Help on which area to relocate: Godalming, Reigate, Redhill, Guilford or Tunbridge

[crimp82]

Hi everyone. I am so overwhelmed that I hope someone can help me. I am planning to sell my house in London (Crystal Palace) and to relocate where my daughter (13 months old) can be raised in a village, amongst other children, a safe place and most importantly where state schools are excellent. I work in London Victoria and ideally I would like to find a place with a relatively easy commute (just over an hour). MY sis in law bought in Godalming which is an option but it does not seem to be very well connected to Victoria, so we are looking at alternatives. The most important thing for us is the state schools (I do not think we will be able to afford independent schools.). As I mentioned I would like to live next to a pretty village, green, good outdoor and most importantly excellent schools (ideally both primary and secondary ) since this will be our forever house. Our budget is anything in the region of £800 for a 4 bed house. Please help.

Do consider Langton Green you could definitely get your 4 bed for 800, not completely sure I'd consider it a village, but v. safe and pretty. State schools in TWells are hard to beat especially if you have boys.

East grinstead, Crawley down, copthorne, dormansland, Lingfield. Some you will need a short drive to the station

Godalming definitely. I lived in Horsham for years and worked all over the area as a nurse. It's a lovely place.

Definitely another vote for Godalming. My DH had a lovely flat there when we dated. Especially areas like Farncombe are very villagey and quiet, with good trains into London.

Guildford is lovely, we spent a lot of time there. But far more grey town than Godalming.

If you move near Guildford station make sure you are in the catchment area for Guildford County, which is an excellent state secondary. Also a very good primary there. Not sure you can get 4 bedrooms in that area on your budget though. People also move to Merrow for Boxgrove Primary and George Abbott secondary but you will be much further from the station. Will you always work in Victoria?

St Peter is mostly for children from Catholics families. The Catholic primary is St Joseph but atm nearly impossible to get in unless you and the child are Catholic. There are no grammar schools in Guildford!

Guildford grammar school in Guildford??? What is that? There are people who live in Guildford reading your list you know? 😂

If you’re speaking of RGS it’s not a real grammar school it’s just a boys private school in turn centre.

Guildford county is the best state secondary and after that George abbot. Super tight competition around County so you need to live in hyper expensive area up it’s chuff.

Are you sure you don’t have access good enough schools where you are now in Crystal Palace? Your DC just needs to get into a nice good local primary school and catchments all over London are increasing massively due to the falling birth rate.

At secondary, you have the Harris academies, then you may have access to grammars in Bromley and some of the top South London schools have lottery and aptitude/banding places. Some people even send their DC into Central London. There tend to be lots of options in London and by Sixth Form any school you can get to is open to you if you have great grades.

Also the cultural opportunities London offers and public transport are amazing for children and teens.

Have a look at the West Sussex Balcombe / Haywards Heath / Cuckfield area. Better for Victoria commute.

Definitely move to be on the right line!

10 mins difference on the train between Tonbridge and Tunbridge wells.

I would consider how important being near family is to you.

I woild agree with the poster who suggested Langton green. Also look at Rusthall

If you don't mind driving a bit to get to a station then Groomsbridge or Ford combe perhaps Speldhurst (though money may not stretch) Crowborough would be a shout buy a longer commute.

Oxted Hurst Green is also a good shout and I agree with the Reigate vs Redhill comments.

If considering Lingfield EastGrindstead then be aware the line splits in Oxted and sometimes trains can be annoying. I would also look at the other branch of that line. Edenbridge. Hever Cowden Uckfield. Though with the first there are.no secondary schools. Being right on the edge of Kent though Edenbridge offers the chance of a grammer school with 11 plus in Kent. And then Oxted and East Grinstead even Crowborough for non Grammar in Sussex /Surrey. You are however at least 10 miles from anything large ish town.

We moved away from Redhill a few years ago, and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done! Kids are now happy at their secondary school, and not having to see fights etc every day- both at school and in town or at the bus station after school.
Wouldn’t move back there if you paid me!

@Araminta1003 I was thinking that. Some of the secondaries in the carchment area of London are pretty decent. There are even single sex state schools if that is your thing. London state schools generally get very good exam results compared to a lot of the country.

I know right?!?! 😂

Guildford Grammar School....! 😂

Also, the " there are no catchment areas with Surrey County Council" Erm, I'm pretty sure there are! Which is why it's so difficult to get in to County these days, as half of Onslow Village isn't in the catchment anymore.

Move somewhere on the train line you need. Changing trains lots is miserable.

There arent catchment areas in surrey. The admissions are based on distance which is slightly different thing as it can vary year to year. In a high birth year the furthest distance might be 250 yards from a particular school and then a couple of years later in might be 3 miles. A catchment means a line drawn on a map for a particular time frame and you have to be within that line.

Agree re being on the right train line.

There are some "catchments" in Surrey, though I agree straight line distance' is quite common. See, for example, Admissions area map for this school.

https://fullbrook.surrey.sch.uk/admissions/

Fair enough, but I think we're talking a pretty small discrepancy in terminology.

There are several criteria on which school applications are assessed. One of those is distance, which can vary year to year, and is a radius from the school, which is commonly referred to by a large number of parents as a catchment area.

I only mentioned it because I didnt want op thinking a particular road guaranteed a place in a certain school or prevented it as for many schools in surrey it isnt quite like that.

Paddock wood is well connected. Not far to drive from tonbridge wells or surrounding villages

Apologies, you are completely correct.

Certainly as far as Guildford is concerned, you need to be practically on top of the good schools to guarantee getting a place.

@Araminta1003 thank you for your message. you are right we have some pretty good primary around but I do not have that village/community feeling that I am after for my DD. Hence the decision to move. I could even upgrade to a bigger house here where we are but there will ne no community around which I think is very important.

we are Catholics so St Peter should be a good option for us...

Will your child notice "that village/community feeling" or will she be happiest wherever she happens to make a few good friends, and that could be anywhere, you'll never know

Perhaps use this guide, I found it very helpful. www.commuterguide.co.uk/victoria/brighton-arundel

How about haywards heath or East Grinstead?

That makes everything much easier. In Guildford I would aim for St. Joseph’s then (Catholic primary school) which is the feeder school to St Peter’s. The schools have an excellent reputation but apparently are quite strict and demanding.