Best area to live for school run in Fulham/Kensington Olympia

[zliyclh]

Not sure if this is the best place to ask but really struggling with this topic recently, so any help would be great.

Basically, we've decided to send ds to a bilingual prep that is based in Fulham but in the future they might move to Kensington Olympia area depending on planning permission. However, we've struggled to find a place nearby that is within our budget (1.3m), 3+ bed , accessible to green spaces and good community. Fulham is like an obvious choice but having visited there 5+ times we are not so much fan of the area (no community feel + parks are a bit of a let down). We like Brook Green but it seems to be beyond our budget. We think about moving to areas like Barnes and Chiswick and rely on public transport, but is District/Piccadily for a reception age boy too much to ask?

Any experience on morning tube school run (pre covid) would be deeply appreciated. Also please let us know if there are any surrounding areas that you would recommend. Thanks a lot!

Fulham traffic is terrible I find though Putney isn't much better!

I think the area really depends on what you want from it - will you need to commute? Is the proximity to the school the most important thing? Are you ok on the tube or buses (in which case I would look at the bus routes).

The area in Putney between the river and the A205 is lovely I think. Or you could go west towards Ravenscourt Park/Stamford Brook? I lived there when the kids were young and it was great for that age group (though if you are commuting on tube for Fulham Broadway you would have to change at Earl's Court).

@TheFunBus, thanks for the recommendation! Ravenscourt Park/Stamford Brook sounds like a great idea as another poster also recommended that. Given your own experience, may I ask what you like or don't like about the area? Out of interest, why do you think the area is only good for kids when they are young?

I moved out of Hammersmith/Stamford Brook for 2 reasons - first of all we could only afford a flat at the time and second of all the schools (we were relying on state schools). We moved to an outer part of the borough of Richmond upon Thames where (at the time!) the houses were still affordable and all the state school options were great. Otherwise we would have stayed.

If you're using private schools and can afford to get what you want house wise in the area, then it won't matter :).

I like having access to green space, I like a community feel but also like be able to walk to restaurants/coffee shops/cafes. You do have to be careful in any of those areas that you're picking the right street. We lived on some lovely streets round there but 2 or 3 streets away you can be in real crime hotspots so it's good to try and get local knowledge (I think that goes for any area in London).

Any tube is going to be packed during school run /rush hour. I think it's tme you need to think about. Say you want to limit the journey to 30min,and work it out from there.
By the way I LOVE Parsons Green. I was there at Halloween pre covid about 6pm and it was buzzing with little kids all dressed up, one of the estate agents was having a party for them and the atmosphere was lovely. And the tube is right there. Very family orientated.
I worked in Hammersmith (but some time ago) and it was very urban and congested - mind you I worked very near the roundabout! My child went to day care In Ravenscourt Park, I've lived in Wimbledon. I could not get my head around taking him on the tube and changing at Earls Court every day, so drove and paid to park.
Remember you will be doing the trip four times a day.

Lots of nice roads off Putney Hill. Straight down the hill and high street and along to Fulham on the bus.

Do be very aware of the closure of Hammersmith bridge which means all cross-river road journeys in the west are very compromised at present. If those are your two locations please try to avoid being south of the river. Honestly roads round here are busy in the morning so definitely be as close as you can. Definitely support looking closer at Fulham and definitely Ravenscourt Park area or the northern edges of Brook Green and up towards Shepherds Bush. Communities in all those locations and decent school run/walk.

Clapham junction is busy (albeit quite quiet at the moment) but you would get used to it, and as the overground starts from there it wouldn’t be the worst idea

Although now is still unusual, may be worth mocking up the school run from wherever you are thinking of living to get a relative feel for it

Do they have a breakfast / early club etc you’d be aiming for or school start time?

Having had to travel to a specific school with a reception age child I’d suggest being as close as you can., Don’t go south of the river, you don’t just go to school and stay there the way you do for work, you go back/on somewhere else. You’d have to allow so much time for the bus it would be torture going back in the afternoon.

I agree Lizzies - tbh I suppose I thought they may have a nanny / otherwise who is actually doing the school run

I second Parsons Green. A beautiful village in the city feel. Tube and lots of buses.

I used to live in Queens' Club Gardens. It's lovely mansion flats with a fab communal garden and tennis courts. I couldn't afford it these days as prices have jumped up but it was handy for the tubes - West ken and Barons Court. Might be worth a look?

Parson's Green is too expensive though, it's a small (and best) part of Fulham so everyone wants to go there. Also although it's partly a family aera, it's also a young/partying area which some would find annoying.

I second Blackenbury village for a family, or further out in Stamford Brook. I really like Chiswick near Turnham Green tube too but it's a longer journey.
And OP of course it's good forolder children too - it's goot good transport links and not far from trendy areas.

@Livingintheclouds

Any tube is going to be packed during school run /rush hour. I think it's tme you need to think about. Say you want to limit the journey to 30min,and work it out from there. By the way I LOVE Parsons Green. I was there at Halloween pre covid about 6pm and it was buzzing with little kids all dressed up, one of the estate agents was having a party for them and the atmosphere was lovely. And the tube is right there. Very family orientated. I worked in Hammersmith (but some time ago) and it was very urban and congested - mind you I worked very near the roundabout! My child went to day care In Ravenscourt Park, I've lived in Wimbledon. I could not get my head around taking him on the tube and changing at Earls Court every day, so drove and paid to park. Remember you will be doing the trip four times a day.

Thanks a lot for the message, very helpful! May I ask why you sent your kid to a school near ravenscourt and lived in Wimbledon? Is morning school run across the bridge going to take a long time too?

@TheFunBus @WorkingItOutAsIGo @LFQuery @LizziesTwin @CatAndHisKit @TheRealMummyPig Thanks appreciate the help!

@pitterpatterrain

Clapham junction is busy (albeit quite quiet at the moment) but you would get used to it, and as the overground starts from there it wouldn’t be the worst idea

Although now is still unusual, may be worth mocking up the school run from wherever you are thinking of living to get a relative feel for it

Do they have a breakfast / early club etc you’d be aiming for or school start time?

@pitterpatterrain yes, we can drop off at 8am so it's helpful. I did a trial school run for a few routes last month and it was quite OK. However I imagine pre covid it would be totally different. Is overground reasonably reliable service?

Ah 8 is helpful - and dropping that early means you’d be more on the earlier side

I don’t catch it myself but to my knowledge it’s pretty reliable

May want to see if they are planning any big engineering etc but nothing I have heard / seen

@zliyclh Hi there, wonder how your move went and how do you guys find the bilingual CH/ENG school? My kids are going for an interview today. We are also looking at suitable places to live in the area. Would love to connect if possible, thanks very much!