South Wimbledon

[BelJo]

Hello everyone,
We are looking to move to South Wimbledon from Tooting. While it very obviously offers lovely little quiet streets and slightly larger gardens etc, I am concerned - having read some threads here - about a) good schools/small catchment areas and 2) what there is for mothers with small babies i.e. local groups for meeting for Catch-ups and Essential Gossip with other mothers etc !!
Any general blurb on South Wimbledon for someone who doesn't know it would be really appreciated, thank you. B

If you live in South Wimbledon you have all the amenities of Wimbledon.

Have you looked at Merton Park? That's a lovely area and the gardens are bigger.

Which part of South Wimbledon are you considering though - towards Morden, Merton Park, Wimbledon or Colliers Wood - as the different 'quadrants have different feels? I'd say it 'radiates' in four directions from the Tube Station. One thing is for sure, all of those areas are easily accessible and very easy to get around on foot and using excellent public transport links, so you'd never be far away from what's going on (and from local mums and baby groups or those a little further afield) - the fabulous Gooseberry Bush Cafe (which hosts loads of groups and holistic well-being workshops aimed at mums-to-be, newbie mums with very little ones etc...) is only a stone's throw away (a short walk down Kingston Road).

Currently you'd probably get more for your bucks in Colliers Wood which is 'up and coming' (and is benefitting massively from a) the gentrification moving along Merton High Street from Tooting Broadway, and b) the redevelopment of the 'infamous' Tower into bjiou flats, and nearby Donald Hope library site), and has a great community feel because it covers a small geographical area.

There are some excellent schools not far as the crow flies from South Wimbledon but it depends which direction you go in as to catchment area size (and some are very small indeed). You may need to consider moving further towards Morden, Wimbledon, Merton Park or Colliers Wood to truly stand a chance of accessing Ofsted-rated 'good' or 'outstanding' schools such as Pelham, Merton Park, Singlegate or Holy Trinity. And you'd really need to look at Merton Council's most recent stats on primary school admissions for bang up-to-date info.

Anywhere around there is a great place to bring up a family - it's generally a bit less 'urban edgy' than Tooting but even the area around South Wimbledon Tube station is undergoing a revamp so that may change.

Good luck!