Move to Broadstairs?

[OrangeChair3]

We are considering moving to Broadstairs within the next few years. Currently have a 5 and 3 year old, living in London.
There is the lure of a grammer school co-ed secondary education, proximity to the beach, the community and manageable occasional London commute, less crime and drug addicts, slightly more affordable houses.
BUT we don't know what we don't know. Is Dane Court Grammer School as great as it sounds? What's it like living there through the winter, or chaotic summer hols? Any DFLs made the move with experiences to share?
Deal and Folkestone are also on our radar. Not sure how they compare to live.

Your children are too young to have any clue whether they would pass the Kent test. I'd recommend removing grammar schools from the reasons you want to relocate to Kent.

Broadstairs is lovely but it can feel like the arse end of beyond, especially in winter. Same with Deal. Folkestone has far better transport links if you need to travel back to London with any frequency.

I agree with considering Folkestone, it also has grammars, the harbour regeneration investment is making it very attractive and good transport links.

Folkstone is on the up according to local media. Deal is a lovely little town, but seems quieter than the other two places, although I’ve only been there for day trips.

Of the three, Broadstairs is the only one with a sandy beach, which does get busy in the summer.

Your children are young. Schools can change a lot in five years - change of head teacher etc.

Thanet is a lovely place to live, I can hardly think of any downsides. Ramsgate is just as nice as Broadstairs and cheaper. Loads of great primary schools. However with secondary school it’s one extreme to the other. Three good grammar schools (DC, CCGS and SRM in Sandwich) but if you miss the boat, the comprehensives are abysmal with horrendous bullying across the board. So it’s a gamble.

I love Broadstairs as a day trip, but in the summer it's heaving. I take my own picnic down there because there's not a cat in hell's chance you can find a spare table to eat at.

I don't know Folkstone too well but my DFL colleague lives there and loves it. It's got a lot more going for it for kids and teenagers.

Folkestone has a sandy beach - sunny sands

I moved to Deal from London :) and love it there. Friendly people, nice little high street with independent shops, feels very safe. Direct trains to London. Quiet but still plenty of stuff to do especially if you are outdoorsy. Sailing club, riding schools nearby, yoga, pilates studios and gyms. A market every Saturdays. Of course much livelier in the summer.

Broadstairs is really pretty but a bit further if you need to commute back to London.

I really like Folkestone too. High street is not the best but the Old High St has some really nice independent shops and places to eat. Harbour has had lots of investment. Nice art centre. The closest to London transport-wise. Cheaper than Deal.

Ramsgate is also worth a look, cheaper than Broadstairs and getting better.

All these places have quite a relaxed vibe.

Margate also around the corner for galleries and other hipster-type activities! I would not live there, and it is rather pricey now, but I visit often.

Remember that all these towns will be much quieter in the winter and it can be quite windy. I am used to it because I was born in another small seaside town but as a Londoner make sure you are happy to live somewhere that will sometimes feel a bit isolated. Go for folkestone if you think you will want regular travel to London as it is the easier commute.

I'm from Deal originally but now live elsewhere. I still miss it. Lovely bars and restaurants though shops have got a bit sad. Westwood Cross is not far. Love Broadstairs too. It will be quiet compared to London life though. Folkestone is only about 45 mins on the train now and as pp mentioned, is up and coming.

I have spent time in all of those place as I grew up in Kent. I agree about Folkestone & in our area of East London quite a few families have moved there. I have an old friend that loves living there & says it has a great sense of community. Deal always feels a bit like a ghost town although it’s very pretty & I find Broadstairs too touristy.

I can’t resist copying this, as this came up on my Facebook feed and the comments on there included:
”good luck getting your children into grammar school if you think it’s spelt grammer”!!!
Might be an idea, like others have said, to not worry about the schools..

Grammar schools are absolutely horrendous. If you are bright then you might flourish but if your kids have SEN or are slightly sensitive and don’t want to be pushed what will you do if they end up at the alternatives? Move somewhere with good comprehensives with good SEN provision and then whatever your kids turn out to be they will be provided for.

Not sure about less drug addiction on the Kent coast! My favourite band opened a hotel and recording studio in Margate a while back. They're called The Libertines....🤣

I grew up in Broadstairs and regularly go back to visit my parents. It's a very mixed bag. I've also lived in London, so I'm kind of the opposite of a DFL!

The beaches are gorgeous, and wonderful with young children. However, those children grow up, and there is not a whole lot else to do in the area. I struggle to find things to do with my 15 year old DS when we go and visit. In the summer the beaches are rammed (we never went down on the beach in peak holiday times). Can be pretty bleak in the winter, but that's the deal with any British seaside town.

I went to Dane Court - it's a good school. But the options if your children don't get in are not so great. Just be aware that there are no true comprehensives in the area, as the top 20 per cent are creamed off into the Grammars. That's like having all the top sets missing at the non-grammars. Check out the two Broadstairs high schools (Charles Dickens and St George's) as well as Dane Court, and then see if you are still comfortable with secondary provision in the area. My sister went to St Georges, and had a very different school experience to me and my brothers at Dane Court. The Kent system is horribly divisive and has led to self esteem issues in my sister, as she feels like "the thick one" (she's not).

I'm afraid to say you won't be escaping crime and drug addiction. Parts of Thanet are pretty deprived, and although the centre of Broadstairs has a pretty chocolate box veneer, there is a lot of poverty in the wider area. Thanet is surprisingly isolated, and social mobility is poor - and not helped by the grammar system.

Community - well that's like anywhere really, it's what you make it. Thanet locals can be very parochial, and well, it's the area Nigel Farage chose to stand for election, which says a lot...

I can't speak to Broadstairs specifically but I have a firm line that I would never move to a tourist area ever again. I love the beaches (and lakes and hills) in the winter when it's bleak and windy and there's nobody around but I'm afraid that summer season gives me the rage! Especially when you're trying to do normal life stuff (work, school, shopping etc) and there's people on holiday getting underfoot! 😆

You could've easily resist belittling someone for a spelling mistake, you just didn't want to

Lovely for a day trip in the summer. Would never live there.

My children went to Wellesley House school - some years ago. Knew people who lived there and they liked it. It's quite small and windy (good for asthma we were told). I would say people there were a bit small minded but it takes all sorts and I never really liked it. They are really big on Charles Dickens, I remember..
As someone mention - Folkstone is supposed to be picking up - according to a piece about it recently in Telegraph.

I agree with all of this 👆

I grew up in Deal and moved to Westgate at age 11. I went to Dane Court along with my younger sister, our older brother was at Charles Dicken and had a very similar experience of feeling like he wasn't as intelligent. His time at school wasn't the best... getting in to trouble and being bullied. I had a much better school experience but there was a lot of pressure to be the best at everything which is not realistic for most children.

Although Broadstairs and Deal are great seaside towns, as a place for a pre teen/teen to grow up it's not the best. Everything is geared towards smaller children or young couples with no children. I moved away to attend university and didn't move back when I graduated, my sister did the same, both of us have no regrets.

We live in Deal and I agree with previous posters about it being good for younger children.

Mine are teens now, one at University, once the second one goes we plan to move out for a more lively city 😊

OP, it is the Sandgate area of Folkestone which is the best to move to rather than Folkestone itself - some misleading posts here about how it’s ‘ on the up’ which is how it’s been since I’ve lived in Kent 10 plus years. You need to focus on the quality of primary schools first and what percent of children go onto pass the Kent Test . A quick walk about the main high street of Folkestone will soon put you off of any notion of moving there! Broadstairs is lovely for DFLs and so is Deal - a lot of festivals in the summer time and great for families.

Shocked that you are putting gramma school pressure on such tiny children how can you possibly know if ( even if they turn out bright) that gramma school is right for them ? So glad I turned down my place and was much better suited to the school I went to

Also drug addiction is everywhere specially on coastal towns

Do do both have addictions? Do you think your kids might. ? If not, it's very unlikely to affect you

Hi, just wondering if you decided to take the plunge. We’re interested in Deal/broadstairs but currently in a good part of London with fantastic schools—in a 2 bed flat though!
Isn't the Grammar in Broadstairs an Academy now?

@Billyvoo

I can definitely recommend Deal! lovely little town.

I moved there from London 2 years ago :).

Broadstairs is very nice too but a couple of train stops further down so a longer commute if you need to still regularly travel to London.

I live elsewhere in Kent but visit these towns on a regular basis.

All of them are great, stayed in Deal recently and loved it, lots of outside pursuits l like sailing, sea swimming, the shops are great, as are the eateries and the Saturday market. It’s got a nice laid back feel about it. Really pretty too.

Folkestone is being totally transformed by the De Haan money, the Harbour Arm is one of the best places to go in Kent and it’s becoming all weather soon looking at the plans. Huge amounts of investment is going on and it’ll get a lot more expensive. Some amazing houses too if you’ve got London type money to spend.

Broadstairs is gorgeous too. Thanet has its issues though, but Broadstairs feels like the least affected of the towns.

Can’t go wrong really, in terms of how nice the places are.

I do however loathe and detest the grammar system, I passed it but hated going to one, my son is SEN and they wouldn’t accommodate his needs for the Kent Test - that was just extra time needed. People over tutor before the test and a good few struggle once in the grammar system because of the over tutoring, and it makes those who don’t pass feel utterly second rate. It’s the best reason not to move to Kent.