Where to move house Kent or Buckinghamshire

[Siri83]

Please advise me on whether to move to Buckinghamshire or Kent, all you great mums out there. DH works from home one day a week, while I work from home. For DD Year 3, as well as later for grammar schools, we are hoping to purchase a home close to good primary schools. We prefer to move to Kent since we have more friends than in Buckinghamshire, and I am really concerned about crime in the area of Kent after looking at websites.

Bucks

less crowded, you’ll make friends , less crime as less crowded. More central for travel, less congestion, as less crowded

Bucks is a beautiful underrated county

Bucks all the way. The Chilterns are beautiful and on the doorstep. Lots of pretty villages and things to do. I’m so glad my DD gets to grow up here

Another vote for Bucks! The only advantage I saw for Kent is that it's closer to the sea 😆, but we love Bucks - really pretty, quiet but good connections and easy commute in London.

Which area of Kent?

You will get more for your money in Kent, so depends on budget. Crime is low in most of Kent, just avoid some of the larger coastal areas like Dover, and the Medway towns.

Bucks is more convenient for accessing the majority of the rest of the UK.

We live in Bucks and on the whole it's great. Lots of nice villages/towns with different feels. Plenty going on but stunning countryside surrounding all parts of Bucks.

I don't know Kent well though...

I have never been more miserable than when I lived in Kent.

Kent is lovely , countryside , the coast , close to London and close to Europe , as long as you choose your area it’s great .

I was also quite miserable living in Kent.

Kent is huge. East Kent is mostly not nice and has a big crime problem. West Kent is much more posh and beautiful with rolling lavender fields etc. So depends where you mean. Adore the villages around Tunbridge Wells but you could not pay me to live in Chatham 👀

Don’t know anything about Bucks so can’t compare.

Bucks can be just as variable socially.

Just make sure you are happy with the non grammar schools too.

Loved living in Bucks. Great schools , great access to roads , rail etc

We moved from Kent to Bucks years ago. You can’t just compare two counties - High Wycombe and Aylesbury are very different from Amersham and Beaconsfield; Ramsgate and Rochester very different from Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

Which part of Bucks are you considering? In the south, Amersham/Chesham is nice and easy access to London, Aylesbury is a bit run down in places and traffic is poorly managed but it's still a lot nicer than some other commuter towns in nearby counties, has all the main shops, and the surrounding villages are lovely (but the county boundary does funny things so double check if you're in Bucks or Herts for any houses east of Aylesbury).

The thing I'd think about in your situation is what if your child doesn't get into a grammar school? The secondaries in Amersham area are a lot better than Aylesbury.

In the north, Bletchley used to be nice but now it's been absorbed into Milton Keynes through overdevelopment and it all feels a bit soulless these days but MK does have a good ice rink, if you're into skating. IDK about schools up there though.

Sorry I know nothing about Kent despite being born over there lmao.

Both counties have so much variety, were you focusing your search on specific areas? Also where does your DH need to get to for work? Which are the most reliable train lines to accommodate that with the most regular service? I’d aim to get a door to door commute of about 1 hour 10-20 mins absolute max. It’s surprising how quickly the commute can become a burden, even if you’re not doing it every day. Marlow in Bucks, for example, is absolutely gorgeous, but has a much less reliable, and completely different commute that goes to a different London terminus to High Wycombe which is just down the road.
I’d also look at the non-grammar options available, competition is absolutely fierce. I live on the Bucks/Berks border and kids on the Berkshire side are in the catchment for the grammars if they get in, or can attend the Berkshire comps if they don’t- might be worth looking at?
We had a similar conundrum and ended up opting for Bucks (although if we could have afforded Tunbridge Wells that might have swung it the other way for us!) I agree with PP that it’s a under rated county- very friendly, more convenient for travel to the rest of the country, and surrounded by the most beautiful countryside.

Moved to Bucks fairly recently and currently looking at secondaries. We're up near Buckingham itself and the state secondaries are good. There's one i even preferred to the grammars despite DS passing his 11+.

Nice people. Lots to do. Am really happy with our choice.

Can't comment on Kent.

Kent is one of the most diverse counties in the country so difficult to say. In The Weald for example - no contest, Kent wins. The Medway towns or parts of the coast are probably better avoided.

Can't comment on Kent
But there is a huge variety of places in Bucks - I would not go anywhere near High Wycombe if I had children / teens

Bucks has grammar schools which generally take the top 30% or so of children whereas Kent has super selective grammar schools which take a much smaller spectrum.
Where does your child sit?
Do, though, factor in the non-grammar school options as not everyone who is expected to or even seen as a dead cert for passing the 11+ does so. If your DC doesn't pass the 11+ and you might consider independent schools in that situation, consider what independent schools are actually accessible. Much of Bucks has very few private schools as the grammar schools are so good.

Kent grammars mostly take 25% though I agree there are a few superselectives, mostly near the border with sussex.

@Amarette Maybe Dartford, Swanley, Swanscombe, or Tunbridge Wells.

@starpatch
I'm a little confused about grammar schools because if DD doesn't get into one, which is better: West Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, or Leighton Buzzard? Dartford, Swanley, Swanscombe, and Tunbridge Wells are also options in Kent.

@PeekabooAtTheZoo
Yeah, that's what worries me, I'm a little confused about grammar schools because if DD doesn't get into one, which is better: West Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, or Leighton Buzzard? Dartford, Swanley, Swanscombe, and Tunbridge Wells are also options in Kent.