Hither Green vs Charlton...

[FoxsSocksToes]

... for a young family who can't afford Blackheath? Looking for a 3-4 bed. Would love to be near green spaces (Blackheath / Greenwich Park) but probably can't afford it.

Which would you recommend and why?

Thanks all. @KaleJuicer I'm interested in the two Charter Schools, rather than the Harris Academy. The catchments are tight though, so obvs would depend on if we could find somewhere...

Charlton less 'edgy' than HG I think

I think that’s the first time ever that I’ve seen “Hither Green” and “edgy” in the same sentence

@FoxsSocksToes

Thanks all. *@KaleJuicer* I'm interested in the two Charter Schools, rather than the Harris Academy. The catchments are tight though, so obvs would depend on if we could find somewhere...

They don't use catchments, I'm afraid. It's straight-line distance for both.

@ThanksItHasPockets I thought that's what catchment means?

Charter School catchment seems to be about 0.4 of a mile though!

[quote GuessHowMuchI]@ThanksItHasPockets I thought that's what catchment means?

Charter School catchment seems to be about 0.4 of a mile though! [/quote]
No - a catchment is a defined, published geographical area. The boundaries change infrequently and only by public consultation. Living in a catchment places your application in a higher priority.

It is a very very common misconception that the areas created each year by admission distances are catchments, but there is no guarantee for future admissions. All it takes is a higher than normal number of siblings, or LAC, or in the case of Charter children of staff, and the area can shrink dramatically. Both Lewisham and Southwark have made use of bulge classes as the birth rate spike from the first decade of the century has come through the system and this causes havoc for a few years afterwards thanks to sibling priority.

The misconception is largely fuelled by estate agents who might tell you that a house is in catchment. They may be right that an application from that house would have got a place in the last few years but that doesn’t mean it will when your child’s time comes.

True catchments are rare in London but widely used in the rest of the country. I know I sound pedantic and you might think it a semantic quibble but in a previous job I sat on appeals panels and have had to explain this to multiple families in the middle of an appeal.