Moving house - where in London for an amazing primary school?

[Wheretogo7]

We’ve sold our flat and are on the move. We love the area we’re in, but it’s a bit too expensive for us so we need to find a new neighbourhood.

We live in North London, fairly central. We can afford about £3,300 in rent (which we’ll do first), and £950k-£1.1m at a push to buy (we got incredibly lucky with buying and selling early on in our lives in London). I prefer location over size, but a garden and somewhere comfortable and pretty is my preference.

With that budget, where would you go? Any amazing schools? State, preferably - or private if they were incredible?

We have young children and a family area is what we’re after. Somewhere with a lovely community. Not too “posh”. Maybe a bit liberal and artsy? (If that doesn’t sound too pretentious )

We don’t know where to start looking!

Our family is north of London, so being north makes sense for getting to them. But we’d consider South London if it was just so much better for the £.

Thank you for your help!

Any of the Finchleys. On the Northern line, so brilliantly accessible to central London, plus near the M1 for trips north. You could buy a lovely 4-bed detached in some parts (eg around Victoria Park in Finchley Central). I wouldn’t say these areas are massively liberal and artsy, compared with neighbouring Muswell Hill and Crouch End, but there’s enough of interest to be fun AND practical!

You need to move to Walthamstow! Ticks all of your boxes. Great community feel, loads of excellent state primaries and definitely a liberal artsy contingent (but not to the extent that it's disappeared up its own arse). Good transport links and you are next to big pockets of Epping Forest so can feel like you're in the countryside (if you ignore the occasional siren and police helicopter - see, not "too posh"😆).

Decent size houses are probably in the £800k region now and you could get something lovely for £1m, although they tend to get snapped up very quickly.

Ealing is very family friendly and has some great schools, loads of parks/ green space, and is well connected depending on where you need to go (central, Piccadilly, Elizabeth and district lines all options depending on which part of Ealing). Your budget would get you a terrace house with garden pretty comfortably. Would not call it ‘arty’ - definitely not trendy- but some good independent businesses, and getting loads of investment at the moment. Some neighbourhoods nicer than others, but Northfields a particularly charming area.

Wimbledon. I’ve just bought a three bed plus box room (office) terrace for £920k about 250m from an outstanding primary, and there are a couple more close by. I hear parents walking their kids every morning, and it’s 15minutes to tube/train to Waterloo. Loads of restaurants and shops, the Polka theatre (for kids), and Wimbledon Theatre. Lovely parks plus of course Wimbledon Common. South though….

Thank you! I am going to start researching those areas! I know Wimbledon and really like it, and have heard good things about Finchley and Walthamstow. Ealing is new to me.

Would love any other tips?

What area are you leaving? Might give a good idea of the kind of place you have enjoyed living. E.g. Hampstead is a very different place to Walthamstow...

Lovely community, liberal, arty, great school, house for your budget (with the wind behind you)… Telegraph Hill SE14, near Edmund Waller primary.

@PeachScone

What area are you leaving? Might give a good idea of the kind of place you have enjoyed living. E.g. Hampstead is a very different place to Walthamstow...

Our flat is in De Beauvoir, so can walk to Angel, Dalston, London Fields, etc. It’s a great spot, but we can’t afford to stay!

Given where you currently lives down the vibe you like, how about dulwich village?

IMHO, Finchley is quite staid, Ealing is lively but short on artyness.

“Superb schools” and in budget..
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110974919#/?channel=RES_BUY

Hither Green for one of the Brindishe schools, or Telegraph Hill as a pp suggested.

Herne Hill? Close to dulwich and Brixton. Quick to Victoria and on the Thameslink line for Blackfriars/Farringdon etc. Good primaries and a good state secondary plus good private options. Brockwell Park/Dulwich Park on your doorstep. Zone 2 but feels leafy and a really great community.

I used to live in de Beauvoir (rented) and loved it! We couldn't afford to buy there so are now Nunhead/Peckham/East Dulwich way

With your budget I'd go for Telegraph Hill as pp as said, parts of Brockley (conservation area), Dulwich village (v good schools, not as diverse/liberal as de Beauvoir maybe, as it's v expensive!), and Herne Hill is fab, wonderful Brockhall Park nearby and good community (Judith Kerr is a v high performing primary)

You'd also probably like Nunhead, especially the bit by the village, but primaries here are good rather than amazing, so depends on how important that is to you. Between Telegraph Hill and Nunhead, in the Edmund Waller catchment area would be perfect imo.

You could also look at Peckham Rye, near the Belham primary, in the area around Bellenden Road. Nice vibe, although Peckham is a bit grittier than de Beavoir. Belham has a very small catchment, its very popular, and supposed to be very good.
However secondaries are not so good - for that, Dulwich/Herne Hill/Telegraph Hill are better.

Brockley Crofton Park Ladywell triangle. Basically SE4. Liberal and arty, great primaries and a few good secondaries which are improving all the time

I don’t understand you could stay in North London, Muswell Hill, Crouch End, Archway, Tufnell Park, Finchley with that budget and get a 3 bed with good primary schools.

Ealing is lovely, agree with pp about Northfields. Fielding and Little Ealing are good primaries in the area, some lovely independent shops on Northfields avenue and great coffee shops and grocer near st Mary’s church (Pulp Ealing does sublime pastries and there is a swanky new grocer next door). It’s not arty but is full of creatives - Ealing studios. Loads of extra curricular for children too.

Muswell Hill has excellent state primaries and lots of creative types.

I moved away from Ealing 20 years ago and still miss it! Northfields where I used to live is now very trendy and Fielding school was popular then. Take a look at Pitshanger where North Ealing primary is still the best in the area and very desirable. Pitshanger is lovely and you can get a house for your budget.

Agree with pp, Muswell Hill have some of the best schools in London (primary and secondary). Catchment areas are very tight but you could get a 3 bed garden flat close enough to definitely be in catchment, then move slightly further once they are all in, which would allow you to get a house. Transport is not great (no tube which rules it out for us) but probably no worse than De Beauvoir.