Considering a move to St Leonards/Hastings

[Relocatesss]

Hello,

We’re considering a move to st Leonard’s from SE London. My partners mum lives there so we would have the benefit of being close to family. I’ve been reading really mixed reviews of Hastings online, can anybody who lives there offer me some insight? What are the schools like? Is there lots to do for young families? Any info good or bad would be really appreciated.

Many thanks

I grew up in Hastings and go back many times each year. I can honestly say it's the most mixed place I've ever been to. People who've been to Hastings only briefly will tell you it's a dump, full of deprivation etc. However this is only part of the picture. Yes Hastings is run down in places but there are also a very high number of middle class, arty types - more so than any other place I've been too. So just describing it as deprived doesn't give a true picture of the place. Spend an afternoon in the old town and you'll only notice a bohemian, arty vibe - and some very posh characters! When I grew up St. Leonards was bedsit land - full of flats for those on benefits. There was high crime, high drug use etc. St. Leonard's has improved a lot since then and there's now a different, more gentrified atmosphere these days although those elements still exist. Hastings Old Town is delightful, full of beautiful cafes, restaurants, antique shops etc. The new town still appears quite deprived. Not great for shopping but not terrible either. The alcoholics and drug addicts are very visible in places and this puts some people off Hastings. I have to say I absolutely loved growing up in Hastings. It was a magical childhood roaming around the East Hill/Ecclesborn Glen, all those warm summer nights on the beach with my friends. There are loads of good pubs and a few clubs I enjoyed in my late teens. I was never bored growing up. The schools were fine particularly primary schools but I can't comment on them now. I love the bohemian feel of Hastings. It's unlike anywhere else and there's a real sense of community and fun too. Many occasions and events where the whole town come together. The downside is lack of jobs for those with good career prospects so me and many friends left to find opportunities elsewhere. There are unsavoury characters there but most are the opposite.

Thank you so much @SallyWD for taking the time to respond. I wasn't expecting such a positive reply, it's really lovely to hear you enjoyed growing up there so much.

I used to live in West St Leonards and continued to commute up to London for work but drove to Battle Station to catch the train as it made the journey into London shorter.
I moved there to get more house for my money and loved living there which I did for several years.
There was/is significant deprivation but it is mixed by area as another poster said. Back in the day, it was good for 'Mum and toddler' groups but I did have concerns about some local schools so I would advise you to research the Ofsted reports as I am talking a long time ago.
I still know people living there who like it but their children are now adults.
The Conquest NHS hospital was decent and fairly new at the time. My DC were born there. Hastings as a whole had a lot of Government investment in the Blair years. I last visited 4 years ago. I may retire back lol.

Thanks so much for your reply @hastings4me!

I love Hastings . Some parts are rough but lots are not . There is lots to do for families and the local council is very community minded.
Location wise for me it has everything , beach , park within walking distance , a modern shopping mall together with the old town for some vintage / coffee / artisan foods .
A variety of housing stock and best of all very cheap house prices.

Thanks so much for replying @hattie43! Do you live there? Do you have any idea what the schools are like?

I've only visited once and can see both sides - but I rather liked it. It reminded me of Brighton when I lived there briefly in the late 80s – back then Brighton felt a lot more bohemian, and less smug middle class than does now.

@Relocatesss

Thanks so much for replying *@hattie43*! Do you live there? Do you have any idea what the schools are like?

I lived there for about 3 yrs and still have a property down there to visit but my work took me to Hampshire. I don't have children so can't comment sadly on education .

There'd be absolutely no way I'd send my kids to a hastings/st Leonard's secondary school. There's a lot of crime and bullying.

Hastings/st Leonard's as a whole is pretty deprived. Yes there are some pockets that are better, but it's so mixed up that it's not unusual to have a road that is nice and respectable one end and a total dump crime riddled the other end, so therefore a school may have children from really mixed backgrounds.

Shopping centre is crap. The mall (if you could call it that) is half empty because rent keeps going up so the shops move out. Old town and Rock-a-Nor is nice, lots of unique unusual shops and cafes/bars.

Alexandra park and east/west hill are nice places to walk. White rock theatre normally have a pretty good variety of performances going on. Clambers soft play (if you have young kids) is ok but very over priced. The pier is just a giant plank of wood with nothing on it - waste of money repairing it imo.

I live in Bexhill so know the area quite well. Bexhill is a much nicer town, lower crime rate, better schools, nicer parks.

As I said look at up to date Ofsted reports but when I left the area (ages ago) Hastings' schools were part of an East Sussex Education Action Zone and some have subsequently been renamed I think.
If you do not have to be in Hastings itself, the Claverham Community College at Battle was highly rated back then alongside Robertsbridge Community College at Robertsbridge and St Richards (Catholic) in Bexhill.
In Hastings itself the schools serving the St Helen's residential area were the higher rated ones back then. It may have changed.

How nice to see a thread about Hastings and St Leonards which isn’t full of people who don’t live here who insist that it’s a total dump with no redeeming features whatsoever! We moved down here 8 years ago from a very privileged Home Counties chocolate box village. We would never consider going back - we love living here.

There are certainly rough areas and very deprived areas. However we live in the St Helens area and friends live on the West Hill and both are lovely. Alexandra Park is fabulous. Having the sea on the doorstep is a real treat, and 8 years after moving down here the novelty of a near to permanent sea view has yet to wear off.

As PPs have said, the schools have mixed reputations. I believe some of the village primary schools have better reputations than the town schools. For secondary, Helenswood and William Parker merged a couple of years ago to become the Alexandra Academy, and I gather that it’s improved considerably since the merger. A lot of children go to Claverham in Battle or the secondary in Robertsbridge, though I imagine it’s a gamble regarding places being out of catchment. We have secondary aged DC but neither are at the town’s schools so I can’t comment personally.

As for what to do, my DCs are always busy. There’s the trashy seafront touristy stuff, which they love (!), but also sports clubs, drama, music, a huge skateboard and BMX park and a variety of other things that you get in most towns.

Good luck with your decision OP!

I loved living in Hastings. That said I only lived there for a couple of years, in the Old Town, and left some 22 years ago (for practical reasons related to commuting.) So any info I have is well out of date and areas could have changed. The Old Town seems more gentrified (with price rises to match). I'd consider moving back now we are retired but DH isn't keen. When I was there central St Leonards was pretty dodgy. I got the impression St Helens was fine, Clive Vale was fine, West St Leonards probably ok. I liked the arty, quirky atmosphere.

Just back from a couple of days in Hastings and St Leonards. Really enjoyed it and loved both places. The Old Town in Hastings and the streets near St Leonards Warrior Sq were both fantastic; lots of lovely antique/bric a brac places, cafes and pubs, etc. Prices for houses seem astonishingly low compared to London too.

We are here now and just witnessed people rob co op for foods and meat at 5pm. A guy who works in the store said it happens very often they are losing about 100K in sales each year!

Cos shoplifting never happens anywhere else ?

There are good parts and bad parts like most towns! I have the best childhood memories of the place though.

Lovely villages nearby and everything you need in the town centre. Check out Bexhill and Little Common too