Where to move outside London?

[Dadn2Boys]

Hello dear members. I have x 2 boys aged 8 and 12 and we are planning to move out of London as we feel we need a bigger place for 2 growing boys. Its a long shot but was looking at some advice where can I look towards where I can find:

1. Good performing secondary state schools
2. Has decent connectivity to central London (max an hour one way)
3. Get bigger place for what you pay for a 2 bed in London
4. Has decent after school activities for kids

I have been exploring areas like Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire (st Albans & Watford) & Surrey (Woking/Guilford), but just not sure which one is better than the other. Or does it really matter?

Apologies it might be a tall ask but we recently moved to UK so somewhat starting on a clean slate and some advise would be highly appreciated.

Thanks so much in advance!

Are you Catholic? If so, Woking would be a good choice (St John the Baptist)

I'd highly recommend Bishop's Storford.

*Stortford

Can you give us an idea of budget for house and how many bedrooms you want? You can buy a five bedroom detached in Milton Keynes but only a two / three bedroomed terrace in St Albans for the same money.

If you can provide that then your responses might be slightly more focussed.

Colchester is great - with good state schools.

St Albans would easily be my choice out of all of those and I currently live just outside Watford and have worked in Milton Keynes.
St Albans is really lovely.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. We are looking at renting initially with a budget of £2,000 to £2,300 for a 3+ bedroom with a garden. We are not Catholics but have indeed heard good things about Woking :)

Tonbridge, Kent? Very good schools. Lots of nice countryside. Short and fast train journey to London.

I am in Kent but with your budget (I am assuming £400000 at least) then I wouldn't choose Kent due to the grammar system. The secondary moderns are mostly not great.

Alton, Hampshire.
Winchester good too but very expensive.

Have a look at the towns on the main railway line north out of London from Kings Cross / St Pancras. Quite a few commuter towns and villages, all the way to Peterborough, or up the branch line towards Cambridge. All within an hour's commute of central London.

Bromley - access to grammars and excellent non-selectives (if you get your location right), quick commute to various stations in London.

Horsell near Woking is a great place to live!

St Albans is a lovely city with a good train route into London and really good secondary school options.

Problem is you will be moving and relying on an in year place and the school you are focussing on will unlikely have free spaces (popular schools rarely do) so just move as close as you can to your preferred secondary school and hope the waiting list has some movement but you should be prepared to accept a school that would ultimately not be your first preference.

Harpenden? Nearish St Albans. I hear good things.