London family friendly are recommendations (villagey feel)

[Anteater5]

Hello, we are looking to move from a flat in zone 1 to somewhere more family friendly and are coming up with blanks, so coming for suggestions! Budget is £1.1-1.4mn, have two toddlers (boy and girl) and another on the way so looking for good primary and secondary schools (ideally state, Catholic is fine/a bit preferable) and longevity (ideally 4 bedrooms). Commutes into the City and Canary Wharf (although links to the City are more important). Generally, like the village vibes of Dulwich, Barnes. Any suggestions are SO welcome! Thank you in advance

Chiswick

What about Greenwich? Or go further into Essex. Loughton?

South London has Blackheath, Ladywell, Forest Hill, Greenwich and more. You'd probably need to refine your search.

Crouch End/Muswell Hill

or yes Dulwich

Earlsfield

Dulwich
Chiswick
Wimbledon
Southfields
Barnes yes, but very pricey.
Actually all of them are expensive and there will be compromises even with your budget.

Further out Beckenham would deliver but it’s a different vibe.

For your budget maybe forest hill or honor oak.

It's not really enough for Dulwich Village. Will cover some of East but need to be careful re secondary school. If active catholic though may give some options.

Upminster

Wanstead is a friendly place for your budget.

Look around Wanstead Tube station and Snaresbrook Tube Station

For £1.4m you could have a 4-bed with a large garden on Telegraph Hill. There are fast trains into the city from New Cross Gate/Brockley. Nunhead high street has the villagey feel with butcher baker greengrocer fishmonger etc. Or it's a short drive to Lordship Lane/East Dulwich for bigger shops. There are big parks nearby, Peckham Rye Park and Common is lovely.

But I don't know about schools myself.

Blackheath/Greenwich (SE10/SE3) are very good for a Canary Wharf/City commute. You should be able to find a 4 bed in the Westcombe Park/Standard/East Greenwich area for that budget.

Secondary schools might be the sticking point - Thomas Tallis is good for a comp option. Lots sit the neighbouring Borough Grammar school tests which are easily accessible via school bus/train routes.

Chislehurst is lovely and your money would go far plus really close to lovely countryside and villages. Mortlake end of Barnes could work but trains only go to Waterloo (but there is then the drain I guess ..)

Far West and South East are on cross rail for commuting, else trains from SE or E are better for your target London area

Penge / beckenham.

Penge is more urban and beckenham more village.

Beckenham has a good catholic primary school and some good secondaries.

Penge has a catholic school near in Sydenham but it's not great. There's an improving CoE school in Penge. My son is at a fantastic CoE school in Sydenham. Secondaries are a little bit tricker but situation is being improved and should be better by the time we need it.

Telegraph Hill was what came to mind reading the OP. It's a long time since we had anything to do with schools but back then places at Haberdashers' Aske's were like gold dust because of its excellent academic results. It's a state-funded school, non-denominational, has a secondary school with Sixth Form and at least two feeder primary schools in the immediate area (feeder as in children at the primary are guaranteed places at the secondary). However, since our day the massive change in admissions policy that was kicking in back then has changed the demographics in the school and I don't think it now has such a huge lead on GCSE and A level results as it had when it was able to cream off large numbers of extremely able children from miles around. Probably still a good school, though. More up to date views will be forthcoming, I'm sure.

On TH there is also Edmund Waller Primary School which looks nice from the outside, no idea how it's doing. Nearby there's a Catholic boys' school (St Thomas the Apostle), but there's no Catholic girls' or mixed school in the immediate area.

TH has good transport links to the City and the West End.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119589605

This one has sold but lots more in your budget in SE3.

Walthamstow ‘village’ is lovely.

For £1.4m you could have a 4-bed with a large garden on Telegraph Hill. There are fast trains into the city from New Cross Gate/Brockley. Nunhead high street has the villagey feel with butcher baker greengrocer fishmonger etc. Or it's a short drive to Lordship Lane/East Dulwich for bigger shops. There are big parks nearby, Peckham Rye Park and Common is lovely.
But I don't know about schools myself.

Everything gaspode said about schools - there is Haberdashers primary (free school) and secondary, and Waller primary which is an absolutely lovely school - people often move to the area for it. Historically they were more den building and operas than maths and grammar, but there’s a new head who is on it.

And it’s a lovely community, albeit an increasingly monied and siloed one.

Here's a Telegraph Hill home that's under offer for £1.35m. It's in pretty much the perfect location for the neighborhood - a couple of the roads are grander but have more traffic:

www.winkworth.co.uk/properties/sales/waller-road-london-se14/FHL220183

This.
There is a very good girls Catholic secondary on Royal Hill, selective entry if memory serves. The local schools are very good in Greenwich for the most part and the secondaries have good ratings.
There are also private options and top grammar / city schools which are commutable for secondary. London kids are generally very used to navigating public transport by that point.

Teddington? Great for villagey feel and brilliant for young kids... but slightly longer commute than some other suggestions. Most are happy to make that compromise!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120856859
Slightly above budget

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123090431
Just under

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/84945981
Other side of Greenwich park with a small park nearby so more bang for buck. Garden is non existent from pics though

How about Sevenoaks? 30 minutes into the City. Good schools (private, though) and budget is in the sweet spot for decent family homes.

Putney? Some houses near the £1.4m mark, especially in East Putney. Great schools.

Mortlake, East Sheen, Barnes Bridge, Barnes. All lovely. Quick bus ride to Hammersmith for tubes.