Does this place exist?

[babymakesfive]

Hi! We're back to the UK after a number of years overseas, and frantically trying to find the place to move to!

Criteria:

• Picturesque/charming/very pretty town or large village
• Great public schools (DC will be joining in September so will need more than one good option as they will surely be waitlisted). DC in primary now but good secondary options a bonus
• With a buzzing high street or near a city that has lots to do
• Within reasonable commuting distance from London (the City) for a 2 or 3x a week journey in
• Safe
• Friendly and welcoming locals!
• Nature nearby for hikes etc

We've looked at St Albans and Winchester, would love other suggestions. Thank you in advance!

Saffron Walden is lovely with excellent schools - train station is Audley End, short drive or cycle or bus away. Or Bishops Stortford for a bigger version that's on train line but it's not quite as nice. Line goes into Liverpool Street.

Or Cambridge itself, surrounding villages have excellent schools but not easy to get into London from. Very beautiful though. Goes into Liverpool Street.

Hertford might work, Hertford East goes into Liverpool Street, think schools are reasonable there. Very pretty.

Nature around all of those for miles.

Loads of state schools are oversubscribed, its normal - I would be concerned if a school wasn't. It normally goes on distance from school within catchment so if you get a house right next to school assuming its in catchment you go to top of list.

I would get a route into Liverpool Street ideally so it goes right to workplace. London Bridge is very close too, just walk across bridge.

If you are looking at schools (not sure about now with this virus) you used to look round them but you had to apply through the councils education department.
You wouldn’t get a school replying to you.

I think the problem you may have is that all the schools will be oversubscribed. Where I live every school is oversubscribed apart from a couple of less popular schools that are in special measures. There will be no nice area with decent schools that will have places for all of your children for next month.

Your best solution would be to find an area with a choice of schools. Then you might have to temporarily put your children into whatever school has spaces and keep them on the waiting list for your preferred schools.

Saffron Walden is discussing pedestrianising the centre.

www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/historic-market-town-divided-over-18563152

It varies by school how you apply, some you apply direct to the school, some via the council. Our current school is via the council but school also replied and was first to let us know about places. Another school we considered was direct with school, no council involvement. It may well be quite a challenge finding a desirable area with school places for 3 children, you almost certaintly will need to go on waiting lists though with covid-19 measures it's all changing very fast. If people don't want to send children into school they have to deregister or risk being fined so some places may come up that wouldn't normally. Not sure if you will be able to look round schools from September, but school websites are good. You do need to be vary careful with where you rent a house - don't take the estate agents word for it you are in catchment, they lie. We were told we were in catchment and could get a place at two primaries by estate agent and the estate agents wife is a headmistress at one of the two so he knew it wasn't true. Thankfully both were good schools.

This is good advice, thank you. I think we do have to find the right area first and foremost (with several decent school options)

Henley, wokingham,Fleet, Guildford has very pretty villages surrounding it. Richmond, Twickenham. Not sure that towns in England are buzzing especially on a Sunday. You would need a city for that. Schools are hit and miss on spaces in areas.

Lol so funny to hear about Reigate being quiet. On Saturday nights there’s no chance of a table anywhere if you hadn’t booked and the place is heaving

Sounds like Winchester really is spot on for you? And just up the M3 for family? The council is legally bound to find you school places so they will come up with something.

Wivenhoe, near Colchester, particularly lower old wivenhoe.

Have you tried Guildford? That’s pretty much the same size as St Albans (population-wise). It’s got the old high st and is located between the Surrey Hills and the South Downs so you could also try the villages around there as the coutryside is very picturesque.

Winchester
Farnham
Petersfield
Busiest being Winchester, then Farnham and then Petersfield.
All easy access back to Richmond as well.

Taplow or Maidenhead? On the Crossrail and there’s a fair amount going on in Maidenhead and the riverside is beautiful. You also have Windsor and Cookham nearby.

Farnham and Godalming are worth a look

@KoalasandRabbit

Saffron Walden is discussing pedestrianising the centre.

www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/historic-market-town-divided-over-18563152

It varies by school how you apply, some you apply direct to the school, some via the council. Our current school is via the council but school also replied and was first to let us know about places. Another school we considered was direct with school, no council involvement. It may well be quite a challenge finding a desirable area with school places for 3 children, you almost certaintly will need to go on waiting lists though with covid-19 measures it's all changing very fast. If people don't want to send children into school they have to deregister or risk being fined so some places may come up that wouldn't normally. Not sure if you will be able to look round schools from September, but school websites are good. You do need to be vary careful with where you rent a house - don't take the estate agents word for it you are in catchment, they lie. We were told we were in catchment and could get a place at two primaries by estate agent and the estate agents wife is a headmistress at one of the two so he knew it wasn't true. Thankfully both were good schools.

Wow, the cheek of that agent!! They can be so slippery sometimes 😕

@Trisolaris

Taplow or Maidenhead? On the Crossrail and there’s a fair amount going on in Maidenhead and the riverside is beautiful. You also have Windsor and Cookham nearby.

Adding these two to the research list, thank you!

We did look at Guildford... the main drag was nice but we happened upon a less appealing area (and saw a scary drunken fight at lunchtime) which sort of soured the experience. Perhaps we need to give it another shot and plan the areas we visit more carefully!

Just wanted to check you've hauled in something quite basic which will affect your search. Bear in mind that a waiting list for schools doesn't mean that they take the kids in that order. A waiting list of 25 doesn't necessarily mean you join as number 26. Round here, it's sibling priority and then proximity to the school, so if you rent very close to the school, you will jump to the top of the list. Then your other DC will have sibling priority and jump again.
So what I am saying is once you have identified your preferred town, take a close look at the admissions policies for schools of interest.

I think Maidenhead is a bit sad, the high street is terrible and the council have been promising to revamp it since before I was born....

@Beetle76

Arundel? But it might be too far south? Another PP mentioned Berkhampstead, it was on our list but we never got around to looking at it. Godalming/Guildford always seem popular, as is Farnham. Cranleigh or Dorking also come to mind in that area. Classic commuter belt. Loads of similar villages on or near to the Portsmouth line. (But not sure what your definition of “buzzy” is)

Cranleigh has no station.

I know Petersfield has been mentioned a couple of times here, but you should take a look there.

TBH I think you are being very fussy. You have a dream about a perfect, twee, picturesque High Street and wonderful free schools for your children. It doesn’t exist. You went to Guildford but got put off it by seeing a fight somewhere. If you don’t like Guildford you won’t like anywhere. There aren’t wonderful schools which have places ready and waiting for your children.

Welcome to the real world!

You won’t find your ideal buzzy high street. There are shops closing every day. There’s a recession on and it’s about to get worse.

Hitchin has a buzzy high street even on Sundays, but fights and disaffected yoof happen everywhere. Even here. Definite aroma of weed every now and then.

@Littlefish

Have you looked at Solihull, or that sort of area? An hour and 15 mins to Euston from Birmingham International train station. I've heard that the schools are good. Town centre is pedestrianised.

Solihull has everything on OP's list apart from the commute. The fastest trains from Birmingham International are indeed 1h15 but International is a fifteen minute drive from Solihull town centre, which is where OP would want to be to get everything else on the list. The Chiltern line from Solihull town centre to Marylebone is 1h30 on the fastest train. If DH could cope with the commute and the season ticket cost wouldn't be too crippling it is a great place to live.

Berkhamstead, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield

@BeijingBikini

Hitchin has a buzzy high street even on Sundays, but fights and disaffected yoof happen everywhere. Even here. Definite aroma of weed every now and then.

Definitely want to check out Hitchin! It sounds lovely. Don’t mind the occasional aroma of weed, we’re moving from somewhere that has legal marijuana so we’re definitely used to that 😆 Stoned people usually aren’t aggressive like drunks can be so that’s a bonus!