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.
Other subjects
Move to Broadstairs?
OrangeChair3 · 21/03/2024 11:22
Riverlee · 23/03/2024 08:46
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.
Lifetooshort23 · 23/03/2024 13:39
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..
ApplePippa · 23/03/2024 14:46
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...
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