Thinking of moving to Sussex

[Mytwoarchangels]

Hi we are thinking of moving out of London (Dh, 2 kids and I) because we wanted to be closer to the sea. We are considering a move to Sussex and just wanted any opinions about the best places for a foreign mixed race family (not Brighton as we can’t afford there) to live. We’ve been in London for 8 years and as it’s multicultural blended in very well. However, my DH wants to be closer to the sea and the kids also love it. We’d also like somewhere with good schools and preferably friendly neighbours. We currently live in a leafy London suburb with fantastic neighbours. I’m quite terrified of picking up sticks with the family and ending up in an area where we feel uncomfortable and the kids are unhappy. That’s why we’d probably rent first before even thinking of buying. We’d also need access to t win line for work. Any feedback would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/compare-schools

You could look there (search by local authority) to pick out the best state schools, add them to your comparison list and then see where they are on the map.

Are you hoping to commute to London for work or find something locally?

Thanks for your reply Jojosm2 am hoping to find something near but commuting if it’s hard.

Have you been down to explore? Is there a bit/ beach you already like?

We have JoanLewis! We live Brighton.

So Brighton would be your top choice but it's a bit pricey? Worthing is not too far and more affordable.

Maybe look in Worthing or Shoreham. We also like Folkestone/Hythe and it seems fairly multicultural. I think you'll be hard pushed to find anywhere like London and Brighton in the Counties. Lewes is quite alternative but not all that diverse.
Southend/Leigh on Sea also worth a look.

What d'you love about Brighton? If you're looking for larger town with what Brighton has to offer, then I've heard that Worthing is a good option. Alternatively you can go just a bit outside Brighton and get more for your money - eg Shoreham.

If you're not set on Sussex then I've heard really good things about Folkestone as having a good cultural vibe, good for families. Not sure about the schools situation there though.

Folkestone is in Kent so a full grammar system for secondary - the grammars are good (more the level of the top top comps in London than the super selective grammars). None selective secondaries are awful. Good primaries but many of them CofE. Personally, I really like Folkestone/Hythe but the state education situation might not be for everyone.

Thanks everyone for tour input. We love the sea and the vibes down there. We won’t mind being 20 minutes or so by car from there but we’d need to be able to get in a London for work. Folkestone is a bit of way. We are currently on the borders of Kent and it takes us an hour to get there by car.

Then I'd suggest popping down for a visit and driving 20 mins from Brighton in all directions and seeing what you like. If you want a town rather than a village, your options will be limited by that anyway.

Folkestone West to St Pancras is 51mins so marginally faster than Brighton-Victoria. Just depends on where you work.

Or are you looking to drive into London in the mornings?

We did exactly this a few months ago and have moved to Lewes in East Sussex and love it. Train to London is just over an hour, town is very pretty and friendly and in the South Downs National Park, 20 mins drive to the sea, 12 mins on train to Brighton or 20 to Eastbourne.

What about Canterbury or Whitstable? Kent (with Grammar system) but Canterbury transport is good and there's loads going on. Whitstable close by for trendy seaside.

Folkestone and Hythe multicultural? It's Brexit central down there.

Squashyhat, there are a lot of OAPs down there (like most coastal places). I'm white but not British and feel comfortable there but have been to some towns where people started staring when they heard an accent. Or spoke to me veeery clearly and veeery slowly.

I agree Whitstable is lovely, the town and harbour and the sandy beaches of Tankerton are gorgeous but it is quite expensive.

Lewes sounds like a good option. Are there good schools there? My son is in year 3 and I’ve got a 15 month old. Are there toddler groups there? We don’t mind a village as long as it’s not a long drive to the beach or family activities.

Not sure lewes is much cheaper than brighton. It's also not on the coast if that matters to you. Worthing and shoreham by sea are where all the brighton types who can no longer afford brighton are heading. You could try brighton outskirts - portslade, moulescoombe, hollingdean. There is family stuff to do all over and compared to London, brighton is small. I get from one outer suburb to another on public transport in not much more than an hour. Between brighton and Worthing there is also lancing which is bit lacking in terms of the town itself but your money goes further.

Lewes schools are good - comprehensive area. It's small but there's loads going on and lots of young families. Leisure centre/small high street/farmers and craft markets/restaurants and nice country pubs nearby/a bit of a hippie vibe. Short drive to Brighton but much less frenetic. Houses cheaper in the Malling area. Low crime. On the South Downs also for walking/outdoorsy stuff. Amazing bonfire night displays!

Also live in Folkestone now, having lived in London and overseas. It is really multi cultural. For starters we have a large Gurkha regiment down here who I have never seen anything treated with anything but the utmost respect. I teach and have taught kids from all over Europe and beyond. We have neighbours from Kerala and Africa and there is generally an extremely opening, welcoming community, so yes; I would definitely say that it is very multi cultural here and becoming ever more so...

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I appreciate it. Will take them all into consideration and will have a look at Canterbury and folkestone.