Places to live when working in Canary Wharf

[MindfulBear]

I've been offered a job in Canary Wharf and wondered where we would live - any top tips please?

What's your budget? Buying or renting. Have a look at a tfl map- anywhere on a direct link you fancy?

Before child we lived centrally in Bermondsey and surrounding areas. After our son was born we lived in wandsworth and currently we are overseas so am out of touch a bit with London property and don't know the east much at all!!
Son is now 3 so primary schools need to be good and preferably state school. Will probably need good childminders or a live in au pair for wrap around care.
Husband works near victoria but doesn't work long hours and might commute by bike. He wouldn't mind a commute of up to an hour.
My hours tend to be long and I prefer to work 7am-6pm but would prefer a 30-40 min door to desk commute.
We will rent to begin with but have no budget in mind right now, especially as I don't mind paying a bit more if it means getting PFB into a good state school.

Greenwich? I live here, and it's very family friendly, BUT the good state schools tend to make house prices rocket, and catchment areas are small...

Greenwich has come up on our list but I don't know it nor understand the school catchment areas! What's the best way to find out more re schools and their catchment area? Is there a local parent website or Mumsnet page? ( in wandsworth we had Nappyvalley.net!)

Honor oak park? Good primary schools (fairlawn, Horniman, stillness) and easy journey to canary wharf from h.o.p overground(20 mins maybe less) but overground is packed so you won't get a seat. Nice improving small high st. Forest Hill is the next stop and also very much worth a look!

Brockley? Although it has recently become full of quite annoying people it is convenient.

You can get info on last few years catchment areas by looking at the councils websites for primary school applications.

Shortest commute with good school would be from Mudchute DLR. There are some cute dockers cottages near the DLR station/ park/ Canary Wharf college (which is outstanding and has a class size limit of 20 - neighbours daughter goes there and loves it). Area is mixed, nicer places near the river.

There is a lot more going on in Greenwich, plus the park is much nicer and bigger, tho it does get over-run with tourists.

Blackheath is lovely, though the area is very mixed and most well off people send their children to private schools, so state schools are more diverse.

Higher Green has a few outstanding schools, though the area is very overpriced in my opinion (it has undergone rapid gentrification recently). Less affluent than Greenwich / Blackheath, and beside Lewisham and Catford which are not good areas.

Wanstead is nice and has quick links to Canary Wharf and the city, and has a lovely forest park. However not as nice as Greenwich / Blackheath imo.

Bromley South is also nice, tho harder commute to Canary Wharf (trains go to Victoria) tho they are due to relocate La Fontaine Academy there, which is a bilingual French new free school, which I hear good things about.

Hither Green near Manor House gardens! Lovely community spirit, nice friendly mixed bunch, terrific state schools.

DB lives in Rotherhithe and gets a boat across the river to work at CW. Beats my commute.

NOT Canary Wharf! There's a reason why accommodation there looks disproportionately cheap... Although much improved in last 10 years it's still pretty soulless. I would opt for somewhere on the jubilee line for ease of commuting. London Bridge, Greenwich or even St. John's Wood/Swiss Cottage, I would also consider places on the East London Line (via Canada Water)...

Greenwich also v nice (used to live there). But v expensive for a house with any kind of a garden and catchments super tight for good schools.

There is currently no housing on the Canary Wharf estate. First block, 10 Park Drive, is due to be built in a few years but the flats look tiny and are v.expensive (£550k for a studio, one beds from £800k).

The Isle of Dogs has improved a lot in the past five years, and if you live near Island Gardens you can use the foot tunnel to walk to Greenwich Cutty Sark in 10 mins.

Wrapping or the nice but of Limehouse near the river and Narrow Street also nice.

Avoid Poplar and Bow. Whitechapel up and coming but not really family orientated.

Hither Green for sure. Fantastic Primary Schools, loads of green space, great community. If you have the money go for the East Side of the tracks, housing stock is lovely. West Side is more of a work in progress.
Most trains stop at Lewisham (1 Stop) and then its about 5 mins on the DLR. Really easy to Canary Wharf.