Looking for property near London

[Momddun]

HI All,
we are looking for property near london (30 min) and area which would have a good grammar school- so that we are in catchment of a grammar school.
We are preferring new property (seen few old ones did not like) so areas we know is reading.
It has news homes in Shinfield,calcot and basingstoke road.
We live in london and want to buy a hope in a years time - preferably 6 months.
we plan to educate my son who is in year 1 in independent school till he gets in grammar school.
We both are working in London so we are looking for a place within 4-5 miles from reading station ,
And to be frank i donno how difficult the traffic is going to be in morning times .
so can anyone suggest if calcot /shinfield would be better .

thanks for letting me know... I know it is unpredictable but all i want apart from all the criteria to have in a catchment area rather than buy house some where else .. also reason for buying now is teh amount of rent we are paying in London for small apartment could easily cover for emi of big house ...Also I need rear garden for my son to play anytime he wants rather than occasional park visits....

BY the way Newbury looks good ... though little far from Reading but good commute from London and good schools nearby

@Momddun

BY the way Newbury looks good ... though little far from Reading but good commute from London and good schools nearby

17 minutes to Reading on the train my daughter catches the train everyday. Most of those who go to Grammer go on the train. For myself I rarely every go to Reading. Farringdon will be quicker once the Elizabeth Line opens. All of our comprehensives are good.

Thx yes I saw that .Actually we are from India so we need Indian grocery for that we may need to go to reading.. hence reading was coming as an option...Newbury looks all good to me

Also I have a query is state secondary school and comprehensive school same ??

State secondary means any school which is state funded for children aged 11-18. Most areas have one type of state secondary - Comprehensive which take children of all abilities. A few areas have Grammar schools which take those who pass the 11+ exam (approx 30% in Buckinghamshire) the remaining children go to secondary modern schools in these areas.

If you live and work in London. Is a private school not an option?

In areas that have the grammar school system that take the top chunk of academic kids, it stands to reason that the state secondaries (sometimes called secondary moderns) have the other 80% or so of other kids, hence they are not comprehensive, because comprehensive schools have the full range of kids. They are both state secondaries but both are not comprehensives. This is the case in some of the counties you're talking about. However in other areas, there are a few grammar schools but the whole places isn't a grammar/secondary modern system. This is the case in Sutton and some of the other areas mentioned. So you need to do proper research into what you really want, because going all in for a full grammar system may give you fewer options if your kid isn't in the top per cent. And indeed, you may want them to be in the full mix of kids anyway, you'd need to see what kind of kid they turn out to be. My DC was bright enough academically for grammar but very averse to tests/pressure so is way happier and thriving in the comprehensive system. There are also super-selective state schools like Wilsons which take a much smaller percentage from no particular catchment, so you mustn't get those mixed up with the more trad grammars. Basically, there's lots to research, but all the info is online and you're best getting to grips with the fundamentals before making any big decisions.

I’m almost certain none of the grammar schools are catchment Alone.

sorry did not get ... we are loking for private till year 6 grammar if possible from year 7... living in london (buying house) is out of our range

@Nocutenamesleft

I’m almost certain none of the grammar schools are catchment Alone.

Reading grammar school mentions catchment area... reading was our pref because of proximity to London ...and availability of Indian groceries

I think most towns will provide for Indian cooking these days. Or you can travel once a month or so for it, especially if working in London. Don't get hung up on a "new" house. You will get less for your money, especially in a garden, and estates tend to only establish and have facilities provided over time. Have you considered High Wycombe, ethnically diverse and grammar schools? There are smaller communities on its periphery. Assume you intend to have a car?

Have you looked at the school league tables? Exam results aren't everything, particularly in selective schools, as good results are down to the DC being bright, not necessarily the quality of teaching, so bear that in mind. It's a good starting place to look though:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/best-uk-schools-guide-parent-power-tr95xdztg
www.schoolguide.co.uk/league_tables/secondary

@LIZS

I think most towns will provide for Indian cooking these days. Or you can travel once a month or so for it, especially if working in London. Don't get hung up on a "new" house. You will get less for your money, especially in a garden, and estates tend to only establish and have facilities provided over time. Have you considered High Wycombe, ethnically diverse and grammar schools? There are smaller communities on its periphery. Assume you intend to have a car?

Yes we intend to have car and two cars if we need them ....high wycombe is very costly .... especially new devleopments...I was checking preowned houses in reading the rooms are very small and price quoted is almost same of 4 new bed detached houses...

Also, the big Tesco superstores stock a huge range of Indian groceries, an entire aisle in my nearest one and, as @LIZS says, most towns around London will have independent Indian grocery stores. If you are working in London, you can also do top up shops in town for anything you want but can't find in your hometown.

@Momddun

So if I be in Twyford will I be in catchment area of reading grammar school

Yes, Twyford postcode is RG10, the catchment for Reading Grammar is huge. www.reading-school.co.uk/page/?title=Catchment+Area&pid=27

However you have a choice of grammar eg Borlase , John Hampden if in Marlow, and I think possibly even RGS in Wooburn Green.

@chesirecat99

Also, the big Tesco superstores stock a huge range of Indian groceries, an entire aisle in my nearest one and, as *@LIZS* says, most towns around London will have independent Indian grocery stores. If you are working in London, you can also do top up shops in town for anything you want but can't find in your hometown.

This is for Newbury... i have seen houses and schools availability near to place and looks good to me

@pancakesonsunday

Why not somewhere like Hitchin? 25-30 min train journey into multiple London stations, outstanding secondary state schools and could save up to send children private if wanted to closer to the time (ok local options and excellent private options in nearby St Albans).

Your budget won't stretch very far though sadly- but it's a good option and a way of pretty much guaranteeing access to an excellent school without having to worry about entrance exams.

Hitchin is a good shout - excellent single sec schools and quite close to Luton for cultural needs

I wonder if you need to have a whole re-think? You are obsessed with grammar schools, your son is year 1 and you don’t understand the education system. You don’t really understand the housing market, eg new build vs nearly new build, and older houses. You think “old” houses (poor things, probably 10 years old) are too small and too expensive.

Why don’t you just move to somewhere that you like, where you feel comfortable, with good transport links to work? Forget schools. Don’t be tiger parents.

Life isn’t a competition.

East London? Ilford has a grammar school for boys from Redbridge and surrounding areas. You could live in Woodford on your budget and good other schools as well as plenty of Indian groceries.

I'm not sure how hard you have looked in High Wycombe but there is a range under £550k including this newbuild www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112245104#/?channel=RES_NEW . Older properties tend to have larger room sizes and garden. Areas are variable but if you can afford private school you can presumably be flexible on price too. Have you visited the areas you are listing?

@CaramelWaferAndTea

East London? Ilford has a grammar school for boys from Redbridge and surrounding areas. You could live in Woodford on your budget and good other schools as well as plenty of Indian groceries.

Don’t want Illford area...

@LIZS

I'm not sure how hard you have looked in High Wycombe but there is a range under £550k including this newbuild www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112245104#/?channel=RES_NEW . Older properties tend to have larger room sizes and garden. Areas are variable but if you can afford private school you can presumably be flexible on price too. Have you visited the areas you are listing?

Yes so donno how I missed them will look out as High Wycombe was on my list for possible areas great thanks for this

@SoosanCarter

I wonder if you need to have a whole re-think? You are obsessed with grammar schools, your son is year 1 and you don’t understand the education system. You don’t really understand the housing market, eg new build vs nearly new build, and older houses. You think “old” houses (poor things, probably 10 years old) are too small and too expensive.

Why don’t you just move to somewhere that you like, where you feel comfortable, with good transport links to work? Forget schools. Don’t be tiger parents.

Life isn’t a competition.

I am not being tiger parents let’s not assume anything which we don’t know ... I am just looking for house in catchment area - I don’t think there is any harm ... obviously all people living in catchment area are not tiger parents ... also I can understand the education system while living in catchment area as well ... I don’t think anything is stopping me while being there

Also we are clear that we want new house ... I have had look around couple of old ones I liked the layout and on this we are very clear