Area with good schools that actually feels like London?

[PancakeCloud]

I’m very much a city person, I like busy areas, I’ve lived in zone 2 for most of my life. I like having cafes, shops and bars around and feeling well connected to the rest of London.

I’m now in the position of being in a too small flat with small children and trying to work out where I can move to that still feels like London but has decent state primaries and secondaries for a girl and a boy. I’d prefer non-selective, non-grammar schools as I hate the idea of having to tutor primary school kids.

Does an area like this actually exist?? I suspect not but thought I’d ask anyway just in case…

I mean there’s plenty of other cities but none of them are London.

if you want non selective state schools the house prices will be crazy that’s the way it works.

Places in outer London that feel like zone 1/2?

I can't really think of any tbh. I guess other big cities like Manchester might feel more similar than a small SE town?

True but my job, family and life is in London.

I am theoretically willing to compromise on size of property etc but I don’t even know what areas are feasible.

What’s your budget and what do you need - eg 3 beds etc?

If you want to stay in London (because brutally the other cities are not like London they are bigger versions of small towns) then I’d suggest either getting religion (which one depends on you and on which school you want your kids to go to), buying in a very very shitty part of London and paying private school fees (probably cheaper than house prices near a good non selective state school) or looking at places like Brighton which have. London sort of vibe but are not London.

Would Wapping be suitable, OP?

It doesn’t have to feel like Piccadilly Circus. There are lots of zone 2/3 areas I like: Peckham, Clapham, Walthamstow, Stoke Newington, Dalston etc as areas but I really know nothing about the schools and am finding it very hard to get good information. Ofsted ratings are of course one helpful metric but I’m hoping to get some local insights.

Yes, it would be. Does it have good schools?

It’s hard to advise without knowing your budget.

Cities commutable to London – Southend, Chelmsford, Reading, St Albans, Milton Keynes, Maidenhead, Hatfield …

3 beds, budget about £750k. I’m realistic and understand it will likely be a flat and not a house.

Winchester is fab. Full of people who've moved out of London but want to live somewhere civilised.

7.18 to Waterloo stacked with bankers. There's a theatre an Everyman the College which lends the place a studious air, great state schools and a brilliant 6th form that feeds Oxbridge if that's your thing.

Lots of restaurant's and bars and a million coffee shops.

A Michelin star restaurant. 15mins drive to 'rural' Stockbridge and a couple of Mr&Mrs Smith type pubs with rooms.

Does nowhere in zone 2 have decent state schools either? I’m wondering whether I should focus on primary for now and then cross the bridge of secondaries in the future, although I’m really looking for an area with both decent primaries and secondaries

It is almost impossible to answer with just a city name. It depends a lot on where you settle down and the local entry requirements. Also what you think is a good school and whether you are looking for primary or secondary. You have to ask a lot if questiond locally for example in FB groups.

You might be able to find something around Herne Hill. I live there and we love it - so much so that we’ve stayed renting as we sure can’t afford to buy. But there are plenty of excellent primaries and an outstanding secondary school (Charter North Dulwich), albeit with a tight catchment area.

I'm in stoke Newington - We've had a great experience with schools. The primaries are particularly good. Son just about to sit his a levels in a hackney school and did really well in his GCSEs.

750k for 3 bed. I’m comfortable living in a flat (incl ex-LA). I’ve identified several areas where this seems feasible but very hard to get local insights on schools just from google and old Mumsnet threads seem to refer to areas that I think are probably too far out for me (e.g Barnet, Beckenham)

Thank you this is great to hear. Any particular school recs? I shall do some more digging!

Thank you! Will have a look

A lot depends on what you mean by decent state schools.

at secondary level there’s been a move recently to a, how do I put this, stricter sort of school where gcse options are limited, uniform is insisted upon and the rules are really strictly enforced. The example school for this kind of approach is Michaela which takes in underprivileged inner city kids and turns out really incredible gcse results.

some parents love those sorts of schools, and in fact there is one in Dalston - Mossbourne community academy.

other parents have really do not like them - there’s basically no choice at gcse so if you have a kid who is good at languages they can’t choose to do German and Spanish and Italian they just do Spanish because that’s what the whole year does.

the mossbourne website is here:

https://www.mca.mossbourne.org/

However some of these stricter schools have been accused of basically bullying the students and destroying their mental health - and in fact mossbourne has been the centre of a campaign by some parents after students developed psychological problems

see Here for example.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/nov/23/teachers-at-mossbourne-academy-in-hackney-screamed-at-and-humiliated-pupils-say-angry-parents?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

so you need to think about what you want. So you want a school that’s Michaela style (and a lot of inner London schools have gone down that route) or do you want a school where the behaviour may not be as good but there’s more choice at gcse and it’s less.. sterile.

I mean I am looking for a place to settle down hence asking the question. I am ideally looking for non-selective state schools. I’m not religious, so not a school that requires church attendance etc. So entry by way of catchment / distance I suppose.

I believe so.

There is actually a new school there, the Mulberry Academy London Dock.

It has only recently opened.

I went to the early meetings on the rebuilding of the area, which is largely where the newspaper printing used to take place.

I like the area.

mulberrylondondock.org/

Thanks this is really interesting.

I think on the balance of factors I want somewhere less sterile and with more choice, but I do appreciate there will be compromises with any school. I will do some more research into the Michaela style of school and Mossbourne.

And what is a good school is obviously key. Kids very little so hard to know if they will be academic, creative, shy etc so without knowing that I suppose I want somewhere with decent pastoral care, good teaching and good academic outcomes. I went to a school with lots of behavioural issues and I don’t want that for my kids.

Kingston!

South East London has good options, Brockley, Forest Hill, Honor Oak, Hither Green etc. plenty of families do worry when it comes to secondary and move, but just as many stay and are happy with the state options, or there are some private options that feel more like a local school rather than the super competitive ones to get into.