moving to Welwyn Garden City

[lilypoppet]

hello, we are moving to Hertfordshire in the summer of 2016 and I think its going to be the area around Welwyn Garden City. I have heard that Monks Walk School is good and I have enquired about the sixth form there for my 15 year old. I also need a good friendly primary school for my nearly ten year old. She will be in primary school for a year before secondary so I am hoping that her new primary will have lots of children in who are going to the secondary she'll end up in - I hope that will be Monks Walk. Please could you let me know the areas that I should try for and what WGC is like. Is it friendly and a good place for families. Thank you so much for all your help. Lily x

I used to live in WGC. It's a nice place for families. The town is a bit bland and modern, but it has the usual high street shops and some cafes etc. Plus a big John Lewis which is cool. Monks Walk is supposed to be an excellent school, as is Stanborough. Can't help with primaries I'm afraid. There does seem to be a lot of them, so maybe check out the Ofsted report.

The West Side is the 'posh' area, and is a short walk from the town and station etc. Panshanger is a popular area with families and most of it is ok, with lots of modern houses and flats for sale. I usually look on streetcheck.co.uk if I want to know a bit more about a street.

Thank you that's great x

Having lived in WGC for over 40 years I can say its a lovely place to live but there are places to avoid....I grew up in the Handside area of WGC and as an adult lived for 18 years (moved end of 2015) in the Peartree Woodhall area of the town....I would avoid the east side of the town, woodhall, hollybush Peartree etc...the houses are cheaper for a reason! Crime is higher and there is violent crime in that area too 3 murders in 15 years within 1/2 a mile of my house. Its the things people dont say about WGC that you need to look at.
Schools? Monks Walk is great however its heavily over subscribed and there are no guarantees for sibling entry etc etc....its a long time since my daughter was in Primary (24yrs old) but she went to Applecroft and loved it there, Templewood is also good I understand but they are also both very over subscribed. Like other Posters have suggested look at Ofstead reports also subscribe to the local paper on line (Welwyn Hatfield Times) and read up on the news etc.
Good luck and if you want any views on specific roads etc drop me a message

Thank you for your posts they've been massively helpful, Lily x

@MissCherryCakeyBun Hi, my partner and I are considering purchasing a property on Poundwell, just off the big Heronswood / Knella road.

We are slightly worried from the stuff we find on the internet, but would appreciate an opinion from someone who knows the area. Is it not safe around here? The culdesac seems lovely and friendly and it's just a main road straight into the town centre. I know there will be 'less desirable' roads, but does this mean that everywhere in Peartree is doomed?

Thanks!