To relocate to Brighton or not?

[AHobbyhorseCalledCandemay]

Hello, just looking for some advice and perspective on moving to Brighton.
My husband and I have been toying with the idea of moving to Brighton for awhile and have just rebooted the idea.

I'm basically looking for good reasons to move especially where the kids are concerned.
As well las similar stories where families have relocated and was it positive or negative?

How is it living in Brighton and surrounding areas? How are the schools (both primary and secondary)? Is there enough for active kids to do in and around the area including music and drama for instance?

We are fortunate to live where we do now in a nice part of a big city, but fancy a change - just hoping that we (I) won't regret moving and that there's lots to look forward to?

Thank you in advance!

How old are your kids? Both WFH? Budget?

How close to where you are now?

Personally I'd look at Hove not Brighton.
I don't know about specific schools but friends there have been really happy with primary provision. None of them have kids in secondary yet.

In terms of lifestyle and activities, there's loads and it's really diverse and varied. Sports, music, drama and any other weirdy thing you can think of.

The sea is great as long as you don't mind stony beaches and I think it could be a really great life there as long as you have the budget to enjoy it.

I think it's an acquired taste though and doesn't suit everyone. DFL types seem to like it.

Lived there for years (but it's over a decade ago now). It's a cool place, and expensive, and yes, an acquired taste. Two unis, massive party scene, massive gay scene, lots of tourists, lots of creatives and what I used to call 'posh hippies'. Like PP said if I'd be moving back now I have kids I would probably be looking at Hove rather than central Brighton (I have lived in both). It's not that far from the city center but much quieter.
The things I've missed the most since moving are all the cool quirky shops and restaurants, the people watching and all the cultural stuff, ie gigs, comedy clubs, the festival.
Could you go for a long weekend with your DC and get a feel for the different areas?

Thanks everyone. I've spent a bit of time in Brighton, Rottingdean and Hove over the last couple of years but a short stay here and there isn't enough to help me work out what life would really look like!

Any thoughts on secondary schools in the area?

as a resident with a child I don't really love it! been here 10 years.

Pros:
Great activities, reasonably priced (extracurricular e.g. drama, music etc) plus lots of free stuff too
Downs, sea and countryside nearby
Public transport = no car required

Negatives:
Busy traffic in town - navigating with kids is NOT fun and very stressful
Drunk and homeless people in many city areas - not always nice to be around
In certain areas (and I can't speak for all areas) I have really found the city vibe means making family friends less easy e.g. mum friends, kid friends. People can be flakey and school mums not very friendly. Could just be my area though.
Very expensive for what you get.
Few trees in the city centre and residential except the parks dotted around (parks aside not a very green city - I find it too built up although you can get out to the downs etc relatively easily)

Having lived here with kids a long time I would much rather live somewhere less "city". When you have kids you can't really take advantage of the great things about Brighton as it really is an ADULT city, great for 20s and 30s, less great for parents as you're tied up in bringing them up and can't really enjoy the culture so much. I would much rather live in a welcoming community that is less stressful, has more greenery and more of a community vibe.

I hope this is useful! And of course it's just my personal opinion.

It’s somewhere I’d live if I was rich. Too seedy otherwise.

Another thing I should mention is that I've really found it slipping downhill in the last few years. it's always been a bit down and out, but they've been closing down public toilets, since covid lots of shops and restaurants have shut (many empty buildings) and streets are scruffier, public services seem to have gone downhill unfortunately (I suspect this is quite normal across the country). It feels like it's sliding a bit! Shame really as it's such a great city in other ways.

@mandymion it's interesting you say that as we had Brighton on our list soooo many times and in the end we decided against it. Everyone we knew had issues with schools at secondary level and we honestly couldn't find a decent house to rent that wasn't a bit 'grim' in parts- (even at quite a high level rent) and just not well looked after, this was Hove too. Maybe it's different if you are buying. I also don't like it for shopping much- lovely for cafes etc. everywhere though I think that's 'desirable' has the homeless issue sadly. Some more than others. In the end we went to Bath but still love a good weekend in Brighton now our son is an adult.

We moved to Brighton 14 years ago and it's been brilliant for us. Tonnes to do with children (and for teens) and it has just the right mix of culture / seaside / countryside for our family. Our kids do loads of beach activities and we have the national park 50m from our front door, so it ticks every box really. Schools are pretty good over all - ours are at massive state schools with with dedicated staff and lots of extra curricular stuff going on. I agree with previous posters that it's really expensive... House prices are high, but if you're after a buzzy city with access to London, Gatwick, coutryside and the coast, that's the deal.

My experience with the school run is quite different to the one above - we've made lifelong friends with other parents and regularly still holiday with them despite our kids leaving school... Brighton is a friendly, inclusive place (maybe just our area?) and we've been really lucky with neighbours who we hang out with too.

I agree it's gone a bit down hill with shops shutting etc on Western Road, which was always a bit grim and has got grimmer, but it's still jam packed in other areas - we were in the North Laine today and didn't see any empty businesses and the shops / cafes were all rammed. I think our highstreets are doing a lot better than the rest of the country as far as I can tell!

Expensive! I lived there briefly years ago and couldn't afford to do anything.

Plus there were a lot of middle class flakes competing to believe the most rubbish and have the most bizarre eating habits etc.