Moving to Leigh On Sea?

[Sherbet99]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some help from anyone who lives in or knows Leigh on Sea.

My partner and two lively sons (aged 6 and 3) currently live in Beckenham but are considering moving further out so we can get a little more for our money. Leigh seems a little bit more affordable than Beckenham, whilst still offering a reasonable commute for my other half. He works in Waterloo so would change at West Ham. It also seems a lovely area so we are coming to visit next week.

I am particularly interested to know about state secondary schools. I understand there are grammars but I certainly wouldn't want to be reliant on this. What are the non-grammar secondaries like and what are the catchment areas?

Also: -

What's the commute like?
What outdoor activities are there for young active kids?
Is it good for cycling?
As well as general feedback on the area?

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

xx

West ham is a nightmare. He'll most likely have issues getting on the train coming back of an evening - it's not pleasant and I've seen fights on the platform. C2C are ok as a TOC. Cheaper than greater anglia and more reliable.

LoS is a big area, covers both sides of the A127. Houses by the station are expensive and the area is extremely busy, especially in the summer. Roads narrow, lack of parking, gridlocked roads at peak times. Houses in the Eastwood area are cheaper, but means driving to and parking at the station, which is about £6 - £7 a day. Just to add, lots of changes in C2C so buying daily, weekly tickets is quite hard as the office is mostly closed so better off with a season ticket.

Cycling yes, good for outdoors as you are on the estuary. Two tree island etc. Head up further to Southend seafront.

Oh schools - I don't know much about them, but a lot of kids are sent to the Southend boys and girls schools. They travel by train. Cannot help with the others sorry

It's lovely but make sure you buy a house with enough parking for both cars (if you have two). Parking is a nightmare in Leigh. Other than that I really like Leigh and lived there for several years. But yes, PARKING!!!

I live next to Leigh. We have two great grammar schools here. The other local secondary schools are okay too. You'd have Belfairs, Eastwood and Chase High. Chase's reputation isn't as good. The catchment for Belfairs is HUGE! So it's a big school. We also have a catholic school called St. Thomas More.

I've heard good things about Belfairs and Eastwood over the years.

Thanks Neron for the heads up re the traffic/congestion on the roads and the C2C. We don't intend to use the car in the week, but getting on the train at West Ham could be an issue!

Thanks Chattybum, re the house with parking suggestion, that sounds like really good advice!!

Thanks for the advice re schools, nottodaystanlucifer, that's reassuring to know.

All really helpful, thanks again. xx

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

That's where you can look up schools, OP.

If you wanted to stay in London but wanted more for your money, grammar schools with the back up of great comps, countryside on the doorstep for cycling + lots of opportunities for sports and outdoorsy stuff, then Sutton fits the bill (1h from the beach, though).

Best to avoid West Ham until around 7pm then it's not as bad. But before 7pm it can be a nightmare to get on a train.
An option would be to commute all the way to Fenchurch Street then walk a half mile to Bank for the Waterloo & City line.
Or even Tower Hill to Embankment/Westminster and change there.
C2C are very reliable. Some trains have extra space for standing during rush hour.
Good value season ticket. Also flexible tickets if working part time and use the smartcard for travel.

As for the area I haven't lived in Leigh on Sea but be aware that the increased flights to/from Southend Airport mean that some houses have lost value due to the large noisy planes. This will only get worse as the airport is getting busier by the year.
Avoid anything which lines up with the same direction of the runway.
I don't know much about the schools i'm afraid.
Leigh On Sea is apparently a happy place to live according to a rightmove survey 2018.
Nearby Hadleigh has a bike track that was set up for the 2012 Olympics.
I have seen children being taught how to kayak at Leigh.
Plenty of dog walkers on the beach now it's October - not all clearing up the dog mess though so if you go the beach watch out where you walk.
It's easy to walk from Leigh to Chalkwell which doesn't have pubs on the estruary so it's more family friendly. You can take a bike this way but you can't cycle on the path until you reach Chalkwell beach. And then you can cycle all the way along as far as you like.
Chalkwell has a couple of new cafes and public toilets. And a tidal pool which will have crabs in to do crabbing if you like and take note of the tide times as it gets covered 1-2hrs before high tide.
My next tips seem like an advert but it's some of the things I have done in Southend when I lived in Southend East:
Your 3 year old might not like fireworks yet but they are on each year October to November on Saturdays at 7.30pm in Southend. The display lasts about 15minutes. It gets really crowded along the beach wall for the display. I would stand by the rail at the end of the high street by Debenhams and look across to Adventure island. But anywhere is fine to view them.
The Sealife Centre does a good value family annual pass where they also have penguins, monkeys and meerkats.
Adventure Island has an inside bit with a huge soft play thats open all year round.

Good walks and bike rides! I like the area. Love a lazy Saturday stroll along the Broadway. Love old leigh. I'd say area is good for kids. Lots to do. Lots of families. Buy near to Leigh on sea or chalkwell station. Leigh gets worse the further away from the coast. Don't consider the other side of the a127. No personal experience of commuting using c2c and west ham but lots of friends do. C2c has a much better reputation than greater anglier which is nearby. Totally agree about getting a house with parking. I wont lie, parking and traffic can be a nightmare. It really can be bloody awful!

I'm a teacher and there are lots of good primaries in leigh. Even the ones with slightly trickier catchment areas perform well. Secondaries are harder. Many parents want the grammar schools and tutor. Belfairs is a state school that performs well enough. Avoid Chase and Cecil Jones at all costs!

Many great primaries around in Leigh- Leigh North St, West Leigh and Chalkwell. For secondary obviously the grammars are all good. In terms of other state schools-Belfairs is a fairly decent school now and Eastwood Academy is brilliant.

Quite a few children from the area head a little further afield for secondary to places like King John in Benfleet and Sweyne Park/ Fitzweimarc in Rayleigh.

Leigh is a nice area- the Broadway is a lovely place to potter about- little quaint shops and cafes.

Thanks once again for all the really helpful info, SammysSpies, pinksquash and Bridgets Big Knickers.

It all sounds great but now starting to wonder whether we'll actually get what we need, taking into account all of the above. We don't want to end up in the wrong bit or not in a catchment. Coming to have a look on Thursday anyway.

Thanks once again, can't believe how helpful everyone has been, which is a good sign!!

I know you specifically asked about Leigh but I have another option for you to consider. I grew up in Benfleet (one stop on c2c from Leigh) so I know Leigh well and it is a lovely area, plenty to do, good schools etc. I still visit Leigh regularly as I like it so much.
But when I wanted to buy a house 8 years ago with my now DH, we decided on Hornchurch (and also Upminster nearby is also nice) because the house prices are similar to Leigh but you are much closer to London, you’re in zone 6 so fares are cheaper and there are also good schools (not grammar) plus plenty of green country parks (although no seaside!). It is also super easy to drive or get the train to Leigh or Southend for days out.
To thrown another idea into the mix, areas like Benfleet are more affordable than Leigh and Hornchurch/Upminster but it’s still a good area with a good reputation. You would get more for your money.
Finally, I commute into Canary Wharf, sometimes via West Ham and although the station gets busy, I don’t have any problems on the way in at all. On the way home, yes the c2c platform can get busy and, like previous posters, I’ve seen arguments kick off. But that’s where living in Hornchurch or Upminster is handy because you then have the choice of the district line rather than c2c.

Thanks very much for the info Clickncollect. Some potential options to consider and explore if LoS doesn't seem possible.

We went to LoS on Thursday and really liked it.

Does anyone know roughly what the catchment areas are like for Belfairs and Eastwood Academy?

Many thanks again everyone x

If waterloo is important why not think about surrey? The Portsmouth to Waterloo line stretches through Surrey and Hampshire offering large towns and lovley villages.

We are in benfleet. Just found the corner from Leigh. Moved here when pregnant with DS a couple of years ago. Leigh is lovely ☺
My partner goes to West Ham every day to change trains and on the whole is completely fine!

http://www.eastwoodacademy.co.uk/docs/Map.pdf Catchments for schools in Southend.

Also, the cycle park in Hadliegh is fab. I think the area was used in the 2012 Olympics. It's not too far from Leigh

Hello,

I was just wondering whether you moved to Leigh on sea in the end? I'm in the same position currently and wish to move somewhere decent with good schools with my child and parter. What do you think of the area and how is the commute? I'm thinking if a 1hour and 40 min commute would be OK. I have a 15 month year old. I really want to move to Leigh as I know its a lovely area but it is the commute and the price of travel that I'm worried about.

Please advise.

@Sherbet99 @TEAMALY what did you guys decide?? Also facing the 'should I move from London to Leigh ' dilemma 😂

@Tor88 following as we are in the same boat. We currently live in East London but seriously considering the move with our 2 year old. I just worry that we’re leaving all our friends to go there. What are your pros and cons ? Obviously no pressure to share, just helpful to hear other perspectives!

@SOPH2025 sorry slow reply!! I just want a decent house in a commuter place that doesn't suck basically... We visited Leigh and liked it, then we visited Margate and loved it, but Leigh is so much better for our commutes and slightly nearer to the grandparents..I'm still leaning towards leigh but partner is on the fence. I feel like it has 'enough' for us... But we haven't totally decided yet. What are you thinking?? Why Leigh?? Curious to hear from other Londoners on this dilemma!!xxx