Dulwich or Orpington?

[ttj99]

I currently live in East London. My son is going to reception next year, so I have to move out of East London.

I'm now only looking at two areas: Orpington and Dulwich. Orpington has some outstanding state schools, and Dulwich has good private schools. I can afford private school tuition fees but struggling to buy a decent house in Dulwich.

My budget is around 1 million, with this budget I can buy a proper house and live comfortably in Orpington. The problem with Orpington is I'm busy at work, so I have no time to deal with future 11+, so I want to send my son to a private school if I don't consider the property price at Dulwich. It's a hard decision for me.😪

I have heard about some cultural issues in Orpington. What type of people live in Dulwich?

Dulwich is nice, very family friendly. Orpington like all areas has rough parts. I would opt for Dulwich out of the two. Maybe also look at other areas in the Bromley Borough. Beckenham, West Wickham, Hayes, Crystal Palace. Much nicer than Orpington imo.

Agree with pp. I live in one of the areas mentioned and know the others well. All nicer than Orpington in my opinion.

There is a reason why Orpington is relatively cheap

Public transport in Orpington is much better than in many areas, East Dulwich is a convenient location too. I commute to East London by train or drive every day, so transport is very important to me.

What about Bromley south and Petts Wood? Those two areas look nice but I heard some bad comments about the two areas due to cultural quality

@ttj99 all of the areas mentioned have good transport links. Maybe spend a few days across these areas to see which area you like the feel of most. I'd advise driving through or walking around at night, see where you feel safest.

@ttj99 Bromley south is nice. Petts wood is okay, but you'd have better transport links from Bromley South.

Dulwich over Orpington which personally I think is a very bland no where type of place. But really depends on the ideal commute and the vibe you want - petts wood, Crystal Palace and Beckenham have a more urban village vibe -chislehurst is nice too. Clock house end or Pengeingham as its jokingly called is a good commute to Ldn Bridge, Chislehurst and Bickley are worth a look too. Many people commute from Beckenham or Petts Wood to Dulwich private schools.

I have lived in Petts Wood for over 20 years, have educated two kids at state schools . Not sure what you mean by "cultural quality". My son now lives in East London and I wouldn't say Orpington or Petts Wood has that vibe either - it's generally safer, slower and less stressful to live here! It has a lot to recommend it for families but it is nothing like Dulwich! You need to think about what you want from the area you choose- suburban or inner London, type of house/ what you can get for your money, as well as schools if that's what's important to you. 11+ is a gamble but plenty of kids round here go to Eltham College, Dulwich College etc as we have good transport links.

Dulwich is sort of metropolitan elite type vibe, lots of creative types and great things going on. Orpington is suburbia in my view. V different indeed.

Definitely Dulwich not Orpington.

What about Penge or Sydenham? Penge has the train line to west dulwich. My husband went to secondary school in dulwich and lived in Sydenham.

Some great state primaries in those areas so you can save your money for a few years.

Why don't you just send your child to private school in East London?

Dulwich has great state schools, too.

Are you talking East Dulwich or Dulwich Village?

Just to flag though, unless your child is a genius, private school places are competitive, especially for schools that go through to 18, and it would be normal to support your child/ tutor for 7 plus or 11 plus. State school wise Charter schools have small catchment areas and Kingswood as a complex lottery system

Which school in East London do you recommend?

Could you please give the name of the state primaries?

Both are fine, which state schools in Dulwich area are good?

Prep schools: Gatehouse and Charterhouse Square, as well as Forest Prep. Secondary: Forest School or, more central, City of London. Some schools in North London may have school coaches covering your area. It depends where you are.

Dulwich village infants and junior are lovely, but really there are lots of lovely primaries. Secondary is Charter East Dulwich or Charter North Dulwich or Kingswood.

For Dulwich Village and Charter you are probably pushing your budget to get a house on the W side of lordship lane but if you looked in the triangle below goose Green you could get a house and be in catchment for St Johns and St Clemente's and East Dulwich charter.

Even if you go private for pre-prep and prep you'll probably still have entrance exams for independent senior schools at 11, unless you find somewhere all through and completely non-selective. I can't think of any London day schools that applies to, but then I only have experience of west and central London.