Areas of St Albans?

[duchessa]

Hello! We're relocating from overseas and trying to find a rental house from several thousand miles away (lots of fun during a pandemic, ha!)
We've narrowed our areas down to St Albans and Harpenden, but as I'm unable to hop on a flight to do a recce I'd love some advice as to which areas are best for families in terms of proximity to good schools (primary and secondary - my eldest boy will be starting Year 6 in the autumn, I will also have a reception kiddo and a Year 4).
We are also anxious about safety, and would like to be within a reasonable distance from shops/amenities.
I've heard about Marshalwick and Fleetville but haven't got any recent insights into those areas. We're hoping to get a larger house with a decent yard and thankfully we have a good budget.
All input very gratefully received!

Sorry-quick response as at work:

Can’t comment on St Albans (anecdotally though would think about Beaumont or Sandringham as secondaries, unless you want single sex).

Harpenden-in reality, your y6 and y4 are likely to get allocated primary wherever has spaces, which could well be different schools (and neither your nearest). There’s not a lot of capacity across the town in those years. I’d also say that all the primaries in Harpenden are pretty good, and given the size of the town the centre is walkable from most places and I’ve never had any issues about safety...

So-If I were you I’d focus on secondary schools-check the admissions policies (generally you have one school defined as your nearest; which gives you priority for that school although they’ll still fill from the group in increasing distance).

Again; they’re all good. Only things to be aware of is you won’t get St George’s unless you satisfy the church criteria and even then you’ll have to be 800-900m from the school probably. KWS is new, so currently only has two years there. Great looking facilities but don’t know about how the lack of years works in practice.

You can check any house’s official distance from schools on Herts county council website to help inform your decision if you’re thinking about somewhere!

Good luck!!

Just a few thoughts:- I know of quite a few families who have had to put children in to separate schools when they first moved to St Albans (in year applications) so be prepared for that. But people move in and out of St Albans so there is often quite a bit of movement on waiting lists.

You'll need to apply by end of October 2021 for Yr 7 places (check council schools website for exact dates) so make sure where you rent is within catchment for your preferred secondary. From memory you'll need proof of where you live - possibly showing 3 months of residence (sorry memory is a bit hazy).

Catchment varies each year so aim for a "safe" distance. Again I think info can be found on council and possibly school websites.

You will pay a premium for renting or buying a property in catchment for particular schools.

I don't think there is much of any overlap of catchment between Beaumont & Sandringam - if there is one it will be tiny and on fringes of sandpit lane/Barnfield Road but you might hit an odd year.

I know of children at Samuel Ryder, Verulam and Townsend in St Albans - they all seem to be thriving and very happy.

I won't recommend any particular primary school as I am pretty much out of the loop but happily I don't think you can go wrong.

There are private schools in St Albans from y7 if that might help? Then you can live anywhere. If not you need to be within 1k of your chosen secondary to get in and prob closer to Beaumont now as so many homes are being built around it.

Primary is tricky as the only private primaries are outside the city so you will just need to get where has places. One of the larger ones eg fleetville might give you a good chance.

Marshalswick has lots of 3-4 bed houses so an easy area to live in. The Highfield estate is nice and lots of family homes and very safe vibes. Catchment for Samuel Ryder which is a good secondary and it also has a primary so you might luck out and get them all in the same place!

Safety wise - anywhere is fine! St Albans and Harpenden are very safe/slightly boring places 😂

I have lived in both places. Not much to choose between them.

In St Albans a house will either be near the main shopping in town or in catchment distance for one of the favoured secondary schools (Beaumont, STAGS, Sandringham). Marshalswick & Fleetville.

Both places have a similar array of local amenities (shops, parks, cafes, tennis, pilates, scouts, good schools etc) and both have a family vibe.

Fleetville is nearer the station & mainly rows of Victorian houses, with some roads of bigger 1930s houses. It has more pubs/restaurants, even an art gallery. Clarence Park is a very pleasant formal Victorian park. It's within walking distance of the station and nearer town centre than Marshalswick.

Marshalswick is more of a 1930s suburb so the houses are bigger - and it is marginally cheaper. It has a library & soft play plus Jersey Farm Country Park which is a nice bit of open countryside to walk in. You'd probably be in your car more if you live in Marshalswick - traffic is pretty bad, especially on a rainy morning.

Thanks so much for all the advice so far. Can I also ask what The Camp area/Cunningham is like?

Nice. Close to the station. Roads vary a bit from million pound mansion streets to flats. Some traffic as some are main roads from the station. Good fish and chip shop where Harry styles filmed a Gucci advert.

Agreed, it is quite mixed. Fleetville & Marshalswick are generally more expensive and feel that way.

You have a criss cross of narrow roads of Victorian terraces like Cambridge Road which tend to be young families and have an "up and coming" feeling to them.

Going up Camp Hill you have lots of OK but souless modern flats, which makes its way into some really quite grotty flats near the school / parade of shops.

Going out further you have places like Foxcroft - big 1970s houses with gardens overlooking a green which feel a lot nicer.

You;'ve got 2 gyms at Highfield park and 3 nurseries.

I live in St Albans. The Camp is generally seen as a bit more "affordable" than other parts of St Albans, mostly quite pleasant with some rougher bits, especially round the parade of shops with the Co-op. Lots of ex-council housing stock, all pretty same-y, with a few larger 1930s semis. Cunningham Hill and Cunningham Avenue, on the other hand, are a couple of the most expensive streets in St Albans, with big beautiful detached period houses. Cunningham Hill itself is an open green space with some of St Albans' most expensive houses on one side and cheapest on the other (Dellfields)!

Cunningham Hill School is an "outstanding" rated primary, also there is Samuel Ryder Academy which takes kids from nursery right through to secondary, rated "good". You can't really go wrong with any schools in St Albans, as others have probably said. Good luck, St Albans is a lovely place to live.

Lived in marshalswick for many years and loved it. Not a cheaper area to live, the houses are much sought after, most have large gardens and all are in the catchment for good secondary schools and great local shops. Also great country park for dog walking, running and an adventure playground.

I live in Harpenden. Great place to live, not boring at all. Great private schools in easy access, great state schools both primary and secondary. They've just built a brand new secondary school. Great pubs, restaurants, shops. St Albans just down the road. Quick easy access to London.

Also considering St Albans so this is very helpful.

Would a car be absolutely necessary, do you think?

@edeluna

Also considering St Albans so this is very helpful.

Would a car be absolutely necessary, do you think?

Not 100% necessary, there are plenty of bus routes and many people cycle. I would say it's handy to drive, especially if you have kids, but that's true of any town or city outside of London

Some good cycle paths and quiet roads if you don’t want to use a car. Couple of hire places if you need one for occasional use. Buses are good and mostly under-used so quiet and easy!

@edeluna

Also considering St Albans so this is very helpful.

Would a car be absolutely necessary, do you think?

You could survive without a car if you lived in the town centre. But there is the odd activity (eg going to hospital, going to a department store, Heartwood Forest, going to Waitrose, going to a garden centre , multiplex cinema, indoor tennis courts etc) that would be seriously inconvenient without a car.