Wanstead, Walthamstow or Highams Park for family life?

[Move2EastLondon]

My husband, toddler and I are considering a move to East London to be closer to family who live in East Anglia and are looking into Wanstead, Walthamstow and Highams Park.

From what I've gathered Walthamstow has the most going on in terms of restaurants, the market, coffee shops, galleries etc followed by Wanstead. Highams Park seems to have less in the way of coffee shops/restaurants than Wanstead and Walthamstow, but you get a lot more house for your money and are on the doorstep of Epping Forest. From what I can see, all three areas seem to have excellent state primaries.

Our plan is to move somewhere and stay put through the primary and secondary school years and while all three areas have great state primaries, what are they like for secondary schools?

Also, what is your experience of the safety in these areas? I know that in London there will always be some level of crime, but I'd like to live in an area that is safe enough for a teen to have some level of independence (though I am conscious that we have a decade before that becomes relevant).

Any and all opinions on family life in these areas would be very much appreciated :)

We have recently left Walthamstow after 5 years there as didn't want our young son to go to school there. It's a great place to have a baby, lots and lots going on but it's not a great place to bring up a child long term (in my view anyway!)
Also to note, in our 5 years there we had a car stolen and an attempted phone theft. Not to say that wouldn't happen anywhere in London but I was quite glad to leave in the end!

Whats your budget?
what sort of property are you looking for?

Ive lived in e17 for 20+ years. The area has changed a lot and there are fewer working class people here now. Lots more professionals/families. The housing stock is small/medium sized. We bought our house because we loved it and later I realised we should have chosen it based on secondary school catchment! All the primary schools are similar - if you have a choice smaller seems better. One of ours went to WSFG and the other to Latymer the grammar in Edmonton. Most go to state secondary partly due to lower average income, partly I’d suspect politics and partly as the indies aren’t easy to get to from E17. For a while (many years ago) there was an issue with drug dealing around our local streets but since then we’ve experienced little/no problems. I’ve heard about phone snatching but if you keep your phone out of sight theres no problems. I agree with the PP who said Hoe Street (and I’d add the high street) isnt nice after dark so if looking at property consider what a late night walk home would be like. Transport is great. We have nice neighbours. We did what many do when before our kids started school and looked at moving but we’ve got a great life here with easy access to central London amd the city. Im glad we stayed - our kids now have access to world class facilities on their doorstep

this is why you need to state your budget and price - because the nicer and larger places to live within 5 mins of the tube have a higher asking price.

that said if you want something less urban then North Chingford has big houses and maybe a better high street than HP.

Thank you for sharing- it’s reassuring to hear that both Wanstead & HP are great for family life. You make a very good point about schools changing over time! We’ll be sure to do another trip to South Woodford since PPs have mentioned schools are great & walkable to Wanstead/the greenery

Oh my gosh- having your car stolen is not ideal! I can imagine that would leave a bad taste in your mouth about a place!!

Thank you for sharing about Hoe Street not being nice after dark- we are only considering properties within a 10 minute walk of a station anyways. Also, is Hoe Street not the same as the High Street?

You also make a good point about commuting to the independent schools. I can see that neither the Bancrofts or Forest bus services runs through Walthamstow or Highams Park.

Staying in London vs leaving is the eternal parent debate! I think if we were to go as far out as North Chingford, we’d probably go to Buckhurst Hill as it’s on the tube. That being said, we still want to live in an area that “feels” like London and I’m not sure that would be the case in BH/Chingford.

For Bancrofts, if your kids cycle, it's very easy to get to, or a very short drive. Otherwise you need to be within walking distance of the 20 bus (or get the 275 then the 20).

Hoe street runs from bakers arms up to the forest road junction, its a long road, the part with the issues is from the station up to forest road, opp the rose and crown pub, theres the dodgy mafia cafes and leering blokes....the high st is in fact the market, which was excellent many years ago...now its rather tatty and fruit in plastic bowls....plus the continual ongoing road works for years and the ugly new blocks which are hideous...remember that more blocks are planned for all over that area....the council seems to love building hideous blocks and knocking down anything old and nice !!

I live in Walthamstow (not the village) and really don’t feel unsafe. It is a very mixed (and very large) area. We moved here from Hackney (much like everyone else) and struggled with the jump from zone 2 to 3 as it was. HP would have been a step too far. Houses are generally pretty small and secondary schools don’t have a great reputation so I can see us moving up to HP in five years or so. It’s definitely a better investment if you move straight to HP - more house for your money right now and more room for prices to go up.

Hoe Street runs north south and the High Street (market) runs east west. They intersect at the west end of Church Hill. Larger family homes within 5 mins of the tube tend to be off Church Hill (village a bit further over and further from the tube). Smaller houses around Poets Corner just a bit north of there and also Lloyd Park near the museum all within 10 mins but mean walking along Hoe Street. Alternatively at the west end of the High Street there are Warner Houses and other terraces 2-3 bed around Blackhorse Rd (south of the tube) which is nicer than Walthamstow Central and closer to the Marshes but cheaper. Living in E17 meant I could carry on working when I had kids - had we moved further out that would have been impossible. If you work from home that is maybe less of an issue although presumably your partner should be able to get home at a decent hour with a short-ish commute?

North Chingford - I may have the wrong name - around the Weaver Overground Line terminus at Chingford, so on the TFL network and very quick into the city - although not so good for Holborn. Some very nice big Victorian villas north of the station and right up close to the Forest.

Buckhurst Hill is definitely Essex and not at all London-like. But nice little high street/centre when I last was there years ago!

Highams Park might be better if you are thinking private secondary schools for independent travel if you don't want to be tied to the school run forever.

Not sure when you are looking to move, but there are secondary school open days from September. The "Starting Secondary School in 2027" will be on the LBWF website in August and lists all the dates of events - turn up to a few and see what you think. Private schools similar. Obvs secondary schools will feel utterly terrifying if you have a toddler but you will get the chance to wander round and get a feel for how different they all are - and if you are looking for German as a MFL your choices will be surprisingly limited

ETA - when we were thinking of moving out of London we rented an AirBNB and stayed for a few nights in our target areas to "try them out". Was fascinating and very useful - highly recommend!

Do not like Buckhurst Hill at all: that’s where my kid’s school is and I do that car journey from Wanstead to BH twice a day. It’s absolutely RAMMED with cars and some of the most inconsiderate, sometimes downright dangerous, driving I have ever come across. The High Street (Queen’s Road) is also nothing to write home about - a narrow street packed with cars. Wanstead’s high street is much more spacious.

On kids cycling to Bancrofts: again - the road. There is NO WAY I would let my kid cycle with the number of dick head drivers on that Woodford High Road. It’s absolutely insane during peak school run hours.

Also: if you were driving your kid to school Wanstead to Bancrofts you’d be stuck in bumper traffic for about 40 mins every morning to get back to Wanstead. It may be easy for drive TO - but it’s not so easy to get back. I know because I crawl past Bancrofts every single morning thinking FML.

I know these areas well and would choose Wanstead over the others for many of the reasons mentioned. Addressing some of your points, Wanstead is definitely a good access to the forest which forms a U shape around it. Secondary schools always change over time. Woodbridge in South Woodford wasn't well regarded once but I believe some from Wanstead choosing it over the local now. The head at Wanstead is a bit marmite but she isn't complacent and I would call her an innovator. The school has suffered from prolonged building works but these will be done by the time you are considering Secondary and there will be an attached community swimming pool and gym.
Central line grubby but direct link to Holborn. When it pulls into Stratford, you can hop over the platform to the Elizabeth line which goes to Farringdon. Depending on where you are in Holborn, this might be a cleaner quicker option.
Finally, if you are thinking about private Secondary, perhaps choose houses nearer the Snaresbrook end to either walk to Forest or tube to Woodford/bus W13 to Bancrofts. You can always buy at the cusp of Wanstead and Woodford with access to both. I like SW for my preferred supermarkets and the slightly run down Odeon.

Wanstead 100%

I used to know the area better, but personally I’d go for Wanstead or South Woodford over Walthamstow. I don’t know Highams Park so can’t comment on that.

Personally I think Buckhurst Hill is a totally different vibe to North Chingford. Buckhurst Hill is very Essex/WAG vibes, North Chingford more London.

I can fully recommend Highams Park - agree with what someone else has said, great for going out in Walthamstow if you want something busier and then come back to somewhere more peaceful and safer. I wouldn't want to bring up teens in Walthamstow personally.

Just FYI - for anyone plotting a Bancroft's entrance. It's highly competitive and will withstand the VAT purge. It's not quite as crazy as moving here assuming your kids will be able to access the two grammar schools, but I wouldn't let it be a deciding factor in terms of which house to buy unless you have an actual place or you are happy with the other options available, including non-competitive entry state schools.

@Move2EastLondon I have a child at the school you mention. I'd be shocked if there weren't bus options there from the school. If it's important, I'd phone them and ask. But also, there are probably local buses which are convenient and free.

The one starting with 'F'.

@OVienna I’ve heard that Bancroft’s is very competitive and will likely require a ton of tutoring, but I my understanding is that Forest is less competitive and maybe a bit more sporty/arty - I could be wrong though. You make a good point about local buses!

We went back to South Woodford and it seems nice enough plus is in the catchment for good non religious primaries so are adding that to our list.

@Move2EastLondonI think Forest is really competitive - it’s a through school from reception to 18 so loads of people want to send their kids there to avoid the 11 plus scrum. Bancrofts is seen as more academic, I understand.

As someone educated absolutely free at an outstanding Northern Irish grammar school, I think both are overrated.

But that’s the education system of the South east of England for you.

@Piglet89 have you had a child at either school? Just interested.

I am not from the UK and something that was important to us was access to extracurricular activities, which we have really valued at the local privates my daughters attended.

I am sure you can get a good education at the state secondaries (and in my experience it's really parental support that makes a difference when it comes to the exam years!)

@OViennaI have not - and am very unlikely to have, either.

The only state secondary I would consider in our area is Trinity. But we will keep our child in the independent sector for as long as we live in England - jobs etc permitting.

Bit late to this but worth you exploring the different parts of walthamstow because although the high street is a bit grimy the likes of Lloyd Park and St james are better(in my opinion).

Obviously budget is a crucial factor because although wanstead is naice its also very expensive.

I liked highams park and it's more affordable than wanstead but found houses that were already done to a decent standard in short supply despite seemingly being within our budget