Moving to Barnet- advice on location/schools

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Hi everyone, looking for a bit of advice please. We've just moved back to uk from abroad for hubby's work in London. We have an 8 month old son and looking at where to move to- High Barnet area seems like it could be a good option for us.

we are looking for a good commute to the city, excellent/good schools, green spaces and a good sense of community. Our budget is around 8k. Our preference is to be near the underground- but like the sound of being between the underground and overground for ease.

Neither of us are familiar with High Barnet and solely depending on our research online at the moment, so any info is greatly appreciated! We're a bit overwhelmed with school catchments- any suggestions or advice on what streets/areas to look at (ideally planning for now and secondary school)?
Does anyone know what High Barnet area is like for young families?
Any suggestions on areas to look at would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you

I'd say a little bit further down from High Barnet is much better, e.g. North Finchley area and Finchley Central where IMO there are better schools both primary and secondary. For sure, public transport both tube and buses are better and more convenient in Finchley - and therefore, easier inter-connections - than in High Barnet.

I think there are plans to close High Barnet tube station, to make way for flats. Finchley is lovely, as a pp said, so also is Hadley Wood, but not very good transport links from there

Having moved from N Finchley to High Barnet I find High Barnet is a much more pleasant area to live with a great community feeling. N Finchley is much 'grittier'. Proximity to tube and buses depends on how far you live from the station, of course. And I can assure you that High Barnet tube station is not going to be closed for flats - they're proposing to build over the station car park and adjoining land!

Please dont buy now based on the secondary school catchment - its 10 years until you will need it, and very few schools maintain the same Ofsted rating for a decade!

Thanks everyone for your responses- it's definitely helped with our searches and very much appreciated :)

Any thoughts on what areas are like to live in in High Barnet - ie west of the tube station vs east? Are there any particularly family friendly areas? Or areas better for schools? Does anyone have recommendations for primary schools?
Thanks again :)

A bit confused about the £8k budget and wouldn't say High Barnet is a great commute to the city - it's a long time on the tube to Bank! Which station do you need to get to?

There's lovely streets around Somerset Road (closer to New Barnet), and nice bits in the other directions. I think I'd prefer to be down the hill near the Everyman than up on the high street (not least because the walk up that hill would be knackering at the end of every working day).

I'd also look around Totteridge and Whetstone which has lots of restaurants (or did before we locked down )

Most of the primary's in Barnet are decent afaik.

Meant to write £800k budget to purchase a house :) hubby will be working near London Bridge station - once lockdown finishes!:)
Good to know about the hill- sounds exhausting, and Totteridge & Whetstone sounds a lovely area- I'll investigate!
Thanks so much

London Bridge is a long journey from High Barnet. I'd say it's important to be walking distance to the station if you're doing that every day (and bear in mind that all the station car parks are due to be closed).

I'd broaden your search down to West Finchley and Woodside Park as well (both have houses around £800k near the tube - also suspect house prices will drop after COVID!) and if you're happy to look away from the tube, go over to Mill Hill Broadway (for Thameslink trains).

We rented in the area for a few years and did almost the same search in Autumn 2019 so happy to advise - you might be lucky with prices dropping once COVID is over!

I live in East Finchley (bought a 2 bed flat last year and planning to have 1 DC). Would really recommend it and you can get a terrace for 800K. Local schools include Martin, St Theresa Catholic, Trinity C of E, all with oustanding rating. if you are jewish, there is also akiva which is one of the top 20 primary schools in London. Archer Academy is fairly new but also has an outstanding rating (its also secondary). I do have faith in it as it managed an outstanding rating despite being a very young school. East Finchley is 25 minutes to the City and is also very green (we have local woods, Cherry Tree woods, and DH loves to walk to highgate woods). We can also walk to Muswell hill and the local high street is quite useful (great little italian supermarket Tony's as well as the usual sainsbury, iceland etc, also walking distance to the huge tesco in Finchley Central). Good bus routes, which is handy for visiting family in hendon which we did every week before lockdown.

I agree that for a commute to the city you might want to look at being near the overground rail (trains run to moorgate) as well as the tube, you get better value I think that way, although bear in mind the trains come in from the commuter belt (Potters Bar et al) and can be pretty rammed at rush hour by the time they get to outer London, whereas at least with High Barnet the tube starts there so better chance of nabbing a seat or at least some personal space!

Oakleigh Park/New Barnet is a nice enough area, very very suburban, Totteridge is posher with more of a village-y feel, Whetstone has lots of restaurants and is popular with the posh ladies who lunch crew (as is Cockfosters over on the east side), North Finchley is more urban/down at heel although there are some lovely streets of period houses on the Woodside Park side and some good parks. Primary schools are probably slightly better in Finchley but then you have some of the best secondaries in North London (QE2 girls and boys) on the High Barnet side (although honourable mention to St Michaels in north finchley if you are catholic).

What do you want from your £800k budget - period style house or more 'average' 1950s type house which forms a lot of the North London housing stock? Is terraced OK or do you want a semi/detached? Big garden? Parking? Totteridge is the most expensive of the areas mentioned so you would probably get a small-ish 3 bed for your money, whereas in Oakleigh Park or New Barnet it would be a bigger 4 bed semi with garden and parking (but more likely a modern/1950s type rather than period just because that is what the majority of the houses are). If you really want Victorian/character then Woodside Park or Whetstone might be a better bet but again might be smaller or without a drive/off street parking or with only a small garden... although as others have said goodness knows what the housing market will do post-Covid, you might get a great bargain!

And as for everywhere in London, within half a mile of the train/tube adds a definite premium so if you/DH are prepared to add a slightly longer walk or cycle to the commute you may get a better house for your money!

Also worth having a look at Southgate/New Southgate/Arnos Grove, where you have the Piccadilly line, which imo is faster than the Northern Line. Good primary schools but for Secondaries you need to be very close to one of the popular ones eg. Ashmole/Wren Academy.