Advice on Hammersmith

[riverdalian]

Our family is moving from Canada to London and we are thinking of living in Hammersmith. DD is 4 and DS is 6. First - any help on whether Hammersmith is a good area for families with young children. Secondly - any advice on primary schools in Hammersmith or International School of London in Hounslow?

I wouldn't say Hammersmith is a good place for families. I grew up in Fulham and have lived all over west London. My advice would be Chiswick. State schools are very over subscribed and so are the privates but you just need to ring round.

It really depends where in Hammersmith. I've lived nearby and like the area very much. Generally, I would say that it is good for families

Brackenbury Village is very nice and there are nice areas around Ravenscourt Park. Then there is Brook Green, between Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush. Those areas, like Chiswick, are expensive though. Schools are over-subscribed and I can't recommend any particular one (my offspring is not at that stage yet)so you will have to search this and other sites to see what you can find.

I do think that a school run from Hammersmith all the way to Hounslow would be a nightmare!

Hope that helps.

I really wouldn't live in Hammersmith and have the children educated in Hounslow -on the map it probably looks really close especially by Canadian standards, but it could easily take you an hour at rush hour times.

Hammersmith has some nice bits and some not so nice bits, like most places. We had our children in Fulham (moved when they were 3 and 5 though) and there are plenty of playgroups/nurseries/parks etc, and a short bus ride into the museums. Housing stock is expensive though - a 4 bed terrace could easily cost 500k.

Schools are more of an issue; the state primaries are not great though there are one or two very oversubscribed exceptions (mostly religious in nature, CofE or Catholic). State secondaries are poor.

Thanks for the feedback. In looking at maps, I think the International School we are considering is in the Borough of Hounslow (is that the right term?) but actually at Acton Town tube stop. Would that make the school run bearable?

I was born in Hammersmith hospital, lived in the area a lot of my life and now ds is at primary school here - I think its great!
There are non-religious good schools too, don't know how hard to get into...

Brackenbury and John Betts are ofsted outstanding, some other outstanding religious ones also. Wormholt Park is lovely community, really good extra-curricular sport, Greenside School a nice community also.

Have to agree that secondary schools are dire though.

We are in the north of the borough and there is a lot of choice of secondaries - tho they are mostly over subscribed. Children from DCs school go to Twyford, Holland Park, Chiswick, Phoenix and this Sept there is a new secondary opening (they are saying you will have to live in catchment to stand a chance to get in tho)

If you like the school in Acton have you considered living there? I wouldn't fancy even a short drive at rush hour here but the tube maybe an option otherwise?

I would advise calling the school about where to live to be honest. I think its on the bottom bit of the north circular (very very busy road and horrendous traffic jams near there). It would be an easier commute from Chiswick than Hammersmith.

How about Kew - lots of americans/canadians there and much greener than Hammersmith. However, you did get alot of plane noise as underneath the flight path of Heathrow but so is alot of west London.

We are trying to strike a balance on location. DH needs to be able to get to Paddington station for work but rental prices seem higher in that area. It's not too bad a tube trip from Hammersmith but the futher west we get the longer it is for him. I'll have to keep checking trip planner for Tube to see times/distances.

Central Hammersmith is vile but good for cheap shops . The tube has very good links to all parts of London. Driving round Hammersmith in rush hour can take forever, the drive from H to Chiswick can be 5 minutes in good traffic but easily an hour in bad

Ravenscourt Park, Brackenbury, Brook Green are lovely and very middle class, it's great to be close to the river.