Buying in Catford/Ladywell or Sydenham/Crystal Palace?

[Tinkelbell]

We are looking to buy a home in South East London suitable for couple with 1 toddler for next 4-5 years.

We have seen a few properties we like, but don't know how neighbourhoods compare:

• SE13 6 / SE6 4: in between Ladywell & Hither Green, south of Lewisham Park / Lewisham Hospital, north of Catford

• SE19 2: Crystal Palace (Anerley end of hill)

• SE26 4: Sydenham (north of Home Park)

What it's like to live here with small family?

Depending on budget you should look other side of Crystal Palace for family houses. Look at area around South Norwood lake aka the norhyst estate which is 1930s semis and really lovely community. We've lived in se25 for 10 years and had two kids here. Amazing family feel and nice access to the triangle if you ever have a night off kids! Schools are brilliant. Recommended are Cypress Primary and Rockmount but most are rated good or outstanding by ofsted. Search se25 on zoopla. Good luck!

Forgot to add that trains to London Bridge take 12 mins from Norwood Junction. You can also go direct to Blackfriars and Farringdon.

Penge East to Sydenham station is a nice part of Sydenham. The Thorpes are expensive. The High Street is quite good. For Catford area, the Corbett Estate is best but the High Street has become run down. Crystal Palace is good. Penge is popular now with a decent High Street.
Beckenham is further out, with nice houses and a good High Street. West Wickham is lovely but quite a different vibe of outer suburbs Zone 5, rather than Zone 3.

Thanks all so much for generously sharing your wisdoms, really appreciate it!

The key worry point is primary schools... This is unknown territory to us, not sure how to interpret the numbers and ratings etc. I don't want to get carried away, but also want to give my little one a good start to life...

What do you recommend, go for an area with multiple average schools, or ensure you are in the catchment of one outstanding one?

Also, any experience with schools in the areas mentioned above, i.e.

• SE19 2: James Dixon? Paxton?

• SE26 4: St Michael's Church of England, Our Lady & St Philip Neri Roman, Adamsrill, Haseltine?

• SE13 6: Holbeach? Holy Cross?

Really tough call - no guarantee on the outstanding one. We know someone who was only 200m from an outstanding school (Brindishe Manor) and they didnt get in because that year there were something like 38 siblings!

I would think its always good to have a few options - just in case.

Remind me of your budget? The Corbett Estate is really nice and Sandhurst school is excellent (even though its only Ofstead Good - we know people who are choosing it significantly higher than the 'outstanding' schools close by)

Hi Tinkerbell it's a really tough decision and one we were making ourselves when we moved from East Dulwich after 10 years living our pre kids life in rented flat. We looked at all the areas you mention above and all I can say is I'd choose where we live over Catford or Penge or Sydenham. Houses are still 25% cheaper and you have all the green space and excellent transport links you could ask for. Our school is in a wood and they run all kinds of clubs after school including forest school. There is a great parent community and lots going on with arts and theatre groups at Stanley Arts. The local high street is gradually improving with Mamma Dough pizza and new pubs opening post pandemic. But we tend to head to The Triangle as it is only a 20 min walk up the hill. I'm sure you have good reasons for choosing your search areas but I wouldn't want you to overlook a hidden gem! I'll stop promoting our neighbourhood now! Best of luck with your search. 🏡

Worth a look at West Norwood too OP.. great primary schools and also near some excellent secondaries.

Very close to Crystal Palace/Brixton/Dulwich but cheaper.

20 mins direct into London Bridge, and you can get the number 2 bus into the West End which takes under an hour.

I honestly wouldn't worry about primary schools in Catford. They are great schools, even if Ofsted hasn't rated them as outstanding. It's hard to get an outstanding rating under the current system. I know people with kids at a wide range of Catford and Hither Green schools who are very happy. If you throw SEN into the mix some have better reputations than others.

Holy Cross is a Catholic school so you need to check you meet the criteria for it.

South Norwood has some decent housing stock and the High street is slowly improving but it's still not great, particularly for practical shops (Aldi aside). And it's a nightmare on Palace match days (I should know, I'm a CP season ticket holder).

Not sure why you've dissed Penge. Nice article online today about the community www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/south-london-neighbourhood-strong-community-26191353 and it was voted the place to invest in in the Standard for 2023 because of the many positives www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/property-news/where-to-buy-a-home-in-2023-top-london-regeneration-zones-b1049010.html

All the local primaries are decent these days.

We used to live next to Mountsfield Park in Hither Green - it is a fantastic area for families and a great community atmosphere. Brindishe Green school is excellent although nearby schools in Catford (e.g. Holbeach) were also recommended. Our friends on Mount Pleasant all got places in Brindishe Green.

We found it important to get on the waiting lists for nurseries quite early if that's relevant - there are lots to choose from but many young families move to the area so demand is high.

Good luck with the house hunting!

Came here to say don’t discount Penge but i see a couple of people have already commented. We moved from Peckham with a toddler and baby and it’s been great. You also have more options for primary school in Penge. Last year James Dixon had a very small catchment it seemed like a lovely achool when we looked around. I don’t know much about Paxton but seems to be ‘required improvement’.

I live in Sydenham and my son's school is near to Home Park. He had a couple of friends who live in the roads around there as do we.

It's changing a lot in Sydenham. It's getting a lot posher on the high street.

Penge is a great high street for everything you need.

@Tinkelbell I just saw your post about schools. My son is at st Michaels. It's an amazing school. It's the only single form entry in the area. All the teachers including the head know all the children. Behaviour is really good and the school really fosters a sense of community. I honestly couldn't recommend it enough.

Hasletine has also improved a lot lately and I know a few children there in reception.

Adamsril I have a very biased view. All I've heard is negative BUT that's from parents who've moved their children from there to st Michaels.

The advantage of SE26 4 is that it's in the space between Home park and Mayow; if you were to describe it as just south of Mayow park I think you'd get a lot better reception (it's a much nicer park and the amenities have improved vastly in the past five years or so). It's walking distance from the decent end of the high st and at least two of the three stations that serve Sydenham so it's well connected, and you have buses which run both ends.

I actually went to one of the primary schools you listed and I lived in a house with that postcode so while I know the services of the area very well, my information relating to families is a little out of date as I moved away to have my own children! I do know someone who has a child at Adamsrill and she's been happy with it for them.

Have you considered Brockley? Friends are there and it’s fab, plus good primary and secondary schools. Easy transport to London Bridge. It’s out of my budget but fab!

Don't. Live in Hayes, Bromley or Orpington etc

I would also strongly recommend Penge ASAP as the housing stock is fabulous, the high street is being improved and like Catford affordable.
Catford is large. I'd go for 'the other side of the tracks' towards forest hill and Ladywell. It's lively for young parents and evening entertainment isn't bad. Catford central is edgy still but also being improved.
I just moved from there to upper Sydenham (which I also love) as I downsized and young people were swooping up the houses.
There are issues with secondary schools in Catford but all primary schools are fantastic.
DM me @Tinkelbell if you want to ask any more.
As of now you'll get more bang for your buck in Penge but I can't help with schools.

@Tinkelbell
James Dixon has a good reputation, I hear lots of good things about the school from friends and local parents whose kids are very happy there. My child is a bit too young yet but that would most likely be our first choice. Paxton which is on the Gypsy Hill side of CP (up the hill from Anerley) used to be rated outstanding but was downgraded to 'requires improvement' recently i don't know anyone with kids there though so have no intel. Depending on where you are in Anerley there is also Cypress, Stewart Fleming and Harris Crystal Palace. All the schools around here are good or outstanding with the exception of Paxton.

I'd personally rather go for an area with good schools in general rather than all eggs in one basket for an outstanding school as catchments change every year due to how many siblings there etc. Also an outstanding school can be downgraded as happened with Paxton.

We live at the SE6 end of SE13 and would absolutely recommend it. Great transport links as it's between Hither Green, Ladywell and Catford stations which gives the option of different lines but the buses are decent too; all the way to Victoria in one direction or London Bridge in the other. There are lots of families of all sorts of ages and set-ups so it feels like a properly diverse neighbourhood. Primary schools round here are all fabulous, even if Ofsted has yet to realise it, but I would advise against moving to somewhere solely because of the reputation or grading of a particular school. The intake of most of the local schools is a definite reflection of those who live closest to them, with the possible exception of a couple of faith schools that have active membership of their church as one of the admissions priorities. Another advantage to being this side is that the secondary school angst seems to be less of a thing. Loads of my DCs' peers who live the other side of the station were tutored for the Bexley/Dartford 11+ and of those who passed, only one or two got in because of the home to school distance. Maybe it's a coincidence but on this side, tutoring hasn't been such a thing and the 11-year-olds go off to Sedgehill, Forest Hill, Deptford Green, one of the Prendergasts or any number of other schools and aged 16, come out with results that are just as good as their peers who have ended up at Greenwich, Bexley or Dartford secondaries.

As others have said, there's plenty going on for young families in and around Mountsfield Park but also in Catford (with its newly opened library, cinema and independent bars). Ladywell Fields is a gorgeous place to while away hours with young children... and when they're older, they'll take themselves there to hang out after school. Mine are teenagers now but still enjoy walking over the 'wiggly bridge' and slowly ambling along the river with friends. The athletics arena has a decent offering for children as well as for adults and the tennis courts are popular with all ages.

Come and live in the Catford end of SE13 - it may not be as pretty as some of the streets the other side of Hither Green station but it's fine, the opportunities are plenty and it's handy to be within walking distance of the hospital!

Very late, but Def recommend the Kirkdale area of SE26 of you can afford it.

Great schools (St Barts, Eliot Bank) and nurseries (Cuddly Bear, for example), parks (wells park, a few small parks like Baxter's, walkable to woods, horniman and horniman park, CP Park and Mayow), a couple of good coffee shops, a newly opened pub (plus 161 for great wine and supper clubs) ns a great cake shop, a small Tesco, great bus routes to FH, Penge, CP etc, tons going on for small kids (and a lot of them!), easy access to both Sydenham and FH, whilst being a little quieter than some areas...

Grew up in lewisham/catford, infact I went to Holbeach... I personally didn't have a great time there but it was obviously a while ago lol! I still have family in the area near Hihergreen Lane, I don't personally like it, but I guess I know it "too well" there's a st mungos locally and you do get a fair few drunks/drug takers about, and the odd few people talking to themselves on day release from lewisham hospital phyc unit, I also got chased in Mountfield Park whilst out on a run, manor Park is much nicer imo.

It's come "up" over the years but I'm sure there's nicer places to live imo.

Hither Green is nice. It has a village feel.

Catford (but not main/town centre Catford) is ok. The bit of Catford going up towards Forest Hill is nicest The other direction beyond South Circular is good too but high level of air pollution there.

Crystal Palace or Upper Sydenham are better