When I first read your post, I thought, "My word - does she want to live in London AT ALL!!" It's a great place to live. I live in Cobbold Road and have lived in this area for over 17 years. The Supersewer cannot possibly have an outlet in Cobbold Road - they'd have to knock down all the houses, for starters, and I think your concerns have been answered by others on this forum. As to the murder - well, yes, someone was stabbed and died, on Askew Road last year. Local drugs issue, I believe. One murder is all I've heard of in 17 years - probably more than that. This is London; I work for someone who lives on one of the most gentrified and expensive streets in Notting Hill (probably one of the most expensive streets in London). There've been AT LEAST five murders within a shorter distance of his home, than this murder in Askew Road, in the 5 years I've worked for him; probably more, this is all I've heard of. If you live in an inner city, you're likely to never be less than a stone's throw from deprivation, and all the issues that it can bring. That's not to say that murder, theft, violence doesn't happen within the most salubrious of surroundings. If you live anywhere in this city - and I've lived south, north, east and west - you have to be sensible about how you live, walking home on your own at night, don't leave valuables on show in your car, etc. As for Wendell Park School; it's directly opposite me. It has a FANTASTIC head teacher, who I've met on a number of occasions. There are always exciting activities happening after school, and on Saturdays. It had substantial rebuilding only recently and looks stunning. It is a London school that is truly representative of its community, i.e. it hasn't been oversubscribed by the middle classes cherry-picking it, moving into the area and driving property prices up, and excluding all but those who can afford to live within two massively over-priced streets! I have been a Governor of a neighbouring primary school for over six years, Chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee, with responsibility for learning and attainment; and I can promise you that the very LAST thing you should consider when choosing a school for your child is league tables! They do not give you the picture of the quality of teaching; you need to know at what level the children STARTED their education, in order to be able to read how much they IMPROVED while at the school. That is how you measure teaching: how much did children move from where they started, to where they finished. Most of the schools in H&F which are at the top of the league tables have children who start at a very high level of attainment, due to their parents' ability to afford private nurseries before school, the type of background they live in, the extra curricular activities their parents can afford - therefore the teachers' job is almost taken care of! They would have STARTED at a high level, so moving to a high level throughout their schooling, is not necessarily a reflection of good teaching. However, if you have a more mixed intake of children from less affluent backgrounds, and not necessarily speaking English at home, they are likely to have started at the school with a lower attainment, and may well have MOVED UP far more in their attainment throughout their time at school - which means that their teaching could well have been better at a school with seemingly lower end results, than at schools with higher results. There are increasing numbers of parents WANTING their children to go to Wendell Park, from all backgrounds, and it what with the current Headteacher, funding that the school received a few years ago, these things take time to trickle down and be reflected in results. Come and live in Cobbold Road - Wendell Park is where my children grew up, it's truly lovely. The area is lively, with some fantastic little shops emerging on Askew Road, brilliant transport links, an active Community group - you'll love it!
Samantha Hill ● 4649d