Place to live : Reading or Milton Keynes

AnotherJoe

sonirohan wrote: »

What schools would you recommend in these areas - so I can have a look. I am aware of Aldryngton - any others would be greatly appreciated.

I know of four schools in the Winnersh/Wokingham area, three from personal experience with parents whose kids go there, AFAIK they all get good write ups.
Winnersh primary.
A new one on the Winnersh farm estate, Wheatfield Primary. Very structured which may or may not suit. Homework for little ones not my cup of tea. (this is second hand knowledge)
Hawthorns. (tough to get into unless you are in catchment I understand which implies its good)
Emmbrook. I have a friend whose kids went there/ still go there. Only hear good things.

Radstock was a very good primary/junior school in Lower Earley, both my kids went there but that was 25 years ago! I dont know what its reputation is like now.

Not a school thing, I agree Woodley is worth looking into but if you are commuting into London from there, going via Reading train station, driving would be a complete nightmare at rush hour (I used to drive across the A4 and it was stationary and traffic queuing for way back along the A329m) and I'd have thought that even with bus lanes it wouldn't be good on a bus . I'd advise trying a journey in and seeing how it goes.

Marmaduke123

Think about moving over the river to Caversham. Good schools, easy access to the station and Reading town centre by bike or foot depending on the distance.

AnotherJoe

Eye watering house prices in Caversham is the main downside !

AylesburyDuck

My vote goes for Milton Keynes, we live quite close in Aylesbury so go to Milton Keynes shopping etc, the areas around are quite nice.......Reading on the other hand...lived there from 83 to 94 and we left when we had our first child, was getting quite rough by this stage and the nice areas are really costly, and town center was getting rough, not a place i'd want to bring up a family, it is lively though if you are younger and like student towns and the chaos that Reading festival brings every year.

sonirohan

AylesburyDuck wrote: »

My vote goes for Milton Keynes, we live quite close in Aylesbury so go to Milton Keynes shopping etc, the areas around are quite nice.......Reading on the other hand...lived there from 83 to 94 and we left when we had our first child, was getting quite rough by this stage and the nice areas are really costly, and town center was getting rough, not a place i'd want to bring up a family, it is lively though if you are younger and like student towns and the chaos that Reading festival brings every year.

You sum up really well. Guess we spent most time in Reading, when we were still a couple - and enojyed the buzz and drama of a student town.

Perhaps parenting will make us move to a quieter side,......

Lower Earley I found too quiet for us - not much going on.

Caversham is nice but again only 1 school that I like - Caversham Primary with a very expensive/limited catchment.

Wokingham ticks many boxes - but pricey, and slightly long winded to get to London.

Milton Keynes (Middleton/Oakgrove) - a bit better on pricing - yet 2 outstanding oversubscribed schools

AylesburyDuck

sonirohan wrote: »

You sum up really well. Guess we spent most time in Reading, when we were still a couple - and enojyed the buzz and drama of a student town.

Perhaps parenting will make us move to a quieter side,......

Lower Earley I found too quiet for us - not much going on.

Caversham is nice but again only 1 school that I like - Caversham Primary with a very expensive/limited catchment.

Wokingham ticks many boxes - but pricey, and slightly long winded to get to London.

Milton Keynes (Middleton/Oakgrove) - a bit better on pricing - yet 2 outstanding oversubscribed schools

Yes, when we lived there we were a young couple, husband was at Uni there, and we just stayed on after he finished his degree, so we were used to the quick pace of the town, it is more of a town for youngsters i think, all the nice places are way way too pricey, another reason we moved to Aylesbury, but again that was over 20 years ago now and Aylesbury is unrecognisable itself. :eek:

Marmaduke123

AnotherJoe wrote: »

Eye watering house prices in Caversham is the main downside !

Caversham Heights maybe, but a quick look on Rightmove shows several houses near Caversham Primary within the OPs budget. You have to be careful about the actual catchment for the school though

sonirohan

Marmaduke123 wrote: »

Caversham Heights maybe, but a quick look on Rightmove shows several houses near Caversham Primary within the OPs budget. You have to be careful about the actual catchment for the school though

Yes, thats the trouble. Very limited catchement - almost 0.3 mile !!! And that too not in all directions... So, yes very small area available to hunt - and then within that area not all houses would appeal in terms of size/character/condition etc...