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.

I thought the feeder for St Peters was more likely to be St Thomas'?

@Ardith both of mine went to bexley grammar schools and I certainly didn't make them study from 8 - daughter was mostly at the stables and son doing whatever - football, cricket, hanging out with his friends. The schools were fine not pretentious or stressful and they've both become very decent young adults with good jobs. My son never did any homework at home - he did it at school. Left with 8 decent gcse and 3 A levels.

There's a bit of confusion here about school options in Godalming and Guildford. There are NO grammar schools in Surrey at all - it's a full comprehensive system. The 'Guildford Grammar School' that a PP was referring to is, I would hazard, the Royal Grammar School in Guildford, which is not a state grammar school but a (very expensive) boys' private school.

There are no school sixth forms in Waverley (the borough containing Godalming) - all the Godalming and surrounding area schools feed to Godalming College, which is a state sixth form college and is excellent and attracts very able students from right across the borough, and from the private schools too. Godalming itself has two secondaries, Broadwater (in Farncombe) and Rodborough (in Milford). Both are pretty good although Rodborough is being meddled with by the MAT that recently took it over, new head seems OK though and is doing her best to limit the damage being done by the MAT's more bonkers policies.

The two big Guildford schools are George Abbot and Guildford County. Historically George Abbot has been considered the more academic one. Both schools have sixth forms, both of which operate pretty much as sixth form colleges (no uniform, assembly, registration etc.)

Edit: should add, there are no catchments. It's all basically done on distance. For the CofE primaries, some (but not all) have a religous preference too.

My friends have kids in St. Joseph’s and they have been guaranteed a place at St Peter’s. Also know 3 kids that moved from St. Joseph’s to St Peters. It’s likely they have more than one feeder primary. No idea I would rather homeschool than send my kids to a religious school 😂

@SoSad44 do you actually live in Guilford? Does it have a feeling of community or it's too and I will end up with a similar sense of no belonging that I have in London?

“St Peter’s is a secondary school accommodating students from Year 7 all the way through to Sixth Form. We do not operate a catchment area and although many of our students transfer from our six feeder primary schools, an abundance of students will also travel many miles to attend our outstanding school.”

I do live there. I guess that depends where you live and how involved you are yourself eg join the PTA, a hobby group, do volunteering, be part of a church.

I don’t really feel part of a Community, but I am also a foreigner which I think doesn’t help and busy with work and kids and work travel so don’t engage too much with school mums, PTA, churches etc. but that’s my personal choice. I have also lived in London and love raising kids here. So close to green spaces, lots on offer, Surrey Hills, RHS, great National Trusts, great things for kids. And still close to London.

OP I think you will be disappointed if you think rural/commuter areas will have some sort of ready made "community feel".

You need to give and get involved. We live not far from you in London and are very involved in the local community - we always bump in to people we know on the street and in pubs. Mr Monkey is race director of the local Park Run. I volunteer as a director of our residents association and freehold company. We are a donor to our local museum and attend their events.

London has plenty of community but it doesn't happen by accident. Having a child makes it even easier, there are all sorts of opportunities - my friend is a volunteer Brownie pack leader for example.

I love Guildford (I don’t live far away) but it isn’t a village.

Also, your DD is 13 months old - secondary school reputations can change in that time.

The options given will not be community / village but then I live in a village and don't feel villagey. It's as a pp said, what you do locally that helps.

This - we have a lovely community - of friends, family, the local sports clubs we volunteer with, the hobby groups we are members of, the music scene we are part of. Unless you are moving to a very isolated rural settlement where everyone has no choice but to muck in together, 'community' is a thing you have to build for yourself - it isn't just there waiting for you. You can do this anywhere, although it's easier if you are in places with less transient populations.

@SheilaFentiman oops! I read that OP's daughter was 13! I think my Godalming secondary school advice is pretty moot in that case...

OP, why do you have no sense of community where you live now? When I lived near you there was lots going on for families and the area has become more gentrified now. You are only a short hop from the family activities in Dulwich Village, the Horniman Museum, Crystal Palace Park etc. Also, if you are a practicing Catholic doesn’t your Church have social activities, I know our local Church has coffee and cakes after the family service.

I know a few people who live in the Guildford / Merrow area, including those with children attending the RC school you mention, and they spend a lot of time ferrying their children around in the car - public transport is nowhere near as good. Plus you have to add in the cost and time for the extra commute / parking / childcare hours.

It did make me a bit 🤔, that part of SE London is very community and family orientated.

Another one in London saying there’s plenty of community to be found. Alternatively my sister lives in a village in Kent & they don’t really know anyone! I do understand your points OP & we are thinking of moving to Kent ourselves but not because we don’t like it but to be near to family.

We moved Crystal Palace to Godalming. Best move ever! Although maybe not if we had to get to Victoria every day. Is it a Forever Job and a Forever Home? If so you need to make the commute as easy as possible IMO.

(Contrary to PPs I really don’t think you can go wrong with schools around here.)

@PerspiringElizabeth disagree on secondary schools. There are some awful ones in the area but OP’s child is just 1 so things can change massively in 11 years!

Well yes. Same can be said with anywhere. My kids are primary and younger so yes not really in that loop yet.

Borough Green or Wrotham maybe or somewhere in or around West Malling....

name changer for obvs reasons to say I’m not sure where pp is coming from about schools in Godalming. Rodborough is an excellent school. Please ignore what pp said! 🤨

I would not rely on the train to commute from any village between Guildford and Tonbridge. The service is sporadic and liable to cancellation at short notice. Reigate primaries are all good, secondary is fine. The "grammar" schools in Surrey are all private.

Just seen you are Catholic so St Bedes in Redhill is a potential if you live in the area.

Thank you every single of you for the contribution, it is really helpful. Answering to @Ginmonkeyagain I agree with you in the sense that the community can be found everywhere and it requires involvement and effort. I am not looking for a "ready made community" but I believe living in a smaller area where the chances to see the same people whether in a shop, schools or pubs are higher than in London would make everything easier. Where we are all of our neighbours do not have kids and although I have met a few moms during my pregnancy journey via the NCT group everyone is thinking to move at some point ..also having a bigger area and greener sourroundings is what we are after...ideally connected to London Victoria but I am coming to terms that I can take the tube from Waterloo if I move to Guildford or Godalming (it should not be too bad). I also agree with those who said that in the next 11 years so many things can change and this is what made me feel overwhelmed in first place..it is so hard to chose where to go when there are so many variables...but thank you so much everyone really much appreciated!

Some of the trains from Guildford and Godalming (admittedly the slower ones) stop at Clapham Junction so I think it would be easiest to get off there and change, rather than going into Waterloo.

If you want more of a village feel, you might consider Shalford, which is a couple of miles south of Guildford. You'd have to change trains at Guildford but there's a nice village green! I have no ideas about schools though.

In general I think it's a lovely area. Guildford is big enough to have decent shopping/leisure facilities and good transport links. Godalming is obviously smaller and Shalford is smaller again. My daughter now lives in Guildford. She feels safe if out and about alone at night.

As others have said, as you are a Catholic, St Peter's in Guildford will be an option. It has an excellent reputation and I remember rightly last year it was The Times's comprehensive school of the year. Obviously a long way off at this stage though, so things might change!

Come down the road to Beckenham! Very green, great schools, direct trains to Victoria.