Relocation for SHSG - where?

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jxp
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 1:42 pm

Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by jxp »

DD offered a place in SHSG.

We live far away so need to relocate (which is OK as we knew it is not commutable).

My question is, do I have to move to Southend only or there are other nearby villages/towns which are good?

I need to commute to London at least 2 days per week so easy access to London will be necessary.

Don't want DD to spend more than an hour each way travelling to SHSG and hopefully from year 9 onwards she can travel of her own.

As per SHSG website I noticed that school buses come from far away places like Ilford! I don't know if living that far would be pragmatic!

Thanx
ToadMum
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Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by ToadMum »

SHSG is served by buses which stop at the interchange at Southend Victoria, if you decide on somewhere like Rayleigh / Rochford / Hockley (where are you moving from, if Ilford would be nearer to the school, btw?) on the Greater Anglia service, but the school is actually within a 15 minute walk of Southend East on the C2C line, which is a faster service into Fenchurch Street than GA is into Liverpool St. I don't know where you need to get to in London, but since your commute will be a lot less frequent than your DD's, I would prioritise hers. We live near Chalkwell station, which is about 50 minutes into Fenchurch St (half an hour or so to Upminster and in-between to West Ham, if changing there woukd help) and 3 stops / c.7 minutes from Southend East. Benfleet would take about 8 minutes off your commute and only add the same to your DD's.

Most grammar school pupils living near the stations up to at least Billericay on the Greater Anglia line and Laindon on C2C use public transport, not contract buses, which tend to be more expensive and completely inflexible, in that their is only one journey a day each way. When DD was at SHSG, we were canvassed on behalf of one of the contractors providers as to the potential uptake of a dedicated bus service - this would have cost four times as much as DD's rail season ticket for a service with a fraction of the usefulness. I don't know what the precise pro : contra split was, but the route never materialised. (I suspect the company had been badgered by one or two parents who couldn't cope with the concept of their little princesses being perfectly capable of using public transport).

You could look at Southchurch (ignore the 'Village' bit, it's really not been a 'village' since about 1930 :lol:) or Thorpe Bay, then you woukd have the train and your DD could just walk to school.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
jxp
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 1:42 pm

Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by jxp »

Thanks. I'll make few trips to Southend and to a find a suitable location. I have been to Southend few times as tourist. If I can't manage to buy a house before September, then will move to rental accommodation.

What are the areas of Southend I should avoid? I heard Southend have some rough areas.
ToadMum
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Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by ToadMum »

Everywhere has its rough areas...

My own major consideration of where not to live would be the bits as far as it gets from any kind of useful public transport. But I guess generally, right in the centre, perhaps not (York Road has a particularly bad rep, which is sad, because back in the mists of time it was really nice - lovely big terraced houses, which unfortunately went the way ofovely big terraced houses in many places and never really recovered). But then there are some nice houses around Cambridge Road - right near Southend Central. And every time I think, okay, perhaps not there, I think of friends / friends of our DC, who live just round the corner from whichever there it is, who have lived there for years and seem to have no particular desire to move away.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
WorryWorryWorry
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Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by WorryWorryWorry »

My suggestion would be anywhere on the C2C line as Southend East is only a 15 min to SHSG and is a pretty good line into London.

Lots of nice areas in Southend - depends on how much you can afford.
ToadMum
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Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by ToadMum »

The Wick Estate has some nice houses and is bang opposite the school, so a few minutes' walk for DD and a 15 or so minute walk to the station for you.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
jxp
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 1:42 pm

Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by jxp »

I am struggling to find something suitable in my budget in Southchurch/Thorpe Bay/Shoeburyness.

What about the areas like Rayleigh, Hadleigh, Hockley? As per Google Map it shows daily commute to school (using public transport) 1 hour. I have been to these places few times but not sure about traffic levels during school days.

Is that doable in real life daily? Or I really need to be near to school?

Benfleet is too far. So I'd prefer not to go that far.
ToadMum
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Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by ToadMum »

jxp wrote:I am struggling to find something suitable in my budget in Southchurch/Thorpe Bay/Shoeburyness.

What about the areas like Rayleigh, Hadleigh, Hockley? As per Google Map it shows daily commute to school (using public transport) 1 hour. I have been to these places few times but not sure about traffic levels during school days.

Is that doable in real life daily? Or I really need to be near to school?

Benfleet is too far. So I'd prefer not to go that far.
Hadleigh is quite a long way from a station, so you would really be looking at the Arriva no.1 bus route, which goes all the way to SHSG, but for the bus timetabled to arrive at the Arlington Road stop at 8.18, it takes an hour to get there from Hadleigh bus depot.

From Rayleigh or Hockley, you would for preference be looking for somewhere near the station for a train to Southend Victoria then the bus. Quicker than the bus - from Hockley, the train takes about 10 minutes iirc. Rayleigh is on several bus routes to Southend (Arriva 1, 7, 8, 9; First 20, 25; X30; also Arrow Taxis no.3, but I don't think that one timetabled into Southend at the right time for getting to SHSG) and Hockley on the 7 and 8; these do service a couple of stops on Woodgrange Drive in walking distance of the school, but the first bit a stiff uphill walk.

Rochford is one stop nearer to Southend Victoria than Hockley is and also on the 7 and 8 bus routes.

Going in a different direction, but also on bus routes to SHSG, there is a lot of new building around Star Lane in Great Wakering. No station, though, so you would also need to get the bus.

I wouldn't totally dismiss South Benfleet, though. At least the walk from Southend East is mainly on the flat.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
jxp
Posts: 45
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Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by jxp »

Thanx
Arriva bus #1 is very frequent what I have observed so far. Between 2 options
[1] shorter journey with combination of train + bus
[2] longer but single bus journey
My preference is [2] - especially for a child in year 7/8 and possibly she would find friends on bus easily.
ToadMum
Posts: 11945
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Relocation for SHSG - where?

Post by ToadMum »

jxp wrote:Thanx
Arriva bus #1 is very frequent what I have observed so far. Between 2 options
[1] shorter journey with combination of train + bus
[2] longer but single bus journey
My preference is [2] - especially for a child in year 7/8 and possibly she would find friends on bus easily.
I wouldn't disregard the number of girls who use the train to get to school, tbh, although there probably are also plenty who use the same bus route at the same time.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
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