Help me in my next house move. Horsham??? Please help on schools and family activities

[crimp82]

Hello everyone. I have recently posted another post with a few locations that I was considering for my next move and based on loads of valuable inputs I have shortlisted two locations for my next move: Horsham and Godalming. Provided we can sell our house in Crystal Palace next spring we are looking to move to a new more rural location where to relocate with my hubby and my DD who is 14 months. I have been working in London Victoria for the past 14 years and I will continue working for this company for a good few more years so the new location should be taking me to Victoria within a reasonable time. I am happy to commute for over an hour (no longer) and I am looking for an area where state schools (we would not opt for independent) are outstanding. Horsham seems to have two incredibly good schools (Tunbridge House School and Collyer). I know that you have to pay for this last one but not as much as for an independent so that should be fine for us. I have never been in Horsham and I could not find many recent threads on it. Could you please enlightening me on this area specifically on schools options and how is it like living there for families?

I know Godalming much more because my sis in law lives there and I know that is not an ideal location for commuting to Victoria (although I will have to go twice a week), hence the post is more focused on Horsham.

I moved to Horsham from Dorking a couple of years ago from Dorking and lived in various areas of Surrey. I have a 1 year old and 5 year old. How old are your children? Primary schools are all good. You are dictated by which house your purchase and have to go for your catchment area school as schools tend to be oversubscribed. I've not really heard anything bad about any of the schools. We are on the East side so could choose between Bohunt, Forest and Millais - it's all personal choice. I've know parents have preferences after visits. It's not really an area where there is one bad school you need to avoid. I think Collyers is a normal sixth form college like Godalming. Again it's meant to be good like Godalming collge.

As a family it's been a great move for us. House prices are cheaper compared to Surrey so we purchased a bigger family home which has enhanced our life. Horsham feels more like Guildford in terms of restaurants and facilities. There is always something to do for families. I find Horsham people more easy going, less chat about house prices and loft conversions compared to some areas. Useful to be closer to the seaside and Brighton. Main downside is commute to London is expensive and long. I only go to London once a week so it's fine for me. I get my husband to drop me off at Three bridges where it's 35 mins to London Bridge and cheaper. I usually pay for a single from Three Bridges to Horsham so I can make my own way back home.
Medical facilities are stretched due to growth in population - i've kept my GP in Dorking who are fab and they don't mind that we live in Horsham.

We live in Horsham and love the town centre. It's got a good choice of restaurants, cafes and shops and is quite pretty in general :) Can't comment on schools as my son is only three 😅

• @20MayJune22 thank you so much for your message. My daughter is only 1 and I swear to God I feel I am getting sick out hours and hours of research on schools that seem to far away in time but yet so close for us having to think of where to move...I am not going t move again hence the difficult decision and pressure of making the right choice...I have not checked the ticket price which you are absolutely correct I should have..all I know is that there is one direct train to London Victoria in about 1 hour which I will have to take two to 3 times a week...shoot me in the face..if I think I live only 20 min away from Victoria right now...we are considering the brand new development in this new village called Mowbray but I have not yet gone to check it out....

Mowbray is the new estate at the top of town. It's one of those big new build estates that will take a few years to complete. Eventually it is meant to have a Morrisons, village centre etc. The area will be fine - the usual pros and cons of new build vs an existing house in an established area. I wouldn't stress about schools in Horsham - they are all good. You might be able to get the train from Littlehaven to victoria which might be walkable from Mowbray. Trains from Horsham are very expensive so it needs to be factored in. When we were in the same boat as you we viewed lots of houses and eventually bit the bullet and put an offer in. We have zero regrets - Horsham is great for families, just make sure the commute works as you are further out. I was raised in Guildford so I am more used to mid sized towns rather than cities.

@20MayJune22 why did you not stay in Guildford which seems lovely? Tell me more about the cons of a new building..omg this is so overwhelming..I thnk you are right I need to stop worrying too much about schools since this is driving me insane

Guildford is great, I just didn't want to stay in the town I grew up in. Plus the Merrow side is very expensive. Guildford is a bit more a headache for secondary schools. Some are great but the 2 in North Gford might not be ideal. I saw in an earlier thread you are catholic so this will help as there are quite a few catholic feeder primaries and at least you know you will get into St Peter's.

@20MayJune22 the issue with Guildford is first of all how it is connected to London Victoria ( will have to go to Waterloo and change which I would hate) and secondly I can't find any nice house....I went to see one brand new in Godalming which I like but again is not very close to St Peter school (i have checked it would be a 40 min bus journey)..also trains from there are not cheaper than from Horsham..xx

You can change at Clapham Junction for Victoria. .

Horsham is getting too large for its town centre imo. I thought you can get trains via Dorking or via Gatwick more than once an hour

Collyers is a college for sixth form

There are 4 secondary schools and all are good

I live here and it's ok , pretty dull and the shops are rubbish but probably much nicer than Crystal Palace I imagine

St Peters has coaches that bring the kids in from the outer areas like Godalming and Cranleigh to the playground. You have to pay but I loved it when I went there. It was an extra 40 mins chatting to my mates on the coach. Now as a parent I'd see that as childcare and at least you know there were safe on the coach. You can see the coach routes here: https://www.st-petersschool.co.uk/page/?title=Transport&pid=76

Just looking at bus route, you could live in Stoughton which is a more affordable area of Gford. Then St Josephs primary to St Peter's. The secondaries aren't as good in Stoughton but being a Catholic will open up St Peter's.

We did a very similar move (SE26 to Horsham) not too long ago to be with family. Slightly different perspective as one of us grew up here!

Personally, I find some of the new build areas a bit dull- they aren't particularly close to any amenities and you really need to have more than one car. We live to the west of the town centre and it's great to be within walking distance of everything we need (schools, town, shops, family etc. Not too far from station, but further than I would like...but that was the sacrifice we made for everything else being exactly what we wanted!)

A few recent posts here:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/property/3981750-Can-anyone-tell-me-about-Horsham

I'll repeat some of what I said on that thread (lots of school chat first)

We moved (back) here to be closer to a lot of our family, and don't regret it.
There is a lot going on, the air is fresh, lots of opportunities for our 4 year old etc. You're not far from the coast, but also have most things you need. London is an hour away, and Brighton isn't far either.

It can be a bit of a culture shock at first for those who have become used to London living (things like shops in the town centre aren't open late, and some are closed on Sundays; and a car is def needed to get to some places) but people are friendly, and there is always something happening locally (either Horsham or the surrounding areas). The area has definitely become more diverse in the past decade (a definite positive) and the has been a conscious effort to ensure the town centre remains vibrant (lots of new eateries and developments like Piries place).

The commute is a bit of a pain, though, if it's regular, and is expensive. However, it is direct and you should get a seat. We WFH primarily (one of us is in twice a week, the other once a month) so this is less of an issue for us.

ETA: Horsham also has a decent Catholic primary in St Johns (to the west of town)

I’m soon to be moving to Horsham from Surrey. My daughter is in year 1 and our catchment area for schools seems to be Littlehaven Infants and Northholmes. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of these schools that they’d be willing to share? I also don’t know the area at all as we are totally new to Horsham. Thanks. Have

You will hear a lot that Horsham doesn't have any bad achools- all true to a large extent. Both schools have a decent reputation, but no personal experience (waiting to hear where DD4 will end up, but on other side of town).

Horsham is very catchment based, and a large number of primaries are oversubscribed, so it may be that you aren't assigned either when you move (and may be given somewhere that is like the Trafalgar/Greenway combination. Aside from the ones in your post, this is the only other non-thepugh primary on town)

Your best option for feedback is to get yourself on both the Horsham Parents group and the Horsham Parents Network on Facebook and search there/ask questions there. Horsham is a friendly place, and you will probably get some interesting feedback.

Why not visit these schools ? You can call up and get a visit / see when the open days are .

There aren't any bad schools in Horsham really tbh but obvs child's needs are all different

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I’ve just done as you suggested too in joining the Facebook groups. Much appreciated