New move to ED for single mum and baby - pls help!

[wharto]

Hi there, I'm currently living up in Peterborough but planning on a move to East Dulwich with my 22 month old daughter in the next couple of months. I want to move to an area that has plenty of good schools as I need to apply next year, and also somewhere that is lively for me and my daughter to make lots of new friends. A lot of friends live scattered around SE London, hence the reason I'm moving, but I don't know where to start when picking areas or schools. Some people have suggested places like Telegraph Hill or Beckenham, but I wonder whether we might feel a bit isolated over there on our own. Most importantly, I need to help finding affordable nursery care or childminders. Can anyone offer a newbie any help on where to start? And if East Dulwich would be a nice, yet perhaps expensive, place for a mum and daughter? Thanks ever so!

[vez]

Hi there, I saw your post had no replies yet but quite a few views. I think ED is a great choice for your situation, there are plenty of families, parks, schools etc. I think it all depends on your budget, also do you want to rent or buy? Also, you have to check if the commute from ED works for you There are great areas for families nearby, such as the ones mentioned in your post, but also Herne Hill, Forest Hill, Honor Oak, Crystal Palace.. Usually nurseries have long waiting lists so a childminder may be a better option. You could get lists from the council, and often they advertise on here or on childcare.co.uk.

[Belle]

Hello!

ED is a great place to live with children - although, as you say, it is increasingly expensive. The primary schools are all pretty good, but the growing number of families living here has put pressure on school capacities, meaning that it now can seem as though if you don't live in a street practically oppposite a school you won't get in. Hopefully with the new schools opening (one this year, one next) that situation will right itself a bit...

when is your daughter 5? As you may have more time than you think depending on where her birthday falls.

Forest Hill/Sydenham/Honor Oak Park also worth considering - poss more affordable than ED, also have nice green spaces/amenities and good transport links.

There is a thread on here of Beckenham mums so they may be able to advise you about it as an area compared to ED.

Given you are moving from somewhere else I'd definitely opt to be near some friends - b ut can certainly say that round here is very friendly and you'll meet people in no time.

Hope that helps! Oh - childcare - nurseries are not cheap round here, and they do have waiting lists - but it depends what days you need so worth calling round. Lots of threads on here about the various local nurseries to give you an idea. There are lots of childminders working in this area, if you look on here you will find adverts or you can call southwark council to get a list. Pretty sure there is now assistance from 2 years for nursery costs, depending on income.

[Belle]

Sorry didn't see Vez's post - cross posted!

[EmilyPie]

Brockley and crofton park are also nice areas with good schools and green spaces. As others have said it depends where you need to commute to. You can also look on the starting school in lewisham in 2014 document which gives the last distance offered for lewisham primary schools. These change every year and also get a bit bigger after they do further rounds of offers, but is useful as an indication of where the primary school black holes are. The rightmove app is also useful as it gives you distances from stations and shows you nearby schools. Coming down and walking round a few areas would really help too if you can as getting a feel for a place helps you work out which compromises you're prepared to make.

[sanity girl]

I think it will all depend on your budget/requirements for your accommodation. I assume you will be renting? East Dulwich and Dulwich are wonderful places to bring up children - I grew up here and am now bringing my children up here (as a single parent). However rent has got very expensive. YOu can expect to pay upwards of ?1200 per month for a 2 bed place. Rightmove is very useful for getting an idea of what is available and also seeing distances from schools. As for affordable nurseries - it depends on your requirements again. My son goes to Dulwich Village preschool and is very happy there (and it is very affordable, especially once you get the government funding after your child turns 3), but they only do school hours - i.e. 9.30-3.15pm term time only. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Bishberro]

Hi Wharto, I've sent you a private message x

[wharto]

Hi all, thanks for your advice... having spent the day down in ED, I think i've settled on that as the area I want to live in. I saw a few properties, one in under hill road which i liked (close to friern road) and another in oakhurst grove which i loved, but neither seem to fall into any obvious school catchments. any ideas? or shall i keep looking?

[Belle]

Hi Wharto, that's pretty near me (the underhill road one) - you wd have a good chance of Goodrich from there, I'd have thought - or possibly the new Harris which will open temporarily over on Peckham Rye this year (in the Harris girls school) but moves to Whately Road (site of old police station) in a year or two I believe.

Oakhurst Grove - poss St john's and st clements, though I believe it was v oversubscribed this year - but again poss new Harris, or the effect of it at least would free up places. Remember that things will change by the time you are ready to apply/places are allocated.

[wharto]

i had a look on a school catchment map that someone had done based on 2013 admissions and i don't know i'd get into goodrich, particularly as the catchment areas have probably got smaller since then. does anyone know what the harris catchment area will be yet? also, on that same catchment map, oakhurst seems to fall into bessemer grange??

[Belle]

the furthest distance figure is based on the first round of offers - there is a bit of a shakedown after that which would mean the 'catchment' as such could grow once people turn down places to go elsewhere/go private etc...but depending where exactly it was I'd have thought you'd get in from there, obviously hard to say for sure unless you actually live next door to the school. Not sure re Harris as this being its first year their admissions were done outside of the Southwark admissions system, they do seem to have filled their 60 places though. And yes - Bessemer and poss Goose Green cd also be options from Oakhurst - it's just really hard to say with any certainty I'm afraid. However I'd say the primary places issue looks like it's going to ease considerably in the next few years.

[wharto]

thanks, very helpful! i've such a lot to learn!

[Monkey]

If I could do it again, I would choose somewhere in the catchment of one of the many very good Forest Hill schools (Fairlawn, Horniman) or Eliot Bank on the Sydenham border or Gordonbrock in Brockley. Property is a bit cheaper there and many of those schools are outstanding.

[Belle]

Yes, actually - from what I've heard about Horniman, I do also wish we'd have had a shot at it - we wouldn't get in from where we are, and it is only one form entry and very tight catchment I think. Having said that, I love living near Peckham Rye Park and would miss it terribly if we ever moved.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Wharto, thanks for your email, I'll respond to that in detail. In general, if you're working I'd also check where nurseries are in relation to getting to work and check on waiting lists as some of the local nurseries have very long waiting lists!

Renata

[wharto]

Thanks for taking a look at my email, I actually work from home so I would be looking for somewhere locally.

Also, thanks everyone else for your comments, I think I've settled on East Dulwich as the area I want to be in now, it's just a case of finding nurseries with space for a two-year-old or childminders come september, so any suggestions gratefully received!!