Four Oaks Sutton Coldfield Relocation Help!

[TwoUnderTwo92]

Hi!
My first post on mumsnet so apologies if I get anything wrong!

I am in a bit of a predicament where I am being forced to leave my current living situation (messy divorce proceedings) and now my 3 year old son and I need to find somewhere asap to relocate to in time for school intakes.

Safety and education are my top priority and I have been advised Sutton Coldfield is an extremely safe place to be and great education for the kids.

I was hoping to ask if anyone has any experience of the area, what the people and place is like for a Indian family to grow up in? We have experienced unimaginable racism in the past 3 years and I am keen to avoid moving to similar areas so I can protect my son from any more of this! Any no go roads/areas? I'm keen to be close to Mere Green / Four Oaks.

The stock available through rightmove and zoopla is so scarce as I imagine most people move here for the schooling, but would be great to hear from those who have actually lived or living there!

Thanking you all in advance :)

It's not a very diverse area.

@ellyoctober Thanks for your message! Is that in terms of diversity or bigotry do you know? I've lived in diverse areas where the racism was awful, and less diverse areas where it was no issue at all. Really confused! x

I honestly don't think you'll have an issue. Contrary to the other poster, Sutton Coldfield is a lot more diverse nowadays. And then you have very diverse areas surrounding it such as; Aston, Kingstanding, Erdington etc.
Then you've got all the amenities close by; lots of good schools, hospital, Sutton park, lots of places to eat nearby, lots of shopping places, and of course are only 15-20 mins from the city centre.

Streetly / Four Oaks born and bred here.

I would say in the 80s it wasn’t very diverse. But that’s totally changed and the Four Oaks estate where I’m from has residents of all colours/creeds.
it’s a lovely, safe area to bring up children albeit pricy. And be aware it’s a stronghold Tory seat if that’s something that bothers you.

Do you know the area at all or are you coming to it completely new? Four Oaks is a very nice place and there are no bad areas or primary schools, I don't think you can go wrong. Birmingham is generally very diverse, although Sutton less so and it is also quite right wing/conservative. Lots of very rich people, an aging population, it depends on what you are after - the areas in the south around the university are more vibrant and left wing, and have more going on. Given the size and the wealth in the area Sutton has surprisingly little in terms of community events and the town centre is not that great. The park is lovely though. I prefer Lichfield, but if your priority is schools then I think Sutton is probably considered more favourably, although I am happy to be corrected on that. I hope you find what you are looking for and can have some peace after what sounds like a difficult time 😊

Thanks everyone for your honest thoughts! Really reassuring to hear!

@Gardendiary I don't know the area much other than coming for house viewings recently. One estate agent told me to avoid Gibbons Road and Tower Road as he himself wouldn't go down there so for someone like me it's a no go.
A little concerning as all the viewings I had were around there so now I am a bit confused!

Schooling is definitely at the forefront of my decision to move and I've read online Sutton Coldfield is one of the safest areas in the west midlands also, hence it being a factor to move there too.

Really appreciate everyone's comments thank you again! @andymary @Chardonnay73

Feel free to pm me @TwoUnderTwo92 , I lived there for a long time and know the area well.

Or if you want, send me links to the houses you are considering and I’ll tell you my thoughts

I think it’s all relative. The houses on those roads are council - probably mostly privately owned now, but compared to many areas of Birmingham very safe.

Lived in SC for over 20 years, kids went to school there. I think it's pretty diverse, lots of Asian families live in the area. Personally I don't like FO and much prefer Boldmere so have a look there too.

How old are your children? I went to Sutton Girls and am in the Old Girls' Association. There are a huge proportion of Indian girls at the school now (I think they may well be the largest ethnic group), so I think you'll be absolutely fine.

I grew up in Wylde Green and am mixed white and Caribbean. We never had any difficulties in Sutton, and that was 30 years ago

@OhshutupNancy Thank you for your input! It really is appreciated! I will certainly have a look at Boldmere too!

@StainlessSeal My son is going to be 4 in October so I am keen to move asap to be in the catchment for the primary schools for January applications! Primary schooling in the area is all good or outstanding so I'm just trying to find a reasonably priced rental but the stock is really limited!

Thanks again! :)