Moving to Dartford

[ksreed]

We're a family of four (two daughters in primary school) and currently living in Cheshire.

We are planning a move to Dartford for the grammar schools and to be closer to London.

Prior to moving to Cheshire, we have previously lived in London for a good few years but that was all in east London - Whitechapel, Leytonstone, Chigwell, etc. I don't think I've ever even been to Dartford.

We will definitely be renting first, getting a feel for the different areas and then looking to buy. Renting in Dartford seems like a nightmare at the moment though, there seem to be far more properties for sale on Rightmove than for rent!

I was hoping to get a few ideas for decent primary schools please in areas that are relatively quiet and safe (very subjective I know :) ). It's potluck with in-year admissions but hopefully at least one of these will have places available. Doesn't have to be particularly close to the station as we'll only need to head into London a couple of days a week.

Any other tips or thoughts would be welcome! We've never moved with the kids in school so it's all a bit new to us!

If another section of forum would be better for this post, please let me know.

Thanks!

Dartford's not a particularly nice place. If you're aiming for grammars then the Borough of Bexley would be a better option. Trains to Dartford from Sidcup, New Eltham and also easy to get to the super selectives in Bromley. Bexley has its own grammars (not super selective) is green and well connected.

What's your budget for rent?
If the main driver for my move was to get to a grammar area, Dartford wouldn't be my first choice of area.
How often will you need central London? There are nicer areas with grammars and fast trains into London.

Which part of London do you need to get too? Any specific station?

Why Dartford? Can you afford somewhere a bit nicer - like Bexley?

You won't find an area in Dartford that is quiet. Thanks to being right on top of the dartford crossing, the whole area is regularly completely gridlocked. It can take me 45 minutes+ to do a journey that should take 15.

There aren't many great primary schools, and the ones that are are really oversubscribed.

Forgot to add - the high street is dreadful, run down and unloved.

The council put on some good free events for residents - that's about the only positive!

It's certainly not the worst of places to live but we can't wait to escape (mostly due to the fucking traffic).

Best thing about Dartford is the tunnels to take you out, pity they end up in south Essex.

Thank you all for your comments, especially the part about traffic(!) and Bexley.

One of the pluses we were hoping for by moving close to London was not having to drive everywhere. Even in the small NW town we live in, it feels like every house has 6 cars and they're all on the road all the time! And there's no public transport to speak of, so there's no choice but to drive.

But if using buses in Dartford means just sitting gridlocked in fumes, then that's something to think about. I think the point of Dartford was that it is the kind of urban area we're familiar with and the single Kent exam giving access to multiple grammar schools both in Dartford and other parts of Kent.

Bexley - I had no idea that Bexley had multiple grammar schools or that it conducts a single exam. The Sidcup area looks quite well located to get to the places in/around London that we need to using public transport. Looks like there are plenty of properties to rent within our budget in the Bexleyheath, Sidcup areas.

I just did a quick bit of research about grammar schools in Bexley and would be grateful if someone could confirm/correct my understanding of how it would work for our daughters - Irrespective of where you live in Bexley or which school you intend to apply for, you write one single exam and the score you get will determine whether or not you can get into BGS (co-ed), C&S (co-ed) or Townley (girls). Is that right?

So in theory we could rent anywhere in Bexley close to a decent primary school that we can get in-year admission for the kids, write the exam and once we know which school (assuming she gets through!) then look to buy in a convenient area? Is that a workable plan?

Yes, that's how it works in Bexley. There is a qualifying score and, if over it, you can put the grammars down. Check on the Bexley website how far out (distance wise) each school goes. Chis and Sid and Bexley Grammar are probably the most popular ones. Primary schools are excellent - Longlands primary is a lovely school and is in the ideal area for a wide choice of secondaries.

Trains from Sidcup to London Bridge take approx 25 minutes and are zone 5, New Eltham station is zone 4 (stay on the Bexley Borough side for schools). They can also sit for the Dartford and Bromley super selectives that have distance or score criteria for selection (Dartford Grammars/St Olaves/Newstead Wood). These are amongst the very top state schools in the U.K. and entry is more competitive than for the 'normal' grammars. Familiarise yourself with the entry tests format - for Bexley it used to be CEM but may have changed. Try the eleven plus exams website forum for up to date info.

There is also a very good comprehensive school close to the border with Bexley Borough called St Thomas More (it is a Greenwich Borough school). It is a faith school but I think they do have some spaces for non faith children and those who live just into the Bexley Borough.

It's a much nicer area than Dartford and bus/train links are good. Bexleyheath can be a bit rough in parts and there is anti social behaviour around the Main Street at night. Sidcup/Bexley village are nicer in my opinion. Easy to get to central London but also only an hours drive to the seaside or even closer to some lovely Kent villages/countryside for days out.

Probably didn't make it clear Bexley has its own test, Dartford Grammars use the Kent test and St Olaves and Newstead (Bromley) set their own tests. Not unusual for children in Bexley and surrounding areas to sit all three tests. There is a lot of tutoring for these exams as children are not taught the formats in school ie verbal and non verbal reasoning. All about speed and accuracy.

Have a look at Bromley. Nicer than Dartford, better transport and part of the grammar school system.

If you want grammars, consider other Kent towns.

Maidstone has two good boy and two girl grammars. Town is okay, suffering a bit like a lot of high streets, but still a reasonable array of shops, plus good train links to London. Lots of nice villages around.

Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge are two other places worth considering, although may be a bit pricier for houses.

Folkstone Is getting a lot of love on Mumsnet at the moment. Further from London though.

Rochester has some good grammars, a nice high street with lots of events, but I’m not sure about the place in general.

Thank you all for your comments, they really helped reassess what we'd planned.

I never realised how bad traffic in Dartford appears to be, everyone seems to be mentioning it. One of the positives we were hoping for by moving close to London was not having to drive as much (using the bus to get to the station and ferrying kids around for example). But if using a bus just means sitting gridlocked inhaling auto fumes, then that's not going to work.

As of now, we're probably going to move to Bexley. I dug out an old friend that has lived in different places in SE London and now grown roots in neighbouring Bromley. After speaking to her it does seem like Bexley is the kind of borough we'd be pretty comfortable in plus the grammar school system seems navigable and gives a decent shot at getting through, though whether our daughters are academically good enough to get in remains to be seen :)

While the towns in Kent sound lovely, moving any further out than Dartford would kind of negate a lot of the non-school reasons for moving down south. After living in a small picturesque NW town for a few years we've realised that we are much prefer living in urban areas with good public transport.

Once again, thank you very much for all the comments on this thread, really appreciate it.