Areas with Outstanding primary and secondary schools

[alexh02]

Hi,

my first post here. Thank you very much for your help. I m looking areas commutable to London where we can have both outstanding/good state primary and secondary schools ..as my son is 7yo and my daughter is 18 months old
right now my son is in a small outstanding state school but we don’t state secondary schools in our area.. we are not in a rush to move but slowly starting to start searching for areas . I would super grateful if you had an indications on where to look at
thank you 🙏

What kind of budget do you have? St Albans has several but is a very expensive area. Hitchin is also worth a look, as is Bedford.

Are you looking for grammar schools for secondary or not? That makes a big difference as to where you look. Many areas in Buckinghamshire and Kent for example have outstanding primary/secondary schools but the outstanding secondary are grammars.

Try Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Croxley, Watford etc. If you get your location right, there are several outstanding secondary schools, and numerous great primaries.

Bromley has very good schools.

Harpenden. The catchments are a bit more manageable than St Albans.

Alton.

Guildford and leatherhead and any surrounding areas x

The whole of Bucks (not MK) is a grammar county and we have stations! Fewer options in North Bucks but it’s cheaper there.

However you will be looking for a school with a space for your older child and you might not get first choice. However many primaries are very good and the grammars are nearly all outstanding. The secondaries are slightly more mixed but the majority are supported well by parents. The key to Bucks is being in catchment for a good secondary. All the grammars are great!

Thank you very much!!
we are around the £1.7m for budget
I m still undecided on the grammars or not but ideally a secondary with good sports facilities
or a all-through outstanding? Not sure that exists?

Just dropped you a pm

Reigate has excellent schools, both primary and secondary though you need to be careful where you buy a house to be sure to get into the right secondary school - one is Catholic so you need to attend church, the other has a catchment that is mostly just the South and East of the town.

Hitchin

Hinchley Wood secondary is outstanding (near Surbiton, south west London). You’ll be able to buy a nice 4 bed with a big garden for your money. 4 feeder primary schools feed into Hinchley Wood, the best being Long Ditton St Mary’s junior school.

Do you mean Ofsted ‘outstanding’ or just schools with a good reputation?

Ofsted ‘outstanding’ as a single judgement has been removed until a new framework (expected Sept 2025), where ‘outstanding’ is unlikely to be used.

I'm in Farnham, Surrey. Straight line to London in 50 minutes. Fantastic schools and fantastic area.

Rayleigh in Essex.

if you are looking at the inner(ish) London, the following areas are worth considering: Muswell Hill, East Finchley, West Finchely: Alexandra Palace School, Fortismiere, Archer Academy, Wren Academy, all these schools have a circa £1.5 onward (circa) price tag for average refurbished terraced house

Interesting! I didn’t know it was being removed.. personal experience, my son had a very bad experience in a good school where he was being put in a corner most of the time and we moved him in an outstanding school ( ofsted rate) and it is all going smoothly… I couldn’t care less about good vs outstanding but the quality of the teachers and teaching made a huge difference for us. This is my personal experience

Hayes/ West wickham (need to check catchments carefully to ensure you are in the right place for Hayes School, or Langley schools).

Proposals, under consultation.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-school-report-cards-the-11-key-proposals/

Thank you

second Rayleigh in essex good schools both primary and secondary and still in catchment for grammars as well

Harrow/Pinner- less than half an hour into London and Outstanding primary and secondary schools galore. Look for houses on the Hill or Pinner.

Weybridge is known particularly for its primary schools and good education, plus it's commutable into London.

Definitely think the Bucks area is a goldmine. Just be weary that catchment areas can reduce in size, so one needs to be comfortably within the right area.