How is South Woodford as a place to bring up children?

[JaneF37]

I am pregnant and my husband and I are considering moving to South Woodford. Does anyone have any feedback on what it is like as a place to bring up a family?

Wow. If there are people like you there, then the OP would do best to stay well away.

South woodford and all around that area is lovely. Easy to get to london, close to Epping forest.

I live close by, it's a good family area. Avoid Walthamstow despite the gentrification hype.

It's Redbridge which has much better services than Waltham Forest. The Central Line is good for Liverpool Street.

You're just a skip away from Epping Forest, there are decent shops. Keep to the south side nearer Wanstead and away from the North Circular (just for traffic noise and congestion). I wouldn't hesitate to raise my children there. It's multicultural but not ghettoised. It's a safe and friendly place, and not yet getting stupid in price (like rougher areas). It'll be gentrified in the next few years as people move further out, it's a good bet for investment. But it's not pound shop/chicken shop land anyway.

700k will get you a lovely 3 bed semi with room to extend in a decent catchment. What's your budget?

Really Coke? Walthamstow Village (where my best friend lives) is ten times more gentrified than South Woodford will ever be and has a critical mass of creative types/actors/respected journalists which South Woodford will never have. It is also very easy to experience Norman Tebbit types in South Woodford (constituency is next door after all) unless you fit the mold of the simmered down, good team player type of immigrant which conforms to their perception of what they see on TV. The architecture is pants too.

Okay, to balance it out a bit, Redbridge is probably a more efficiently run borough than its neighbours in terms of services and the central line is an asset but the shops are rubbish (usual depressing, suburban charity shops, coffee places and mediocre restaurants). I almost moved there and I am delighted to have decided to stay in Stoke Newington at the last minute having experienced it's charms since then!

I lived in Walthamstow Village from 1998 to 2013. I think I'm qualified to comment. There is one street of nice shops, the rest of the borough is not as up and coming as people think. Gentrification is subjective.

I did not slag off the village, but I wouldn't live in Priory Court. Try gentrifying that hole.

In 1998 people were horrified I moved there, they asked if I was scared.

As for multiculturalism, well we're a mixed race family and have had no problem in Redbridge.

Shopping in George Lane is fine. All the usual stuff, Waitrose, Laura Ashley and some nice independents. It's better than Walthamstow High Street.

I wouldn't touch walthamstow however gentrified with a barge pole (sorry) and I've lived in buckhurst hill, loughton, snaresbrook and Newbury park, went to school in redbridge and have friends in south woodford, woodford, Waltham abbey etc.
I'm happy to advise road by road if you like.

Well, the comparative house prices per square foot speak for themselves I think. There is obviously something attracting more people to these comparatively smaller houses in Walthamstow Village and Stokey (where we live) which has pushed up prices to a far greater extent than in Redbridge.
Karcheer - that is TOWIE territory you speak of. I am not surprised that Walthamstow would not appeal to you once you have embraced the Redbridge/Essex 'way of life'. I am also familiar with all those places and usually last a couple of hours before I am desperately rushing back to London proper!

I think it was mainly being car jacked at gun point that put me off walthamstow, but each to their own.

South Woodford is s fabulous place with all sorts of useful shops. I do not think we would have a decent M & S Food and a Waitrose. Those guys have done the research. I live on the Firs Estate, a few roads of lovely 1930s houses between Bressy Grove and Broadwalk. When they go up for sale they fly. I'm within walking distance of Tube, shops, propper post office, buses and a big Sainsbury's. It's a very convenient area for life. Twelve mins on the Tube and you are in Westfield. It's also clean and safe, neither of these two adjectives apply to Walthamstow.

Fabulous - well, you live in the small, millionaires part (I know it well). It does not really reflect the area as a whole (sandwiched between motorway, flyover and a number of rather scary big, polluted roads). Whether 1930s houses are "lovely" is largely subjective. Personally, Victorian brick face all the way for most people I know...we would not touch 1930s with a bargepole. It may be that the OP prefers the dull, suburban life in which case, your recommendations are useful but no harm in balancing out the advice a bit?

The main reason why people make misjudgments about Walthamstow Village is either ignorance based on hearsay or because they tried it when renting in their twenties, never fitted in and left. There are so many well-educated, friendly people here and it is reflected in the pub culture as well as at the school gate. South Woodford could never compete.

Tiisha are you on a wind up or something.

Do go back to 'Stokey' and your artisan fumes and leave us poor suburbanites alone.

I am sat in a lovely cafe in the village right now, as it happens, eating chaource on toasted sourdough. If I were in South Woodford, the best I would be able to find would be a greasy spoon or chain such as Zizzis which is never going to win any awards, let's face it :) There is one ghastly Italian cafe near the Firs Estate which sells overpriced filter coffee and is packed out due to a lack of cafe culture

Okay, I'm sorry I got a bit carried away Coke but my sentiments are genuine. I would like to save somebody else from making the horrible mistake which I very nearly made myself! I have probably laboured the point enough though.

Have you looked at Wanstead? It's really nice, good schools, two tube stations, good high street. Lots of families.

Agree that Wanstead is already a big improvement on South Woodford and worth looking at. Think the secondary options are quite limited to one school unless OP would go private.

Yes there is only one High school. But it's doing well, just had ofsted inspection and has been graded Good. things change quickly though. There are more secondary school options if you live in South Woodford.

In South Woodford, Churchfields primary is very popular and I would have sent my children there if I'd lived closer.

I've lived in Walthamstow and now Leyton for 14 years now and know the surrounding Wanstead and South Woodford areas well. Walthamstow has improved over the years and the new cinema complex is nice. Agree with the poster who said there must be a reason that prices in Walthamstow have risen much more dramatically than the Redbridge areas. Let's face it the Hackney Stokey hipsters moving in probably have a lot of spending power but I think they chose Walthamstow over the likes of Woodford because it's now got that Islington vibe which the likes of Woodford and the other burbs don't have. Horses for courses but no need to write off perfectly adequate places like Walthamstow.
My comment about hipsters is tongue in cheek no offence to anyone from these areas intended??

My baby is 4 weeks old and will not sleep in his crib will only sleep on me. I try to put him in his own bed or pram and he screams so have to pick him up. Any advice.