Does Teddington have a community for young families!?!?

[AmeliaS10]

Hello!

I am looking for some advise from current or past Teddington residents! We are planning on moving to the area from Putney in time for our eldest to start school. We have been very impressed with Teddington and always leave with a good feeling. The draw of good schools whilst still being somewhat commutable for my partner who works in Central is our driver.

I am starting to feel anxious about the move, change is quite scary with children involved. It is really important to me that I do right by my children and I feel that choosing an area for them to grow up is a huge responsibility. We have a 2 year old and 3.5 year old. We are in a privileged situation in that we can just about afford to purchase a property in the area that is big enough to stay in whilst the children grow up and get through school (we will be choosing state school for a few different reasons.)

I am aware that the area is very expensive and does not get you much more for your money then being further into London. My big question is whether the young families end up eventually getting priced out of the area? one of our reasons for moving further out is that the families in London are quite transient and I find myself or my children befriending someone who ends up moving away. Is Teddington an area that families tend to stay put in once their children attend school or do they ultimately end up moving away in favour of more space?

As a young mum I do not have many friends with children and I am really looking for that sense of community for my children and myself, I worry about moving into an area where that does not exist. Teddington feels like it has an element of London life whilst also not being out in the sticks, however does this also mean it is more of a stepping stone area? Any advise on this or anything else that springs to mind will be greatly appreciated!

I moved away from Hampton Wick just up road when I had my son as my husband and I aren't huge earners. Teddington is full of kids and sports fields, activities, sailing, proximity to hampton court palace and play areas, its lovely, I miss it! If you can afford to live there you'll see there are lots of other families who do too, and the greater local area just.shirt journeys away do too.

Teddington is full of young families, it's a great location with the river and Bushy Park, lots of family friendly activities, and some of the best state schools in the country. We moved here 12 years ago and wouldn't want to live anywhere else now. We have made a lot of local friends, and there is a real community feel. 100% recommend if you can afford it.

Also to answer your question, at my DC's school a handful of families have moved elsewhere over the years, but the majority of kids stay for the duration and then go onto one of the local secondary schools. Most families I know moved to Teddington as their forever home - so I wouldn't call it a transient place at all. From what I have seen, people tend to move into their preferred school's catchment area, stay for a couple of years to get the place, and then move slightly further out towards either the Kingston or Hampton Hill/Twickenham ends of Teddington to get more for their money, but keep their kids in their preferred school.

Thank you @BorlandRd & @Imisscoffee2021 , I really appreciate your responses and it has certainly calmed my nerves around the whole thing! Do either of you have any advise on the primary schools in the area? would be great if anyone had any recommendations as they are also useful as well as the school tours!

Whereabouts in teddington are you moving to? Some of the schools have small admissions areas but you can’t really go wrong any of the local schools. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but I would have been happy sending my kids to any of them apart from St John’s but that’s because I didn’t like the school grounds compared to other schools.

@BorlandRd its looks like we will be on the river roads so most likely Collis will be the main one. It seems to do well academically however I have seen mixed parent reviews online. We will be going for a tour soon so hopefully we like it!

My kids are happy at Collis, but they are neurotypical and academically able - I know some parents with children with more challenges are finding it not so great. But that is probably the same with most primary schools dues to the curriculum and government funding. Collis hasn't had an Ofsted inspection since 2014, and not since the current headmaster has been in post, so the outstanding rating is probably still deserved but not confirmed - especially since Ofsted have now changed their criteria anyway.

If you are in the river roads, Hampton Wick Infant school is a excellent school, really nurturing and great facilities including their own small forest area. The only downside is the kids go to another school for juniors which is not as good. I think the ideal Teddington education would be Hampton Wick for infants and Collis for juniors, but that's not really an option unless you are prepared to risk there not being a place at Collis if you don't join from reception.