Hi, I've lived in Wokingham for nearly 19 years now, my DC were 1.5 and 3.5 when we came here, so they've grown up here. Maybe that (and the fact that I work in a local primary school) is why I disagree with ChippingIn, I do think there's a good sense of community here - I can't remember the last time I went into town & didn't meet someone I know. There are lots of clubs & societies too and well-supported charity Carnivals twice a year. I'm not so well up on stuff for younger children though, as my two are now in their 20s.
Wokingham is expensive, but lovely. It?s now getting a bit more varied ethnically, which is good, but it still can?t be described as anything but predominantly white mc.
The council have major redevelopment plans, which will probably involve a lot more housing & a relief road along the line of the railway to the south of the town, as well as plans to revamp the town centre - there have been a lot of those over the last few years but they have so far come to nothing - the last one foundered when they got to the final planning stages before the council realised that they didn't own M&S's car park which they were planning to build over - and M&S said No....
The town centre currently has a lot of cafes, estate agents & smallish shops, as well as M&S, there's a nice library a Waitrose in the middle of town & Tesco to the south; Sainsbury's is in Winnersh or Bracknell.
Reading is about 8 miles away, with a good shopping centre, Bracknell is about 6 miles the other way but I haven't been shopping there for years - last time I did, it was frankly crap; it may have improved since, but I always go either to Reading, Camberley or sometimes Guildford.
I live in the southern part, not far from the big Tesco. There are about 30 nursery/infant/junior schools in the borough - a lot of the primaries are actually separate infant & junior schools. We're in the catchment for Wescott infants/Westende Junior, but the catchment areas are rather strange & need to be studied carefully before you choose your area - children from quite close to us also go to Walter County Infants/St Paul's Junior or Emmbrook Infant/Junior. There's also a high achieving over-subscribed Catholic Primary school, St Theresa's, but no corresponding Catholic Secondary.
I actually work at one of the Wokingham junior schools, & I don't want to (a) appear biased or (b) out myself, so it's a bit difficult to give advice ? also because there are so many schools & I don?t know a lot about many of them ?but feel free to ask any questions.
Secondary schools are another area where there's likely to be a lot of change in the near future - one school has recently closed-Ryeish Green, in Spencer's Wood, which had had falling numbers for years. The council want to build a new school to the south/west, possibly on the site of Arborfield Garrison which is closing - the strong rumours are that they will do it by moving The Emmbrook School which tends to flood whenever there is a heavy shower, but this is being strongly resisted by the parents who live nearby, and lobbied for by those who live in the south (I told you the catchment areas were complicated ? Embrook's is actually in two completely separate lumps.)
If you live on the west side of the middle of town, the catchment secondaries are actually single sex - The Holt (where DD went) for girls and The Forest, which is actually in Winnersh to the north for boys. DS didn't go there, as he got into Reading School, which is a state grammar, about 8 miles away. On the East side of town is St Crispin's, which is a smallish mixed school, but there are rumours that the council want to extend it massively. There are other schools further out, but I don't know a lot about those. Also several private schools, including Ludgrove where Princes William & Harry went.
Don't know if this is the kind of stuff you want, but I'd better stop boring you....