Out of London - need to quickly get a 'school plan'

[Allestree]

My Mum is moving in with us so we need to get a bigger house which we sadly can't afford in London. Where could we move to that has an academic private secondary, a few choices and a good prep?

My initial thought was to move to the Cotswolds but I can't seem to find a good prep and academic secondary with reasonable distance of each other. Should I be looking at Oxford or Cambridge areas?

CAn you afford near Guildford? Lots of good options there

Yes Surrey is awash with excellent private and state schools.
Cambridge is a horror of high house prices, competitive schools, dreadful traffic, you are competing with all the people moving their for work, ie Astra Zeneca headquarters etc.

Suffolk , good independent all through schools ; Woodbridge , Ipswich , Framlingham . Good primaries especially around Woodbridge, or Bury St Edmunds and only 60 mins from London on train

Surrey, Guildford or woking area

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'll start my research. Our budget is £550k - £600k.

@Allestree

My Mum is moving in with us so we need to get a bigger house which we sadly can't afford in London. Where could we move to that has an academic private secondary, a few choices and a good prep?

My initial thought was to move to the Cotswolds but I can't seem to find a good prep and academic secondary with reasonable distance of each other. Should I be looking at Oxford or Cambridge areas?

Have a look at bit further north in Worcestershire as there are some good private prep and secondaries.

£600k won't stretch very far in Cambridge. Schools are very good, but competitive. In the centre you can ditch the car and cycle, but with that budget you'll probably live in a village a reasonable distance from town and have to drive in, which is a nightmare normally (think 40 mins to go 3 miles)

Its a decent budget for woking, won’t get you much in Guildford.

If state is an option then look at Hampshire - Chandlers Ford, Winchester, Petersfield, Liphook, Alton. All have very good state secondaries and you’ll find that even a substantial proportion of private school pupils transfer to Peter Symonds for sixth form college. (There aren’t so many options for private because the state schools are so good.) Churchers which is Liphook and Petersfield senior/junior are on different sites would be worth a look.

Bedford? 3 academic private schools (Girls, Mixed, Boys). All have prep and linked pre -prep.

Not top tier academic like the big name London schools but selective. Good bus links from the surrounding villages.

Commutable to London (start of Thameslink line)

You won't get a home large enough in Oxford or Cambridge for that budget, I'm afraid.

Cambridge is lovely, but you would need at least 850k to get what you want.

Have a look around Suffolk; I grew up there and there is a huge amount of fantastic state schools alongside reasonably priced independent schools

Thanks for the extra replies - they are really useful to think about.