So where *is* the best place to bring up children?

[BananaSkin]

Following on from the thread on Parenting about bringing up children in London, where do you think would be a good place to bring them up? Is there anywhere that is safer, interesting, has cultural richness, good schools etc?

[HeadFairy]

when were you there twelvelegs? I was at the uni from 1988 to 1992. It was a big eye opener for me coming from the south. I hate to be south biased but I found it quite scary, there were lots of fights in pubs and scary thing happening, and I grew up in Croydon so not exactly leafy surroundings! I guess fights in pubs aren't restricted to the north, it's just my first experiences of crime and violence were in the north.

[Idobelieveinfairies]

Jersey is a great place to live...so safe for bringing up children.

Just verrryyyyyy expensive to buy a house and live at the same time!

[HeadFairy]

bad drug problems though idobelieveinfairies... and lots of binge drinking. I know drink and drugs are everywhere but the duty free thing combined with high average incomes plus small island where it's easy to smuggle in to make for quite a problem. Plus no public transport in the evenings would really piss me off, taxis are so expensive.

[Twelvelegs]

I was there '93-97. It was my first experience of drugs ( I come from a quiet town a stones throw from countryside) violoence, scary drunks and city girls (you know the ones who share a bottle of vodka before a night of castaways or blast aways and then pull anyone to avoid spending the night alone!!).

[HeadFairy]

Crikey, you went to the same pubs as me

I used to work in one in the city centre, I think it was called the Bank or something, it was below ground in an old bank vault or something. Anyway, I'd never seen panic buttons on a bar before!!! The girls were waaaay meaner than the blokes. They scared me

[staranise]

Oh but for me, Yorkshire is the south

[staranise]

And is it me, or do a majority of MNters (on all threads) live in SW London?

[Twelvelegs]

I live in the Westcountry!

[christywhisty]

Where I live I can get into the West End in about half an hour by train, yet we are surrounded by country park, with miles of walks and cycle rides. Best of both worlds

[piratecat]

Devon? (biased)

[cocolepew]

Northern Ireland. We don't have the casual violence (not too much, anyway) that seems to be in England. On the downside this is probably because the paramilitaries (still) run the estates. The countryside is beautiful and we're very friendly.

[castlesintheair]

I grew up in a tiny village. Great when you are young. Dead boring when you hit your teens.

Live in Richmond now. Best of both worlds: lots of green and water but also lots of pavements so the townie in me doesn't become twitchy. 20 minutes to Waterloo and only 10 minutes from the start of the M3, gateway to the West Country (where I grew up).

[Bertolli]

Primrose Hill?
Green, but central, lots of young families.

ps i agree Star, lots of SW London posters! Haven't come across any NWs..

[ThingOne]

There are drugs everywhere, and binge drinking. I don't think anywhere is protected from this.

I moved to Bath and find life here a lot easier with children than N1. At least there aren't knives regularly found in primary schools or guns in secondaries. I hated been offered drugs on the street.

[cocolepew]

Just re-read my post. I didn't sell it very well, did I ?

[cocolepew]

Just re-read my post. I didn't sell it very well, did I ?

[BananaSkin]

Where are you ChristyWisty?

ThingOne/other Bath people, can I pick your brain on the best primary schools in Bath please?

[ivykaty44]

JoJay ssshhh don't go telling them

[christywhisty]

I am Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, just on the borders of London.

[halogen]

Richmond's lovely. That's where I am, too; the only downside is how expensive it is in terms of housing!

[ThingOne]

There are many good primary schools in Bath. According to ofsted a few are excellent but several of the "good" ones are really very good. They are have slightly different characters so it depends what you want. You'd have to visit them to find out more. Some of them also require regular church attendance and/or living very close so you have to factor that into your decision.

What parts of Bath do you like. I can start from there.

[Lazza03]

The best primary school in Bath is St. Stephen's I went there. It's on Lansdown and is still the best 30 years on, check out the ofsted report (plus I know people who go there now). Not required to attend church BTW, my family are atheists through and through. BTW, yes, drugs are everywhere, I agree, and as you will have noticed from where I have lived (Brixton, Hackney) I am fairly balanced in my outlook on these things. The thing about them in Bath is that they are socially acceptable, cool, something kids are peer pressured in to, and it's strong pressure. Couple that with the money floating about and you have huge numbers of E'd up teens or fucked on acid teens all over the place. Believe me, some very talented kids I used to know are now paranoid fuck-ups because they used to take 15 E's on a Saturday night just to be cool. BTW I went to state school until 16 and then private for 6th form, so I know both. As I said before The parents really don't have the foggiest idea what their little darlings spend their allowance on.

[nkf]

I think Oxford is lovely and (just about) possible. I hear the schools are none too good though.

[luckywinner]

How about Salisbury? Anyone from there? Am in London but family from there and miss them a lot. Have always wondered whether it would be a good place to end up in (I didn't grow up there so don't know what it would be like for dc)

[BananaSkin]

Thanks Lazza/ThingOne. I don't really know where I would want to be, so any tips gratefully received.