Thinking of moving to the Isle of Wight

[Concestor]

For a couple of years now we've been thinking of moving to the IoW but are unsure as to whether it's a good idea, where is best to live, etc.
Does anyone have any knowledge they can share?
We would need a good primary and secondary school and good internet to work from home.

Internet is good wherever.
Schools are mixed but best are Cowes Enterprise and Christ the King, for faith based secondary. Primary and nice family place think about Gurnard, perhaps. Bembridge is nice, but perhaps a little old for families. Totland is quite nice with lots of middle class families. Nice beach too.

We love Ventnor but it’s not an area of high aspirations and is a bit of a way from ferries.

Healthcare is improving but some things are delivered on the mainland- anything but very basic paediatrics, for example and stroke trestment.. To be honest, I’d not have have surgery on the island.

Beautiful beaches and countryside but definitely a step back in time. Some areas are scruffy and very poor. There are also very rich areas.

We’re going across tomorrow.

Thanks. We wondered about shanklin, what are your thoughts on that? Will have a look at Toland, we actually haven't visited there.

We usually just pass through Shanklin, to be honest. I’m not sure that there is much behind the tourist traps. The high street looks very sad and rundown.

Nice, safe beach. Public transport reasonable except the train is out of action. Feels very coach party/saga holiday. It wouldn’t be my first choice for a family.

My family live on the Isle of Wight.

They live in Cowes. My Sister works on the mainland and uses the Redjet. Her 4 children have been through the schooling system at some of the schools mentioned in this thread.

I love the Island. Great beaches, countryside and there's plenty going on. I have been visiting for over 20 years.

I really love Cowes as it has a great high street, good cafe culture and transport links. A sense of community

I would recommend joining some community groups on Facebook
Isle of Wight community information
Isle of Wight overners
And
Isle of Wight police

This will give you a bit of an insight.

It is overall a poor area, with limited work opportunities outside the agricultural and hospitality arenas, though tradespeople are in demand and if you can work remotely not a problem. However I disagree with pp - the Internet can be dire and while Wight Fibre is doing its best to dig up all the roads causing huge delays and diversions, I'm not sure if everyone will benefit. Mobile Phone reception is almost nonexistent in some parts- Seaview, Bembridge and Ventnor in particular (you will find it hard to pick up some radio stations in Ventnor, but if you want a French station you're in luck).
Schools aren't that good - Christ the Kjng was considered one of the best secondaries, but in 2018 was rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted. Ventnor Free was promising, but is still very young and there has been some bullying, plus it doesn't have a sixth form. Cowes Enterprise is good, and there are some good vocational alternatives to sixth form. If you can afford a fee paying school, then I highly recommend Ryde School, which goes from nursery through sixth form, and for a non selective school, has excellent exam results. It's main weakness is sports, though quite a number of talented sportspeople have attended and they do offer opportunities in sailing.
As to where to live, Gurnard us very nice and neat but there is nothing there - a pub, a small coffee shop and a Nisa, Gurnard Pines is a good fitness centre. Yarmouth is lovely but very expensive. I'm more familiar with Ventnor - arty, funky, and a bit 'live and let live'. Bembridge is also expensive, a bit out of the way and snobbish. Seaview has a bit more going on, an active volunteer run shop, but 80% of housing is second homes and again pricey.
Ryde is the most populated, busy and buzzy, best links to the mainland. Can get a bit rowdy on a Saturday night.
Shanklin is pretty, I'd avoid Sandown. Cowes great in summer, dead in winter. If I was to buy, I'd buy in Ventnor, but that's not considering schools.
Newport is the shopping mecca, if a place without a department store can be called that, but there's an M&S, big B&Q etc.
The island is getting a reputation for food, but that doesn't extend to the tourist attractions where I have had the worst food ever.
I lived there for ten years, and must admit most of my friends are not from the island. Great for kids up until 16-18, when they become desperate to experience more life. It is predominantly white.
You can't beat the landscape.

Funny isn’t it how people see places differently? I think maybe you need to think whether you want livelier or gentler, village or town, coast, urban or countryside. The Wight has it all.

Despite our cottage being in Ventnor (which we like for breaks) I wouldn’t buy and raise a family there. A very laid back, chilled culture leads to police dispersing groups of young teens left to their own devices, underachievement and a culture of ‘as long as they are happy’. You could go shopping in your pyjamas and nobody would blink. Good restaurants though. Crab off the boats.

Yes, Yarmouth is nice too. So is Cowes.

I wouldn’t go to Ryde school. Dreadful results for a fee paying establishment and no better outcomes than Cowes Enterprise. Many travel over to Portsmouth Grammar or King Edwards in Southampton rather than use Ryde School.

Seaview is good as it has sea, is close to a lovely park at Puckpool, good pubs and cafes and local shops. Good walking too. Quite Hampstead on sea with lots of people over from London in summer - Priory Bay is good for expensive yacht coveting on warm days and has possibly the most beautiful beach in the country. Photo below.

Interesting thank you all. We currently live somewhere that's being overtaken by people moving in from London and it's completely changed the town so I want to avoid Londoners and the chattering classes!
We are creative, relaxed people, with jobs we do from home, looking for a better quality of life near beaches that's not taken over by artisans and people from Chelsea!

It is also worth considering how much you or visitors need to get to or off the island. The Lymington-Yarmouth ferry is becoming more unreliable with less ferries running and cancellations in windy weather. There is some speculation about the route's viability in the long term. This can be a big issue if you need to get to/from the Island urgently and live on the western side of the island. The crossings are also hugely expensive particularly in the summer.
I agree with maofteens, broadband is patchy, hospitals and schools aren't great but the coastline is stunning and there is a gentler pace of life. There is also an IOW manjana and it can take ages to arrange someone to come and do plumbing, electrical, gardening work if you need it.