Secondary schools in Hayward’s Heath?

[AS19]

Hi all,

We have one young daughter and are thinking of moving from South London to Hayward’s Heath. Like the general area although aware the town centre isn’t the best but it’s an ok commute to London for work, lots of lovely green areas nearby and feels a bit less crowded. Oh also we can actually afford a house there which is important! Been trying to look into education, it seems like there are quite a few good primary schools but only one good secondary school which I’m worried we’d be out of catchment for as we are likely to live near the station. Can anyone give any further info on your experiences/knowledge of secondary education in this area? It’s really daunting to move to a new area and feel like you’re making a decision that will affect your child’s future so much! Any help or info very gratefully received, thank you.

Which one are you seeing as the "good" one as both are generally considered pretty ok?

Near the station could be catchment for either depending on where.

Thank you, I’m thinking that Warden Park Is preferable but I requested the catchment area and this mostly covers Cuckfield with just a bit of Hayward’s Heath. Oathall has some horrible reviews online but obviously it’s difficult to tell how many of those are annoyed children messing around! Any actual info from parents that live or know the area or schools would be greatly appreciated- Are there problems with places as there are only 2 secondary schools? are there any other secondary schools that I’m not aware of? Thanks very much for your help

Historically warden park was seen as preferable but this isn't the case now.

Oathall is on the Lindfield side of HH and has some excellent facilities. It would be my choice for this reason.

Hi my 3 all went to Warden Park, youngest is still there. We couldn't fault the school at all. My kids have friends at Oathall who have had good experiences. There are other schools outside of HH that kids travel to including St Pauls in Burgess Hill which is a catholic school with a very good reputation and Chailey which is much smaller and suits some children more (I don't know much about it).
The catchment area for WP is decided by the railway line so depending where you live by the station you may be in catchment. Also WP has feeder schools. How old are your kids? Any other questions you have about the area feel free to ask or pm me. Good luck with the move

Thanks so much for your replies!

@dalrympy that’s really useful to get some historical context!

@Moonfacebiggins that’s really good to hear a little more about both schools, thank you.

It’s going to sound crazy but my daughter isn’t 3 yet! But we are looking to relocate permanently and I wanted to do some thorough research so that we wouldn’t be looking to move again in 7 years time! Although I do appreciate schools can change so might look very different by then. I felt a bit more comfortable with the primary school choices, they all seems to have good reputations (although any opinions on those also welcome, it’s really hard to get a mix of factual and anecdotal info when you’re not in the area). We are hoping to have another child and really want somewhere to make a long term home so I’m trying to cover all bases!

We both currently work in London although my partner would like to work at home full time and perhaps that will be possible after the current situation. The nature of my job means I need to be in the office probably 3 days a week so I do worry a little about the longer commute and being further away from my daughter if she was sick and needed picking up but I also balance this against a nice house with a big garden that I hope we would be able to give her in this area, Growing up with more access to green areas but also near to Brighton and London for culture (not to say HH doesn’t have cultural sights to offer!)

If you knew the likelihood of getting a seat on the morning commuter trains that would be interesting. And also my other concern is if I have another child are there many baby classes/playgroups etc around? Doing something most days kept me sane when on maternity leave with my first and as I’d have moved away from my friends I’d love to know what my options are in HH, the parks and outdoor space seem brilliant but I don’t know much about activities or clubs for babies/older kids.

My other half is absolutely sold on the move, he lives in Brighton for a long time and longs for a slightly less busy and less urban area than where we are in south London now. I like what I’ve seen of HH but I’m a City girl at heart so for me I’ll be sad to leave London! But I’ve got to think about what’s best for all the family and I’ll still be going in for work and meeting friends etc.

We looked at Lindfield and really liked the feel of the independent shops etc. on the high street but I worried that it was perhaps a bit too villagey for me (Coming straight from London to there) and it isn’t as straight forward to get to the train station so I think we’ve decided to look for somewhere walking distance from the station (15mins would be nice, 20 max) And hopefully we could still make use of the Lindfield shops and restaurants at the weekends.

Anyway sorry I’ve waffled on here, I’d be so grateful just for any views of what it’s like as a place to live and raise a family. My friends are all local to me now and don’t want me to move so it’s hard to discuss with them!

The only primary to potentially avoid is Hayworth - now Warden Park Academy.

Look at Hassocks rather than HH. It’s just an extra couple of stops on the train and the secondary school is great (Downlands).

Hassocks has a much more small town feel, which I don’t think OP wants...

To answer a couple of your questions, if you get on the train before 0700, you would usually get a seat. The trains are very frequent to London at rush hour. There are plenty of leisure activities and classes for kids and babies. I had something on every day during mat leave. We have two big leisure centres nearby for swimming and sports.

Houses near the station usually command a premium. What sort of budget are you looking at? If you do end up further out, the station has plenty of parking, albeit expensive. A lot of commuters cycle or moped as they can park for free that way.

Thanks @dalrympy So Warden Park secondary is good but the primary not so good?

Thanks so much @AllTheCakes You’re right that I’d prefer the larger town feel of HH although appreciate that Hassocks would suit others better.

Good to know about the trains- I can’t find much info on timing at the moment because the schedules have all changed due to the current situation but is it usually a problem getting a seat after 7am? I think we would be going later because of nursery/school drop off etc. Where does the line originate, I know it’s not the Brighton line but wondered if there are many stops before HH?

Yes have seen the houses nearer the station are more expensive but as you say we’d spend a fortune in parking otherwise and we won’t be commuting at the same time as one of us does pick-up and one drop off and we have one car so it would be difficult if we weren’t able to walk to the station- cycling might be possible depending on how many children can fit on the back! I think my preference is for walking distance if we can afford it.

Another poster mentioned that the railway line decides the catchment for Warden Park secondary, does anyone know more about this, which side it falls or anything?

Really appreciate all the info and just keen to hear from people and parents living in the area if they enjoy living there and consider it a nice place to raise children- one concern I have is lack of diversity, coming from South London we have it in spades and are keen for children to be exposed to all different backgrounds and cultures where possible, is this something lacking in HH?

Thank you!

On the train front there are a few lines that come through HH which is why there are so many. Most originate in Brighton with at most 4 stops before it arrives but sometimes less, but there are trains from Eastbourne and from Littlehampton too. The ones not from Brighton tend to be a bit busier IME as the people on those lines have less trains. If I do the nursery drop off and get to the station at 0745, I only get a seat about half the time, although a lot of people get off at Gatwick so I sometimes get a seat then if I’m standing in the right place.

My LO is too small so I can’t comment on the secondary school front, but I am sure if you put in the postcodes on the council website it maps out the boundaries for each school catchment.

I do really like living here and my circle of mum friends all do too. It’s a good balance of commuting time, house prices and location. Yes, it’s a bit commuter town, but it means you more in common with your neighbours and friends in the area. In terms of diversity, I would say it is not overly diverse especially when compared to London, but it’s not an exclusively white area by any means.

That’s really useful thanks very much for the info, makes sense and much appreciated!

Warden Park had a better reputation for exam marks but had a lot more Teachers who are convicted Pedophiles. David Gallichan was finally locked up after multiple offences. He was probably not a smart as his peers who got away with their sick abuse while others (Teachers and Parents) turned a blind eye. As usual the Sussex police covered this up. Shows how a friend in the Freemasons is a Golden Ticket for these Nonces.