Where to move to with 1 hour commute to London and great schools

[ducdo]

My DH and I are considering a move out of London to get more property for our money, but really don't know where to start.

We both work full time and have 3 children (1 primary, 2 high school) so criteria is 1 hour commute to London with great schools and family friendly.

We are looking for a 4/5 bed house around 500k. We like to be near shops/town so not stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Friends have mentioned around Hampshire or West Sussex but we just don't know where to start and when we look online I don't know which is a 'nice' place to live and which is a bit grotty!

Happy to look south or north (Herts/Bucks?), so would appreciate any recommendations of lovely places so we can start our search.

Thanks all

Hungerford is a nice town, west Berks but border with Hampshire, everyone seems to like it. 1h03min to paddington.
Or do you need Waterloo connection?

I found this site www.commutefrom.com/ very helpful when we decided to move out of London. You can see average house prices, crime rate and school ratings. There are so many options but depends on what stations in London you want/need to access. We opted for Berkshire and love it.

You may just get something in Tring, Hertfordshire. Tring School is comprehensive. The station there goes into Euston. You would definitely get something in Aylesbury but you need to be South side. Bucks has a grammar school system so being in the area for a good secondary is key if your DCs don't make it to the grammar school. The best secondary schools are sought after though. There ones in Aylesbury are a mixed bag! Or look at Leighton Buzzard, the old village areas within Milton Keynes or just outside. If you are prepared to commute further to a station, Wing, Buckingham or Winslow might suit you.

Saffron Walden would be a good choice if commuting into the City as trains go into Liverpool St. County High School is excellent (even has its own concert hall) and primaries are all good.

Lindfield in Sussex is a beautiful village and close to Haywards Heath for amenities and trains to Victoria and London Bridge. I don't know anything about the schools, but would guess they are good as it is a very naice ham sort of place. Your budget might be a little stretched though.

thanks all. keep ideas coming please! all very helpful. As long as commute is 1 hour doesn't really matter where I come in to. Preference around Liverpool St or London Bridge.
Will take a look at these ideas

Brentwood goes into Liverpool Street. Property is more affordable there but if you could stretch to nearby Shenfield then you'll also be at the eastern terminus of Crossrail, which won't do your house value any harm!

Winchester? It's where I'd go!

Burgess Hill area is good for London Bridge commute.

Kingston upon Thames definitely suits you. excellent school catchment and link to waterloo station by 2x mins.

Winchester! We moved here from South-West London two years ago and we love it.

DH commutes to London every day (the commuter trains from Winchester are ridiculously polite - everyone stands in their special queue... has to be seen to be believed). In fact, he loves Friday commutes home in the beer carriage . DH's commute actually takes less time door to door from Winchester than mine was when commuting from Raynes Park to Archway

Winchester has fantastic schools, lovely parks, close to countryside for walks/cycling/outdoorsy stuff, great town centre. Can definitely get 4/5-bed for £500k.

Dorking. Lovely town and excellent state schools.