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Wymondham or Ely for family life, schools and transport?

4 replies

JollyTeaScroller · 28/08/2026 11:31

Hi everyone, we're considering moving to either Wymondham or Ely and would really appreciate some honest experiences from people who live there, particularly families with children.

We have a 3 year-old daughter, so we're thinking about the next 10–15 years rather than just our immediate needs.

Schools are a big consideration for us.

We keep hearing very positive things about Wymondham College, and we'd be interested in hearing from parents whose children attend as day pupils (we're not interested in boarding). How is it in reality, academically, pastorally and socially? And what are the other primary/secondary school options like if you don't get a place?

For Ely, we'd love to hear current experiences of the primary schools and Ely College. We've seen some mixed/older comments online, so it would be helpful to hear from parents whose children attend now. We're also aware of King's Ely as a private option, although we're not sure whether we'd want to go down that route.

Beyond schools, what are the towns actually like for family life? Things like parks, activities for young children, sports clubs, community, cafés/restaurants and, importantly, whether there's enough to do for older children and teenagers.

We're also interested in commuting and transport, particularly trains to Cambridge, Norwich and London, and what they're like in practice rather than just on paper. How is driving/traffic?

We both work from home so we don't need to commute, but we would like to visit these places for various activities.

And finally, housing, which town do you think offers better value for money for a 3–4 bedroom family home, and are there particular areas you'd recommend or avoid?

If you were choosing between Wymondham and Ely with a young family today, which would you choose and why?

Would especially love to hear from anyone who's lived in both or moved from one to the other.

Thanks!

OP posts:
Octavia64 · 28/08/2026 13:09

My dc went to Kings Ely and I live just outside it.

Ely college has improved massively over the last five years. It’s got a new sixth form building and the sixth form has massively expanded. There are several primaries in the city most of which are pretty good.

ely has a lot of trains through it - main line to London/up to kings Lynn, across to Ipswich, across to Norwich and cross country goes via Peterborough up to Manchester. At the moment there’s a lot of engineering work at weekends on the London line so lots of rail replacement buses. Trains to Cambridge are about every 20 mins and it takes about 20 mins.

things to do - great for younger kids - there’s sports facilities (the hive leisure centre plus the paradise centre and rugby/tennis etc clubs). Teens less so - there’s the usual scouts/guides/cadets etc but it’s not as big as Cambridge for example.

bubbleandbubble · 29/08/2026 15:15

Both towns are lovely but I think Ely has the edge; Cambridge being just down the road means there is lots more going on in within easy reach (which is helpful for teenagers), and the stunning Cathedral adds another level.
Travel wise you can be in Kings Cross in about 1hr15 from Ely (assuming the trains are running on time) which is much faster than coming from Wymondham.
My children have all been at King's Ely and thrived there - masses going on, a broad supportive community (and not as elitist as some of the private schools) and it's a beautiful school. At the older ages there is a good mix of students from Ely, Cambridge and the surrounding areas as well as a number of students from overseas which I think is a healthy dymanic as they get older. PM if I can tell you any more about it

Fleecy · 29/08/2026 15:33

Norwich resident here. My understanding is that if you don't want boarding, you have to live very close to Wymondham College to attend as a day pupil, and as it's a rural area, there aren't that many homes in catchment, which pushes the price up. Wymondham is great for transport as you have trains to Cambridge and Norwich, the A11 on the doorstep and plenty of amenities in the town itself. You'd be looking at housing in Morley St. Peter I believe.

Thereisalight4 · 30/08/2026 21:30

Ely is a nice place to live I live near
and the schools are good and as people said Ely college is much improved but it’s not gong to be wymondom which looks like a pretty unique kind of place

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