Move to Teddington??? Post Reply

[justmeandmyboy]

Hello.

After a very recent and painful break up I'm thinking of moving out to Teddington/Twickenham/Hampton/Surbiton from Clapham.

It's too heartbreaking to stay around Clapham and I have a 5 year old so to think about too.

Would love to her from local mums who might be able to tell me I'm thinking straight, schools are good, plenty of outside space etc.

I've had a look at house prices and as it's just the two of us then I'm happy with what I could afford.

My close friends think it would be good for us, but they don't have children so I'm trying to think with a mummy hat on.

Thanks.

[Hattie]

HUG! Poor you - you sound very bruised. The lovely thing about most mums everywhere is that they do tend to bring you in close to the camp fire when you need that woman-to-woman support. I don't imagine there is a mum out there who does not appreciate how hard it must be to have a break up when you have a child, let alone moving to a new area. I am sure that, once you join a few out of school activity groups and do a little networking on here, you will find other mums who will willingly take you under their wings and help you feel welcome in your new home.

NVN mums seems to be a pretty solid crew.

Wish you all the luck in the world!

[justmeandmyboy]

Thanks for the reply. I use NVN quite a bit but I've decided to change my user name so that I can start fresh.

But yes, very bruised at the moment. But thinking swapping lovely Clapham (well, it was lovely but now filled with memories that are too hard to deal with on a daily basis) for another lovely area.

And the plan is to throw myself and my little one into local activities. But first I need to think about school, area, what's going on, that kind of thing.

Hoping some Teddington and surrounding area mums can give me some insight into how nice it is.

x

[Hattie]

Am sure this sounds really obvious - but are you on the Richmond NVN site too?

[Larapru]

Move to Hampton hill its lovely. Loads of playgroups, schools etc. Also a bit cheaper than teddington

[HighchairHostess]

I live in Teddington and I honestly couldn't recommend it highly enough. There's a real community spirit and a very 'villagey' feel. Everyone is so friendly. I know Clapham/Battesea is officially 'Nappy Valley', but Teddington must be competing on the number of buggies per sq ft!! It's pram central and the perfect place to bring up your children. Fabulous green spaces (Bushy Park, Richmond Park, Marble Hill), amazing schools, the river and Hampton Court palace just down the road.
There is something for everyone, cycling, kayaking, running, riding, sports clubs the list goes on. So, our verdict is that there is a great deal for kids to do and the environment is green and healthy!

[justmeandmyboy]

Thank you for the lovely replies. V keen on Teddington but now thinking Hampton Hill might be another option.

It would all come down to schools... Are all the good ones hodeously oversubscribed? Having gone through the disappointment of missing out last year when it came to reception I would hate to put my son through a move and then miss out again on a good school.

Any advice on schools in the area would be hugely appreciated.

So much to think about... I guess it's like a chicken and egg situation... School or house comes first??

As for things to do.... Sounds like my son will have plenty to chose from. And I've made some good friends through his activities. Hope to find the same once we move.

x

[Lucullus]

You'll be fine at any primary school in the borough, basically. Richmond is blessed with excellent schools all over, so my advice would be to find a new gaff before you worry about the school too much.

If you want advice on specific schools, I'm sure people could help ...

[justmeandmyboy]

A huge thank you to everyone for the replies....I've slightly altered the subject after a few people suggested I think about Hampton Hill AND Teddington - now starting the daunting task of house hunting and tackling the school admissions system.

So all you lovely mums have kindly posted... but I'm now going to bombard with some more questions.

Starting with Schools.

Could anyone give me any information about schools in Hampton Hill or Teddington. I can go through Ofsted reports, but a real insight into the various schools would be great. DS is 5 1/2 so he'd be going into Year 1 in September.

Obviously settling on a school will have a major impact on where I buy, or possibly rent until something comes on the market. (trying not to take too much on)

Secondly, extra activities.

At the moment DS has swimming classes on a Tuesday, Football on a Wednesday, Little Gym on a Thursday and Drama on a Saturday morning. Have already spoken to Little Gym and I can transfer our membership, but where do people take their little ones swimming? Any suggestions on what out of school activities are in the area that I can get him involved in. It would be a great way for him and I to get to know local people after we move.

I'm really looking forward to a fresh start and after spending a lot of time strolling around the area I have to say it has a fab feel about the place - that I hope very soon we can call home.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can reply.

x

[yoyo]

What a brave move, but I'm sure you'll love it. The area is well blessed with excellent schools and masses of activities.

You'll get much better value for money in Hampton Hill house wise than Teddington and the schools are all good there too. Strawberry Hill is lovely too and in between everywhere with access to good schools.

However here goes on a few thoughts....
Hampton Hill - mums love Carlisle Primary and then onto Hampton Hill Juniors. I think Carlisle is 'good' on Ofsted. I'm sure someone will put me right if it's actually 'excellent'.

Football - everywhere - Footie Tots, Little Kickers, Kids Coach etc. However maybe more appropriate for your sons age group is either Soccer Brasilia or a new one called Tri-active sports. They are based at the NPL sports ground in the centre of Bushy Park. They do a mix of sports - Football, Rugby and Cricket during the holidays but are trialling out an after school club on Fridays to see if there's the demand.

Swimming - Hampton Open Air Pool have a reputation for great lessons. There's also Teddington Swimming Pool which has lots of lessons. Plus you should check out Patterson's Penguins (swim at The Mall, private boys school) Springboard (swim at St Catherine's, private girls school) - they both run quite small groups. There's others but I can't think of them.

Gymnastics - when he outgrows Little Gym (is that possible!) there's two other gym clubs I know of -Simms Splitz at St Mary's University. We've done that and loved it. Also 'Gymsters' which is a couple of times a week out of Collis.

Lastly Teddington schools - all amazing in fact. The ones everyone goes for are Collis (excellent) St Mary's & St Peter's (excellent) and St James' (need to be Catholic). All the others are 'good' so really all amazing.

Loads of mums here, lots to do and really friendly, personal area.

I hope that helps and good luck with it all. xx