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.

East Kent IS lovely (pp who said it wasn't). Some stunning quiet villages between Canterbury and Dover which are worth a look.

3 bed with garage

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/62314058/

With garage

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/62577796/

No garage but huge driveway and could build one If need be

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/62148710/

Sevenoaks 3 bed garage

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/62627076/

Play on zoopla - area - budget - 3/4 bedrooms / garage

Kent IS lovely, the bit we are in anyway, a village sort of between Sevenoaks and Tunbridge wells. Gorgeous countryside, great towns, easy to get to France or the beach, people are friendly.

However if we could go back to the decision of where to move to when we moved from London I’d make a difference decision and not move to Kent. It feels increasing busy, very traffic heavy-Tunbridge Wells is a pig, you need to use the nightmare that is the M25 to get anywhere. It just feels like it’s becoming a claustrophobic corner of the uk.

Honestly…the places you have mentioned in Kent are not very nice bar Tunbridge Wells which sadly looks to be mostly out of your price bracket. Join Life After London FB group and ask the question there and you will get looks of helpful responses. FWIW we have family all over Kent but have returned from overseas permanently five years and settled in Folkestone (not actually knowing a soul) and love it. Not a single regret and great schools. There, Canterbury, Ashford would be worth considering as it would tick your boxes for good schools (selective and non) and there are beautiful places to live (villages of Ashford only not Ashford central - that’s pretty ugly) with good links to London.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/85740369#/?channel=RES_BUY
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126174716#/?channel=RES_BUY
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126170909#/?channel=RES_BUY

All well within budget and in catchment for outstanding grammar schools. Travel to London is pricey, but commute is fast and pleasant as commutes go and lifestyle here more than makes up for it…that’s just Folkestone, there will be plenty (probably more choice actually) for Ashford and Canterbury.

As previous posters have pointed out, Bucks (I don't know Kent!) is hugely varied in terms of schools, life, affordability and so on.

In the south of the county you have lovely small towns like Chesham, Amersham and Beaconsfield (and all in grammar school areas), but also High Wycombe, which has nice villages around but town is not so nice. Property though is a lot more expensive than the north of the county.

In the middle you have Aylesbury, again grammar schools, village around are nice but town not so nice. I went to Aylesbury High School and lived in one of the villages.

I'm in the north of the county near Buckingham. Grammar school here (Royal Latin); my daughter went to the Buckingham School which was excellent for her, she did well at A levels and is now at Uni. There is also the Fremantle in nearby Winslow, which doesn't now have a 6th form, but good comments locally. Property cheaper than the south. A 15-20 drive sees you in Milton Keynes, where you have all facilities you need, and a 30 minute train to Euston. MK itself is a seaprate unitary authority to Bucks, and therefore no grammar schools.

Sorry, just saw your budget comment. In Buckingham you would easily get a good sized 4/5 bed detached with a garage for that price. My friend sold her Buckingham house recently for £470k, 3 double beds, 1 single, garage, ensuite, nice garden, 1980's leafy estate (so not as congested as the newer build estates) as a guide.

I'm in Kent and the grammar schools are great. The doctors and hospital services are absolutely dire..

I grew up in Bucks, very close to the Herts border, and now live in the next county to Kent. I went to one of the Aylesbury grammars and did well there. My mum still lives there. A few years ago we moved away from Bucks because the grammar/upper school system wasn’t going to work for our two children. Those are just our personal circumstances though.

There are some really lovely villages in Bucks and the same applies to Kent. In both areas they are pretty expensive though. In the towns in both counties you’ll generally get more for your money because the towns are less nice than the villages (with the exception of Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks in Kent, which are expensive and lovely. As other posters have said, Aylesbury and High Wycombe in Bucks are not especially salubrious).

Regarding the 11+, as others have said, around 30% of children in Bucks go to grammars whereas in Kent it’s a much smaller %. In both counties some of the upper schools are better than others (but then that’s the same for grammars too, and for any school it’s a case of where is a good fit for your child). In Bucks you have Waddesdon, which is lovely village and has a super upper school. I gather the catchment is very small though.

Good luck with making your decision!

OP I see you have mentioned West MK but I dont think the admissions area for either the Royal Latin or the Ayleabury grammars has reached into MK for the past couple of years.
I'd go with either living in the catchment of one of the good non grammar schools(in case you DC doesn't pass the 11+) like Cottesloe in Wing, John Colet in Wendover or Waddesdon school, or look at the border towns which have good secondaries and where you might get in on distance, like Thame, Tring or Leighton Buzzard. Brackley and Towcester also have good secondaries as do some estates on the West of MK but I think you'd struggle on distance for these now.

This is from the 11+ forum and shows the distances places were offered up to for those starting in Sept 22:

Aylesbury Grammar School: all catchment & distance to 9.564 miles
Aylesbury High School: all catchment & to 13.927 miles.
Beaconsfield High School: some in catchment to 5.439 miles
Burnham Grammar School: all catchment, PP & siblings & to 2.254 miles.
Chesham Grammar School: all catchment & distance to 4.267miles.
Dr Challoner's Grammar School: some in catchment to 5.092 miles.
Dr Challoner's High School: all in catchment
John Hampden Grammar School: all Priority Area A, Priority Area B to a distance of 13.26 miles and some allocated under distance to 9.395 miles
The Royal Grammar School: all catchment & distance to 10.313 miles
The Royal Latin School: all catchment, siblings, PP & distance to 7.746 miles.
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School: some in catchment to 7.705 miles
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School: some in catchment to 3.188 miles.
Wycombe High School: all catchment & siblings and distance to 12.044 miles.

For Kent you can be just as close to the grammar schools and good secondary schools in the villages near to Dartford/Swanley, rather than D or S themselves.

Swanley towards Hextable area is lovely i(Swanley Village and Five Wents/Archer Way for example). Longfield, New Barn and Hartley also lovely and good train links to London. For £550k you can get this....

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/121781903#/?channel=RES_BUY

@Siri83
I’m Bucks born and bred and still there. DC attended Bucks primaries.

Its not true that the pass rate is 30% for all Bucks Dc. Fewer pass in the old Aylesbury Vale area (north of Aylesbury and south to Wendover) which is why Aylesbury grammar offers up to 13 miles. Places at all Aylesbury grammars get offered to Herts Dc snd Thame in Oxfordshire Dc. However this cannot be guaranteed in the future of course. The Royal Latin in Buckingham offers further than Bucks too and bucks cc publishes the out of county numbers. However I’d live in catchment to be sure.

The best non selective secondary is Waddesdon. Hands down. It’s CofE snd selects on that basis but does have a small catchment. Living there gives you the Aylesbury grammars and Waddesdon. Plus it’s not overly expensive. Don’t go into Aylesbury or you need to find God. Quainton snd a few other villages are in catchment.
The villages around Aylesbury are all nicer than Aylesbury..

Buckingham and Winslow are catchment for Royal Latin. It’s a fantastic school. I’m not going to recommend the Freemantle in Winslow. Your Dc will have to move for 6th form: theirs has closed for a reason!!! Waddesdon beats it in every way. The Thomas Freemantle has poor sport facilities but is right next to the new station. Buckingham School is well established and it’s ok.now. No school can get close to RLS other than Waddesdon.

Other decent secondaries are Misbourne, John Colet, Gt Marlow and a few others. Your house budget will be stretched though for south of Aylesbury. Check catchment areas in great detail. Bucks is a great county. Primary schools can be full though so that needs research too.

Dartford, Swanley, Swanscombe are all best avoided. Ditto Gravesend, Northfleet, or anywhere in that area.

Parts of Dartford can be nice - just depends where you are and also what your priorities are. Some people prefer suburban to village/rural living.

As someone who uses the M25 pretty much every day I view it as a massive asset and positive reason to stay where I am. Admittedly I don't use the tunnel/bridge that often, nor the west side which usually seems horrific, but the section through Kent is free flowing the majority of the time.

@pisspants any idea of GSs pupils in Great Missenden and Prestwood get into?

Avoid Dartford, Swanley, Swanscombe, Northfleet, Gravesend...they have massive drug problems and all the associated crap that goes with it.

Er Beds is not posh, Luton is in Beds for a start!

Luton is only a small part of Beds, and some parts of Luton are actually okay. Beds may not be as posh as its neighbour Hertfordshire, but it does have alot of lovely villages and small towns.

I do know both fairly well as my ex dp came from Bucks and I've lived close to Kent. If I were choosing I'd probably go for Bucks but definitely have a look at Tonbridge. Housing's cheaper than TW and Sevenoaks and shopping is actually better. Also very good schools and good communications because the station's a junction and you've more than one line going into London.

I grew up in Kent, live in Bucks. I'd avoid the areas you have mentioned in Kent other than TW. It is handy for France and has the coast. Canterbury and surrounds is nice. I don't know why people go mad for Folkestone, that's where I am from and though it has improved in recent years it is still not great. Husband is from mid Kent. Maidstone also not that great but surrounding villages are nice. High Wycombe and Maidstone are v similar. As are Aylesbury and Ashford. None are great though we lived near HW for a few years and it is very close to lots of lovely places. Bucks has lots to do in summer, v little in winter. Commuting from S Bucks on the Wycombe line is good, the Aylesbury line is v slow. As someone else has said, Waddesdon is good as you have the v good secondary but also in catchment for Aylesbury grammars. Thame might also work (in Oxon). Otherwise agree you might want to look at areas outside Bucks in catchment for Bucks grammars eg Tring, Berks. That is more expensive though. Bucks is generally 'nicer' than most of the areas of Kent you were looking at other than in HW and Aylesbury.

The OP is from nearly a year ago so they may have moved on in their search.....