Sorry this is so long! We live in a small 2 bed flat in London with our 3 year old son and I am seven months pregnant. The two primary schools in our catchment area are rubbish (honestly, really bad). So we decided it made sense to put the flat on the market, and now the sale is going through. We planned to rent in the catchment area of the good primary school, about a mile away. However, we are really struggling to find a decent flat - the prices for renting and buying in this area are exorbitant. We will only be able to afford another 2 bed flat and it makes me depressed just thinking about it. We can't see ourselves staying in this area for longer than a couple more years anyway, so we'd have to uproot him after a year or two at school. But my son loves his nursery and has lots of friends in the area, as I do. He is very happy.
OPtion 2 is to move to a nicer area near Richmond, with better schools where we could afford a house. However, to beat the deadline for school applications, we would need to find somewhere to rent in the next 3 or 4 weeks (just feasible). He would also have to go to a new nursery while dealing with a new baby and a new home. But ultimately, this makes sense as we can imagine staying in this area for a good few years.
So, should we stay mainly for my son's benefit - ie not introducing too many changes at once - but maybe uprooting him after a year or two at school? Or should we take the plunge and leave now - taking into consideration the terrible timing of new house, new baby and new nursery all within a two month period. My head is spinning, expect yours is too! Any advice welcome.