met a really helpful company called Storek Richardson education who advise lots of people on schools. Another helpful company are Just Move London which was set up to help those who are coming to the UK as expats. Both companies will offer some great advice on schools.

Balham! Maybe a bit biased as you can guess from my name .

Lots of good state primaries and a good secondary school plus surrounded by good prep schools if you prefer private.

Trains direct to Victoria (then lovely walk past Buckingham Palace and through the park to Green Park) but also has the underground too. Lots of good restaurants and nightlife with a really great comedy scene focused around shows at the Bedford.

Walking distance to Wandsworth, Clapham and Tooting Commons and houses haven't quite reached crazy prices yet.

Hmm, if I could live anywhere in Wandsworth and money were no object then I think I would go for the Toast Rack - I just love the houses there and the idea of having a garden backing onto the Common.

Transport not wonderful nor are schools but then if I could afford a house there I'd be able to pay for private school and a chauffeur.

Yes I'd go Toastrack or Northcote Road, aka between the commons. Re the latter, to be very specific, get yourself to Honeywell Road or one street either side in the middle and you'll get your little ones into Honeywell and be the envy of people everywhere. Considered by many to be the best state school around for miles and most important of all, made the Tatler List of 10 best state primaries in the UK. (Well, not important but true story!). It does have a catchment area of about 140 metres so you literally have to be on top of the school. But yes that's what I'd do. Plenty of Aussies around too.