crystal palace or crouch end?

[waitrosemad]

DH and I are splitting up so me and the kids are moving. Long story but its better that way. Currently outside London with two DCs ( a boy and a girl) but would like to move further in for a fresh start. Have seen a couple of nice flats in both areas but have not lived in either so not sure where's best with DCs. Ideally would like a safe neighbourhood with nice (mixed) schools and now that am on my own much less ready to embrace suburbia than before. Would anyone have any feedback on either of the two places?

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

You can compare schools on there. If your children are in school already, they’ll be an ‘in year’ transfer so you might not have much choice in terms of which school they get.

If they’re in a good secondary school, then I’d wait until they’ve done their GCSEs as it’s very difficult to get a half decent secondary place.

In terms, of safety, you can compare the stats on the website below:
www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-data-dashboard/

In terms, of safety, you can compare the stats on the website below:
www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-data-dashboard/

How helpful is the above really? What does per 1000 pop mean? Actual residents or people in the area at the time? It's obvious that crime will be higher in the more heavily populated areas. I read somewhere that most crime was committed on Oxford Street and in the Westfield shopping centres... It's not rocket science to work out why this may be.

I would base this decision entirely on what the secondary schools are like

I live just down the road from Crystal Palace and I worked in Crouch End for five years. The former is more affordable than the latter and also better connected. Both are friendly and have green space. The school catchments for CE are apparently very tight: a friend who lives just three streets away from a very good primary school know’s she’s unlikely to get her DC in, so is looking to move (though since my old office was right next door to said primary school, the number of parents I saw dropping DC off in cars would suggest it’s full of either people who can’t walk 200 meters or catchment scammers.)

Crouch End has lots of good primaries, but not a stand out secondary school. It's a lovely area though.

We live just i the road from Crystal Palace. The park is lovely and feels very safe to me.

You could be in one of four boroughs in Crystal Palace so just something to be aware off when thinking about schools.

Secondary schools are important. Tried to have a quick look and in both places, they seem more or less the same. Not amazing but ok-ish.

@ComtesseDeSpair thank you for your feedback. Would you by any chance share which one you'd go for?

I don't know crouch end but know CP and would recommend. In terms of schools/boroughs, it is the borough you live in that has the responsibility to find you a school place, so it makes a difference from that point of view- but you can apply where you like. Because CP is so on the borders its very common for children to go to school in a different borough.

@waitrosemad - I prefer Crystal Palace, to be honest. It’s more vibrant, but also very family oriented. It’s also definitely more affordable - I certainly wouldn’t get what I have here for the same price in CE without heading more towards Wood Green.

@onewhitewhisker are there any that you would specifically recommend? We are not quite there yet but will be in a few years. Thanks

OP are you looking at primary or secondary?

@waitrosemad Crouch End is nice if you work from home (I suppose everyone does now! -- but I mean if you'll continue to do so); the transport links aren't great, quite a long way from a tube, but has a really lively central shopping area with cinema, sports centre, lots of small shops etc. Most primary schools in the area are good and several are really excellent (I'm governor of a primary school quite nearby), I know less about secondaries but my impression is that secondary provision around that area is OK but a bit patchier.

@onewhitewhisker I'll probably end up with an in-year application for primary so thinking about secondaries really. My plan is to settle in and stay at least till the kids leave home. A brand new adventure for all of us

@kalidasa yes, will need to factor that in. I will be WFH 2/3 of the time so that should be ok, right. Have looked at Highgate Wood secondary - guess it's ok. Obviously, cant exactly visit anywhere right now and it's just not practical anyway. Are there any schools in CE to avoid?

@onewhitewhisker

I don't know crouch end but know CP and would recommend. In terms of schools/boroughs, it is the borough you live in that has the responsibility to find you a school place, so it makes a difference from that point of view- but you can apply where you like. Because CP is so on the borders its very common for children to go to school in a different borough.

In the Pan London system your application goes through your home borough but that makes no difference to your chances at any individual school. The applications to each school are assessed wholly in how they meet the published admissions criteria, no what borough the applicant lives in. If the criteria is distance, you are judged in distance. The borough boundary is irrelevant.

@RainingBatsAndFrogs

What about in-year admissions which would be the relevant bit to the OP? If preferred schools have no vacancies than the borough will more likely try to find a space in its own schools before approaching other boroughs. From that point of view, I’d aim for the Bromley side of Crystal Palace.

For secondary schools, Muswell Hill is preferable to Crouch End. fortismere and Alexandra Park both have better reputations than Highgate Wood.

Hi Raining yes you're right, but I meant it's good to be aware in the sense that if you live say on the Croydon side of CP, you could apply to, and get offered, Lambeth/Southwark/Lewisham schools, but if you don't get any of your choices it will be a Croydon school that you'll be allocated.

OP on the Lewisham side you have Forest Hill (boys) and Sydenham (girls), Sydenham is ifaik the more oversubscribed so harder to get into from a distance but I know families happy with both. Kingsdale is lottery and very popular and extensively discussed on Mumsnet! But a lot of local CP children do end up there. There is Harris CP which is the flagship Harris and has a combo priority area/lottery system, Harris Upper and South Norwood, and other Harrises towards Croydon - good results but very much divide opinions. Lambeth side you have Norwood and if you move further to West Norwood, Elmgreen. Personally I like Norwood, people may pop up to point out that the results are very average, which they are, but it has a really happy, creative vibe and has been hugely positive for my dyslexic DC.

I don't know much about other Croydon and Bromley schools though I believe for the Bromley schools that are popular you'd have to go much more towards Beckenham. What I would say is that there's a lot of schools around, so people genuinely seem to feel that they have a chance of finding somewhere that suits different DC, and of moving elsewhere if things aren't working.