Anyone know South Croydon?

[IorekByrnison]

We are thinking of moving there in maybe 18 months time. It looks quite nice and oddly underpriced - unless there's something I'm missing.

Anyone have any experience of living there or advice on schools etc?

So generally, we think South Croydon is an OK place to be?

I'd rather be there than here (Streatham, stab central of South London )

You couldn't use your mum's address. They check up rigorously.

You are quite near me then, serenity. Yes it is awful about all the stabbings. Some of Streatham is lovely though.

Do you ever consider moving further out?

If you are not RC or CoE, the only serious secondary options in Croydon are Riddlesdown and Shirley High.

Riddlesdown has feeder primaries - Selsdon, Greenvale, Roke, Atwood and Gresham. Next in line are the kids who pass the entrance test, then people who live within 1½ miles.

Shirley High has a bigger catchment area but also has an exam for the first 27 places.

Croydon suffers from being between Bromley (with one grammar for each sex and some excellent Comps) and Sutton (with grammar schools) so you can't take Croydon's results at face value - it suffers a serious creaming-off of the best kids to grammars and private (and Bromley!).

I like it here. It is nice if you get the right bits.

I know - wishful thinking and I'd feel too guilty (currently have a choice between good school I think we're too far to get into, church schools I won't lie to get into, iffy school that might be OK if I can get past the history, and school I wouldn't touch with a bargepole )

Whitgift ought to be an excellent school at over £12k a year!

Could you name the top 5 things you like about it? (sorry if this is too boring - you've been really helpful already).

South Croydon surely cheaper than Streatham - would you not move? Or too many ties in Streatham?

Sorry - that first one was to soupdragon and the second to serenity.

The top 5 things about Croydon?

1. Transport links are fantastic - trains, tram, buses (and soon, the TUBE!!!)
2. Some lovely green spaces
3. Good for shopping
4. Near Gatwick
5. Mostly very quiet and friendly (or maybe that is just my bit?)

Trying to IB, but we can't afford to buy or rent privately so we're languishing on the council transfer list atm, as are far too many other people. TBH atm I'd be happy to get somewhere bigger, nevermind further out!

Shirley's OK if your DCs are NT - they are pretty crap if you need any kind of support for SN (let my BFs dyslexic son down quite badly)

Those are all pretty good things, Queen M. I suppose the bad thing is the state of the town centre. And the schools of course.

For those of you who moved there, what made you move?

serenity - surprised to hear about the SN provision at Shirley. They have a special unit for deaf children, don't they? I assumed they were hot on all SN issues as a result.

Why did I move here? Probably house prices - at least initially - but I like it here. My bit is classic suburbia and a nice place for children. Do you think the town centre is that bad? Centrale is nice but the Whitgift Centre is a bit run-down.

Queen MofC -It's only IME of course, she was having problems with the help for dyslexia - lots of promises and plans, then very little concrete help and a major lack of communication between departments. It might have been a one off, or a personality thing, but he had a pretty awful three years there and it's taken changing schools to sort things out for him.

I think that the prices in Croydon are up to about 20% less than the prices for similar houses in Sutton or Bromley, so you will get more house for your money (but it will be in Croydon). Good transport links, and from that house you can walk into South Croydon which has plenty of bars/restaurants. You'd be in the St Peters catchment though it is over subscribed. The downside of South Croydon is that there are a number of good schools (St Peters and the Sanderstead ones) but if you don't get in then it is Purley Oaks (which is undersubscribed...). Look carefully at what parking is available in the area - that was always a headache when I lived just off Selsdon Road bc.

There are houses of similar prices in the East Croydon area close to the station I think. Again good for commuting and you have the tram. In that case Park Hill is generally the preferred school.

As someone else has mentioned there is a big shape up of secondary schools but the majority are average or poor.

The Quaker zone seems to extend from Sanderstead down to Purley, so sticking near to Brighton Road will give you more pub options. To reassure you that bit of Selsdon Road is definitely South Croydon rather than Selsdon.

I don't think all of the secondaries are average or poor, LadyMuck, especially when you consider the majority have lost their top streams to grammars and private schools.

There isn't an outstanding secondary school in Croydon, though, other than Harris Academy Crystal Palace which runs a lottery for admissions (and which, frankly, I thought was horrible when I visited).

Sorry - actually you said "the majority" not "all" - apologies, LadyMuck.

I think the secondary schools are on the whole average at best. Unless you are religious or able to pay.

what will you do soupy when yours are secondary school age?

Probably

1. Wilsons
2. Whitgift

I'll have a better idea when I've done the tour of open evenings over the next couple of months. I guess some of the other Sutton schools are options. Riddlesdown would be a last option (well, last ignoring places like Haling Manor or discovering religion big time!)

Are both Wilsons and Whitgift private fee paying schools?

Wilson's is a grammar school.

Good luck, SoupDragon - I went through the school visit torment this time last year!

Wilsons is free and thus heavily oversubscribed (I thunk you need to be top 2% to stand a chance), Whitgift costs a f-ing fortune. Which explains why Wilsons is over subscribed

It's horrendous, I'm panicking and DS is only going into Y5 so I have a whole year til I actually have to make a decision!