Where in Suffolk? Felixstowe?

[SuffolkDreams]

I know Felixstowe isn’t exactly rural but couldn’t find a more appropriate topic - please point me in the right direction if there is one.

I’ve been wanting to move to Suffolk for years but have been stuck due to eldest DD and school. We may actually be able to move in 2022 after DD1 finishes sixth form. However I have another DC who will be starting sixth form and a teeny who doesn’t start school for a few years. So schools are a still a big issue for us.

(All my kids seem to have some form of ASD, little is looking to be very sparky so will need a school that’ll stretch her - if she’s bored she’ll cause trouble!)

Have family in Ipswich and Woodbridge hence the move. However both myself and my OH are used to London life and don’t think we could live too rurally. We need life, food and coffee shops we can walk to etc. Would love to be close to the sea without having to drive there. So Felixstowe seems like a good idea but are the schools ok? I know they’re fine in the Woodbridge area, an area I know quite well but don’t think is right for us.

Are train links ok from Felixstowe to London?

Thanks x

I can't speak for the schools in Felixstowe (like you, I know more about Woodbridge) but you'l have to change at Ipswich if you want to get to London by train. The Norwich mainline goes through phases - it can be great for months and then horrible for months.

I’m bumping my old thread from June as time has ticked on and if we’re going to move this summer I’d better get my arse in gear.

I am now a single mum and live on the outskirts of London which is near where I grew up but lots of my family are in Suffolk now. TBH I’m done with it here, we’ll never be able to afford to move further in and where we are now, an extra bedroom is at least 100k! 🙈

My main motivation for moving though is that I’m miserable here. We’re stuck in a tiny house. There are some truly lovely people around here but also so many nasty, rude, uncaring people. I don’t want to live anywhere with bad vibes anymore. I want to be by the sea 🌊 🌊 🌊

So I was thinking of maybe looking in Felixstowe but it seems like a bit of a risk….My main concern is my middle child and where she goes to school, it looks like she’ll be studying science, art, photography based A-levels. Which schools are good for that? I’d ideally like her to have some independence without needing to rely on lifts etc. She needs a friendly school with nice kids, unfortunately her current school has some issues and I want her to see that there’s another way of living…I also have a much younger one who will start reception in Sept 2023 so primary schools are also a consideration. It’d be lovely to live within walking distance of the sea but not if it’s in a area full of crappy people (sorry I know that’s not a great way of putting it but hopefully you’ll know what I mean)…as I said I have family there already so am aware there are some social problems, especially in Ipswich).

My eldest will be travelling to and from Uni, so I’ll most likely be collecting her fairly regularly from Ipswich station, she’ll also have to learn to drive! So somewhere reasonably fun for young adults she can invite her London/Uni friends to visit would also be lovely.

Maybe we’d be better off for friendliness in a village/small town further north? I’ve got to the point in life where my tolerance for crap is very low and I just want to be surrounded by chilled, lovely, non-judgey, people…I know you’re there 😉

Budget is around £350, possibly £400k. We need 4 bedrooms.

Sorry for waffling x

I don't associate Felixstowe with good schools

Woodbridge , farlingaye
Ipswich /Kesgrave high school

Not as near the sea but Bury or Sudbury? (the latter slightly more within your budget). Both nice places and I think the new Abbeygate sixth form in Bury has great art/photography facilities.

bordermidgebite yep I keep hearing this about the schools and keep wishing it were different.

I really like Felixstowe as a town, but I don't know what the schools are like. Train links aren't great tbh either. Maye as a compromise the NE area of Ipswich might tick more boxes? Not by the sea, of course, but not far away, and central Ipswich also has the waterfront. Lots of good schools around there and heading towards Woodbridge, and better public transport ie actual buses (which much of Suffolk doesn't really have)! Not too far from train either

Mufflette thanks, think Sudbury would be too far away from the family but I’ve heard good things about Bury St Edmonds - Maybe a bit more civilised that Ipswich?! I’ve heard a lot about fighting, nasty attacks, anti-social behaviour etc in Ipswich

Felixstowe is OK, although I'd say it's a bit rough around the edges. Woodbridge is a lot nicer, but more expensive.

How about Stowmarket?

Or - have you thought about Shotley peninsula? More rural, so not so much transport (but closer to Manningtree mainline station) although I know there are some buses into Ipswich for eg. Holbrook Academy is decent afaik, and it's very coastal. It's also a beautiful part of the world

usedtobeboss3 NE Ipswich would definitely work practically in terms of my family as we’d be right in the middle!

Another option for Felixstowe would be to wait two more years until my middle in finishes sixth-form but then the youngest would have to go through school there.

I think I sounded a bit negative there too, I do like Felixstowe. Have you got the option of maybe coming to stay in Suffolk for a couple of weeks and maybe spending more time around in the different towns?

Beccles is another nice place, but smaller and I don't know about the schools. Other smaller towns like Halesworth or Saxmundham, where you'd get plenty for your money, but they might not be what you're looking for.

I would stick to north east or east Ipswich or Kesgrave. Copleston, Northgate or Kesgrave schools.

I grew up in Lawshall, Bury St Edmunds - very rural.

Nice villages: Hawstead, Lawshall, Horringer, Whepstead, Great Whelnetham, Ixworth..

Not everyone who lives in Felixstowe has children at the (one) secondary in the town. I know a good few whose kids get the bus to other towns. Might that be an option?

Not too far from Woodbridge, Saxmundham and Wickham Market are both on the train line so access for college in Ipswich is an option along with the bus. I think Wickham is still in the Farlingaye catchment but best to check, if so school transport would be provided I think. Saxmundham has an Academy now and there is another secondary school in nearby Leiston, not sure what these are both like. Best to check though as Thomas Mills at nearby Framlingham was always held up as a better school but has just had a dire Ofsted.
The towns may be too small though for what you are looking for, however the coast is nearby and Saxmundham does have a Waitrose (and a tesco) .
I think you would be able to find a house within you budget in this area but if permission is given for Sizewell C everyone is expecting prices to rise so you may want to look sooner rather than later.
Perhaps join some Facebook groups for any areas you are considering to get a 'vibe' for the place, also reading the local papers perhaps could help.
If Woodbridge is too small then you may think the same about Wickham and Sax, Felixstowe is perhaps a bit more affordable. As others have said have no idea about the school but didn't have a great reputation in the past but I'm quite out of touch and quite often it also depends on the child.
I hope you find somewhere you will all be happy, it's a really hard decision when you don't live in the area. Good luck with the house hunting.

Oops forgot to say if you do decide on Felixstowe then there is a stand alone sixth form college in Ipswich that young people travel from all over the county to attend, so that may be a good compromise.

Rendlesham?