Marlow - High Wycombe where to live

[skipdip]

My husband is moving to a new job in High Wycombe area and we know nothing about the area. We have heard from friends that Marlow itself is very nice but very expensive property. Looking for 4 bed detatched with budget of 600k, close to good schools. Any areas to avoid?

Wycombe ;)

Where in Wycombe will his job be? Ie north, south, central? Look at villages etc out in that direction. Wycombe itself is very very mixed

He will be working at a place called Booker, just south of the motorway near the aerodrome, so prefer this side of High Wycombe, thank you

What age are your children? You can easily find out where the good schools are and you do not necessarily have to be in High Wycome. For example Thame is a brilliant place to live and just down the motorway. HW has pretty average secondary modern schools and brilliant grammar schools. Thame has a popular comprehensive school. Good Primary schools can be full! You could also look at Chinnor in Oxfordshire or Princes Risborough and Stokenchurch in Bucks. I would go and have a look because prices vary a lot. If you say what age your children are, it would be easier to advise.

If he's working at Booker, I'd steer clear of Wycombe and Marlow, but look at the villages just north of Marlow, like Fingest or Frieth. Booker is easily accessed from the B482, a back road joining Marlow and Stokenchurch, and your husband would avoid all the Wycombe and Marlow traffic which can be horrendous.

Bledlow Ridge would also be in price range and nearby villages which are lovely. Traffic is bad wherever you live! You could also consider Flackwell Heath.

What are his hours going to be? Ideally, you'd probably want to avoid doing the A4010 from Handy Cross through Cressex at school drop off time as it is pretty jammed - but no worse than loads of other places!
As well as looking at OFSTED reports, look at the actual school websites to see what wrap around care they offer if you might need that. Some of them offer an 8-6 extended day for a small cost, others offer nothing on site and alternatives can be few & far between especially if you are in a village. Also, don't just look at catchment areas but last distance offered which you can find on the Bucks website. In Marlow, there is a school with a very good reputation called Spinfield which has a typical catchment of a couple of miles. However, the the furthest non-sibling to be offered a reception place this year lived something like 400m away. Other schools had similar distances. Obviously there is the 11+ in Bucks. Marlow has the only co-ed grammar school so, if you think your DC are bright and co-ed education at secondary level is important to you, you will want to be in the catchment for that.
You wouldn't get a 4 bed detached in Marlow for your budget but you would in surrounding villages and in parts of HW.

Thanks for all the messages, my children are girl 7 and boy 12, we are coming down this weekend to drive around the area and will look at all the suggested places, thanks

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-31201767.html

30 minute commute from Booker. More house for your money. Right opposite a lovely prep if you wanted to go private.

grovel - I think the OP wanted 4 bedrooms. Ascot is expensive.

skipdip. You need to contact Bucks CC urgently regarding your 12 year old boy. There are two boys grammar schools in High Wycombe but you need to know the entry requirements for a 12 year old. You will also need to ascertain whether they have places. Sir William Borlases is the grammar in Marlow but as an incoming parent you will not necessarily get a choice of school. The same may well apply to secondary schools. There may only be places at the ones you will not want so do your homework on schools urgently.

This is partly why I suggested Chinnor or Thame in Oxfordshire which has a comprehensive school because Bucks is such a lottery if you are entering the system mid way through. There is no reason why you could not live in the catchment area of a school that has places and your DD do a slightly more difficult commute. Although Thame and Chinnor are easy commutes to Booker. You could look at Great Missenden with access to Chesham Grammar and The Misbourne School if it has places, but DH would need to leave earlier for the commute. Prestwood is a bit cheaper as is Hughendon Valley. Do have a great weekend looking, but contact Bucks CC before you come as you may need to rule out certain areas if the schools have no spaces.

Per previous messages, get your schools listed first, Marlow itself will be outside your budget but there are areas in Marlow district that could be within but none are particularly nice. Wycombe is quite mixed, some fantastic villages all within a short commute. Booker itself is quite a large area, some parts are very nice, but avoid the southern end it's wear the rubbish tip for wycombe, it's called High Heavens and it's being expanded.

Booker is not very big, a lot of people tend to confuse places like Cressex, Sands, Castlefield etc as being in Booker.
Actual Booker, ie: By the common and woods is nice.
However, schooling is a problem, one side of Booker is part of Marlow with a SL postcode and is in catchment for Great Marlow Sec School and Sir William Borlaise, the other side of Booker by the common is part of High Wycombe with a HP post code, the catchment sec school is in Cressex and is known to be one to avoid.

That's why living in that area is not a good idea! Too many average schools and good ones you can't get into! Have you looked around OP ?

Exactly MillyMollyMama, even my daughters head has told people to look out of county if you need a Sec school.
I would love Gilliots in Henley which is a Comp, but sadly there is no transport.

Maidenhead is close enough too, I would have thought. There seems to be quite a few secondary schools here but my DC are preschool age so I can't comment on them.