Can someone tell me about Reading - where's nice to live, nurseries, schools etc?

[homelesshedgehog]

We're thinking of moving to Reading, but I'm feeling a little overawed by the size of the place when it comes to looking at houses, schools, nurseries etc. Is there anyone here who knows the area and might be able to give me some quick pointers? I head out on the A4 East, and DH would be going North, so one of us is probably going to have a bad start to the day fighting our way across town!

We've seen houses listed in Caversham, and in Earley (Erlegh? Are these the same place?) and in the area between the town centre and the university that look okay, but pricey. What about Woodley? Property seems a bit cheaper there? But by that stage we're almost at Charvil and Twyford - are these worth a thought?

Schools? We have a pre-schooler, so no immediate panic on secondary ed, but everyone seems very excited by 'Maiden Erlegh catchment'. Is there something we should know about other schools in the area?!

Nurseries? Any recommendations? LO will need somewhere for a couple of years, and with a bit of luck we'll need a nursery sometime in the future (IYKWIM!). This is probably more urgent than secondary schools.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

hi
Caversham and Earley/Lower Earley are both nice. Caversham heights is the posh end of Caversham. Most of Lower Earley is in the catchment of Maiden Earleigh School, which gets very good results. There are also grammar schools, if you want to go down that route. Some schools in Reading do have problems though

There are some very good nurseries in Reading. Colleagues recommend Park Day, Forbury Gardens (in the town centre) and Yellow Brick in Lower Earley. All have outstanding ofsted ratings.

I don't know much about primary schools as DS is at a private prep school.

Reading is unusually patchy in terms of good/bad areas. Also, watch out for the flood plain - a significant portion of Reading flooded in 2007.

Traffic in Reading is truly awful, and the parking at the station is prohibitively expensive (£11 a day about 4 years ago!)

hope that helps!

Caversham has good primary schools, esp Caverham Primary, Emmer Green Primary and Caversham Park Primary. Have a look at the Reading council website for catchment areas, as just because a house is near a school doesn't necessarily mean it's in the catchment area. One nursery in the catchment is Chiltern College, which is supposed to be great. The OFSTEAD is very good, however not sure what it's like for entry.

As mentioned Reading has 2 very good state grammar schools, which are great is DC passes the entrance exam.

I'm learning that Caversham has quite an active social mummy scene. You can't move in Costa for prams, and there lots of toddler groups, music classes etc.

Have to say I preger Caversham to Earley as it has move of a village centre.

Send me a message if you want to know more or need details of specific roads

If schools are a concern you're better off in the Wokingham council part of Reading (Earley / Lower Earley / Woodley) as Wokingham as a whole has better schools than Reading. I've lived in Woodley and now live in Earley (yes Erlegh is the same place - old historic name etc) Woodley has a nice little town centre and good connections to A4 and A329 / M4, Earley is more expensive because of Aldrygton primary and Radstock primary and the Maiden Erleigh catchment.

Great - thanks for the all information. I've found out a bit more about the area since the first posting, and I'm beginning to feel a bit more confident in what we're doing. Does seem as though Reading is a school and traffic nightmare though Oh well, I'm sure we'll see the full benefit / horrors when we come to look around!

Apologies, can I just say I'm not as illiterate as my post suggests, I'm just sleep deprived and my brain has turned to mush

I live in Lower Earley. I have 2 children in Maiden Erlegh school and am very pleased with it! If you are after a house in Maiden Erlegh catchment it is worth checking that the road is in catchment as only about 1/2 of Lower Earley is catchment. I am also a registered childminder so let me know if I can help with your childcare!

Purley-On-Thames is lovely.