Moving to Oxford / Oxfordshire / villages / areas for a small family

[lookingforhomemum]

Hi there. Me and my husband are originally from London and hoping to start our family soon. We will be new parents and feel completely new to this side of life having it been just the two of us for many, many years. It's exciting, but also quite nerve-wracking not knowing the future.

We are strongly considering the West Berkshire (around Newbury) and Oxford areas. I am swinging towards Oxford mainly because of the access to healthcare and hospitals. I don't really like the idea of accessing maternity facilities from Newbury that are over an hour away from Newbury, so Oxford seems like a better place in that regard. Newbury/Berkshire is otherwise perfect for the countryside which we adore!

Which areas do families recommend in Oxfordshire?

We are seeking a family home with 3 good sized bedrooms (not the third one being like a small/box room) - we saved up more for our deposit just for this and it took a few more years 😅. A garden is really important to us - medium/large and green - somewhere we could potentially build a small office or annex at the back. We would prefer our own driveway/garage, but it's probably the only thing we could compromise on so long as we aren't fighting for car parking space every day. We both would work for companies in London but I expect i'll be out for the children for a few years, and my husband will work hybrid (a mix of remote and office days). We don't mind driving to the train station and park up, in order to get to London for work, but so long as it's about 30 mins max (ish) drive. Schools are really important (for primary I expect homeschooling might be our first option, but secondary school is really important to us).

Btw, do secondary schools include 6th form/A-levels in Oxford?
Good access to healthcare is important (GP, maternity, generally hospitals).

We enjoy the outdoors, seeing and being in the countryside and do make 1-2 visits to town/city max, mainly for food shopping and the odd window shopping just for something different to do. Otherwise, we don't really like the hustle and bustle of city life. Our last rental had a garden (first time) and it's really helped us see how we might enjoy our life in this next phase.

I guess it sounds like we are asking for everything and this first post is getting quite long (sorry!)... but in terms of the above, where is best for families that's nice to raise your kids and safe too?

Thanks so so much :)

What’s the budget? This is what will dictate the responses

This will depend on your budget, largely, and if you want to be within easier reach of Oxford or you want somewhere really out in the countryside.

Train stations closer around Oxford run North-South, so Bicester, Kidlington (Parkway), Oxford, Radley, Abingdon. Lots of other stations in the countryside. There are other towns like Didcot and Chipping Norton you could be closer to if you wanted (maternity unit at Chippy).

Oh, I'm sorry, after all that, I forgot the main factor.

Currently the budget is £500,000 for the value/price of the house, but in all honestly, that's our top end and if both of us are working (which we will be when we get the actual mortgage).

I'm also new to Mumsnet 😅

Look at Thame or Chinnor. Good schools and Lord Bills for secondary in Thame. Bucks has Stoke Mandeville for maternity and you could also look at Haddenham or Long Crendon which are both just Bucks. Haddenham has a station. Both are popular quite big villages. Bucks has grammar schools. Some people want this, others don’t.

Oxford is expensive. They are comps there. You really would need a thread asking about them. Cheaper housing areas might not have access to the best schools.

Yoy could also look at Wallingford snd Watlington snd Wantage. Don’t know much about the schools though. Nearby villages are mostly very nice.

You really are pushing it with £500k.
Have you looked at some villages around Banbury? Much nicer countryside IMO and a bit cheaper than around Oxford, Abingdon etc. Mainline train station plus hospital but easy enough to get to the JR in Oxford if necessary.

Banbury is quite a bit further out than south Oxfordshire. Not very cheap in the villages either.

Plenty of options in Chinnor for circa £500k and a lot nearer to London. M40 close enough too. Thame is a bit more expensive but slightly more desirable. Everything you need in one attractive town.

How about Hungerford? It’s in the mainline to London and a 5-10 minute drive to the M4 depending on whereabouts in Hungerford you are.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134912498#/?channel=RES_BUY

Sounds like Charlbury in west Oxfordshire would be ideal for you. Mainline rail station to paddington within bike ride/walking distance to most of the town, great community with a lot going on and a good mix of people and young families. About 40 minutes to the Jr hospital in Oxford and 10 minute drive to Chippy or Witney, which has minor injuries and newly reopened midwife led unit in Chippy.https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135471035

Oxford is a nightmare for transport at the moment, and the City Council really want it to stay that way. Trains from Oxford are packed ( that’s if you can get to the station now the main access road is closed for at least a year) people standing from London to Paddington in the aisles. Accessing the hospitals is very difficult because of the traffic problems, parking at them is almost impossible.

Berkshire is a better bet.

Forty minutes to the JR from Charlbury! Maybe at 2.00 am….

This is cute in Kennington which is a little village just outside Oxford - lovely local riverside walks, easy access to city centre and hospitals etc.

You could look at Didcot

I'm not sure Oxford is the kind of place I would go to live in by choice.

It's expensive. Ludicrously so.

Unless you have some strong motivation to be there such as a job you will have a much poorer quality of life there compared to other areas a similar distance from London, because your house will be smaller for the same amount of money.

There are places around Oxfordshire that are cheaper, Didcot as mentioned above (it's not a great place but £500k will go further there than Oxford) or Banbury.

You might also want to consider other places, maybe Reading now it is on crossrail.

we're in West Berks, on the border of South Oxfordshire

When we had the kids, you could choose between the JR, and the Royal Berks. It was up to you.

There is a maternity unit in Wallingford - loads of friends have used it.

Something like this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127132340# would be 10 min to the station at Didcot, and is 10 min to the A34 for the JR

Or something with more space https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132684536#/. Still close enough to Didcot (and cycle on an old railway line in the summer).

Or convert a barn https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135348086#/

Or this in Cholsey https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133823858#/ - big enough garden, close (!) to railway, massive drive.

there's loads out there. Seriously

You could look at the villages around Didcot and Wantage- Hagbournes, Hendreds etc. Check which catchment area you're in for secondary but the Didcot single sex secondaries (the girl's especially has a stellar reputation) and King Alfred's in Wantage are very good.

For primaries you'd be looking at village schools which tend to be always pretty good in Oxfordshire.

One warning :Steventon is nice but avoid buying anything that requires you to go over the level crossing - it's very busy so it will be a regular inconvenience rather than an occasional one.

Oh thank you so so much to you all! I will be responding individually too, I am just looking at the areas you've all suggested and the rightmove homes. I appreciate this so much!

The JR hospital is not near the A34. You have a slog to get to it in traffic. South of Oxford, eg Thame and Chinnor have easier access to Headington. Just in Bucks at Haddenham, it’s around 10-15 mins tops to Stoke Mandeville. I’m not sure I would worry too much about this though. Most people get to maternity care when they need it. Haddenham station goes to Oxford too.

DD was working in Oxford yesterday (lives in London) and she said the trains were packed! Both ways. Usually not quite as bad as that she said!

Also keep proposed reservoir tank in mind in Steventon/ Hanney area. Will be the same size as Gatwick airport and with banks 20m plus high, we are told.

The LibDems are running Oxford and nearby areas as an experiment in everything. Huge Solar Farm to the north.
Traffic planning. War on cars, Buses being reduced. Train companies refuse to add extra coached to allow more seats.
Social services
Planning.
Come and join us its fun.

Everyone I know in Newbury has maternity care at RBH in Reading which is about half an hour away (more like 40 mins if traffic is bad). It’s nice and you get a lot for your money there.

thank you for responding. Newbury is a really nice place and we love Berkshire generally. We need to explore Oxford more. I don't mind the 40mins drive to RBH, I think being from London it feels very different to need to get on the motorway to access the hospital (whether in Oxford or Newbury), but I guess that's the norm outside of a city anyway. It's something I'll have to get used to!

Just wondering how you found the care at RBH, Reading?

Interesting! I'll look into this :)