Confused where to move commutable to London with good schools

[Sofita90]

Me And my husband are both foreigners that live in London zone 2. As we are going to welcome our baby soon we decided we shall move somewhere more quiet ,with good/excellent schools and live in a house instead of a flat. Our budget is about 1-1.2 million max looking for 3 bed house. We are visiting many areas and we are confused so I thought to share the list and see if anyone has other ideas. He works for home so no need to commute often but I commute 3 times per week for now and we want access to the London job market.

the areas we have considered are:
st Albans
harpenden
North Kingston/Ham (it seems to be ticking the boxes but a bit more busy than I would love)
Teddington ( not many good secondaries thought)
twickenham
Tunbridge wells
Sevenoaks
Winchester( seems to be too far)

Any feedback ? Where would you move if you did not have family ties in any place ?

Winchester is only about 1 hour from London by train which isn't much longer than Teddington/Kingston. V good schools.

Tunbridge wells/ Sevenoaks have the grammar system so I would probably avoid if you want state for secondary. The others sound like good choices.

We moved from London to Tunbridge Wells deliberately for the grammar schools, but we are Catholic so knew the excellent non grammars would be an option if needed (they weren't!). Have been here very happily for 17 years now.

I think you'll get fed up of the Winchester commute when baby is little and you want to get home after work to see them before bed. Would be not as bad if DC were older maybe?

We love St Albans and would love to move there to be closer to family but we have a smaller budget than you and are struggling to find anything we like. But with your budget, that would probably be our first choice.

What part of London would you be commuting into? Don't forget to consider that because it usually adds more time getting from door-station at each end than the actual train time itself.

I only know the Richmond area. Always loved living there for the parks and the quick access to London. I would always try and stay in London for the cheaper and quicker fares and transport options. Your family will grow up and it’s so useful to have TFL options rather than some expensive and congested commuter line in the Home Counties.

Depends what you want though. Maybe you want a quieter life away from shops and noise.

Richmond Borough schools are mixed but generally very good. Here’s a standard Twickenham family home near the station.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/156489341

I’d stay within London. It’s easier to get an uber home or the night tube or bus than if you’re properly out of it in Winchester or Sevenoaks. You have a good budget for a 3-bed in most areas.

We moved from London to Ware in Hertfordshire. They have very good secondary schools and the train takes about 40 minutes into Liverpool Street.

I grew up in Sevenoaks so my teenage life included missing the last bits of gigs and shows to get the last train, so I'd agree with Twickenham/Richmond.

Amersham, Beaconsfield, Chorleywood, Gerrard's Cross, Marlow (if you can be bothered with the change at Maidenhead for the Elizabeth line), Henley (same applies) good luck with your search!

thanks a lot for the replies just to add we would not want our kids to go to a religious school either. What about cheam area ? Could this be a nice area to explore as well ?

Dulwich/Herne hill

With your budget, St Albans without a doubt. 17 minutes to St Pancras, excellent schools and a lively city.

What about Welwyn Garden City, or as a pp suggested above, Ware?

OP there’s great secondary options in and around Teddington.

So glad to find this post!! I'm in a very similar situation, except we have a lower budget - ideally something around 600-650k, could potentially stretch to 700k.

So wonder if people in this thread have any recommendations for that too?

I think you should probably start your own thread. With that budget, the answers will be very different and you need to share more about your personal requirements e.g. do you need to commute, be near schools, what do you like to do at the weekend etc.?

I recommend Tunbridge Wells,safe town,good schools including the non selective, teenagers do have somewhere to go in the evenings and are safe ,strongRugby/ Football clubs, Tennis. 1hour into Charing Cross ,lots of countryside,parks,common .
Villages around Tunbridge Wells very accessible for mainline stations and property a bit cheaper.

Hitchin. 30 mins to St Pancras and really good schools.

Definitely second St Albans on that budget!

@NattyOtter Hitchin would suit your budget.

Bishop Stortford is nice with good schools, and you'll get more for money. But not sure of price of commute. Definitely factor that into budget.

Woodford/ Loughton (central line) has good private schools.

You'd get a nice place in Buckinghamshire.

Gerrards Cross has a train service which takes approximately 25 mins to Marylebone.

Amersham has overground and underground, but not such a quick service.

Beaconsfield is lovely, again with trains into town, good schools and easy Motorway access for travel.

All have good schools. They're in the grammar school system, so your child takes an "11+" exam in Y6 of primary school to see if they're eligible. If so, they get access to some of the best (academically) performing schools in the country.

St Albans and Harpenden have good/quick train links to London, and good schools but the train ticket price is one of the most expensive/mile, in Europe.
Where in London do you need to commute to?

What are the good primary schools in Tunbridge wells ?

This.

Loads of lovely parks, parent central.