Aside from all the tourist attractions and iconic landmarks, Westminster is undoubtedly one of the most exciting boroughs in London, where you will find everything from thriving tourist and commercial areas to quiet and luxurious residential neighbourhoods. With the average price of a terraced house in the area reaching well over £3 million, you would certainly expect the area to offer outstanding amenities.
Westminster is home to many affluent people from all over the world seeking the finest quality of living for themselves and their family. In this article we look at two of the major factors new residents look for when moving to Westminster with children – schools and transport.

Schools in Westminster

When looking at the league table of primary schools in Westminster, and indeed London, there is one that sits proudly amongst the top.
Hampden Gurney Church of England Primary school is located between Marble Arch and Edgware Road stations and has been in the area since 1863. The school has been given an ‘outstanding’ rating in the last two inspections by Ofsted, as well as a score of 96% for children achieving the expected standard. The national average for percentage of children achieving the expected standard is 65% and the local authority average (Westminster) is 70%, this strongly indicates the calibre of education at Hampden Gurney Primary School.
With the same score of 96% of students achieving the expected standard is St Joseph’s Primary School on Lanark Road. St Joseph’s was founded in Maida Vale in 1959 and accepts 42 children each year. The school, headed by Mrs Katharine Husain, has received Good and Outstanding ratings in their two most recent Ofsted inspections and prides itself on being one of the top 100 primary schools in England and Wales, based on their SATS results. Other achievements for the school include being awarded the Gold Schools Kitemark for their commitment to providing a high level of physical and sport-based education.
Some people see London as being France’s 6th largest city because there are currently more French living in London than in Nantes, Strasbourg or Bordeaux. French nationals that have come to London, or English parents looking to give their child a bilingual education, can send their children to EIFA International School. The school which is based in Marylebone teaches iGCSEs with Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), as well as Edexcel International GCSE qualifications, which are taught in more than 55 countries. There are not many international schools in London with an ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted, however EIFA is one of them. If you are moving to Westminster and you would like your child to have a good international education then EIFA International School should be a strong consideration.
The King Solomon Academy, a short walk from Edgware Road station, has set itself the mission of providing “a rigorous and transformational education that prepares our pupils for success at university and beyond”. A mission that was confirmed as being a reality by Ofsted after giving the school an “outstanding” rating at the previous two inspections. Furthermore, in 2015 King Solomon Academy achieved the highest progress and attainment for any school in the country at GCSE level and has been performing consistently well ever since. It is because of the consistent performance that Principal of the school, Max Haimendorf, was awarded an OBE for services to education.
The City of Westminster College has a very diverse selection of both vocational and academic courses ranging from accounting and motor vehicle repairs to drama, with more than 200 subjects on offer. This vast number of courses comes with the specialist teaching facilities to match including the Cockpit Theatre, science labs and TV and radio studios. The college opened a new campus in Paddington Green in 2011, a seven-storey building which was designed by Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen and cost £102 million. Other than the Paddington Green campus and the Cockpit Theatre, the City of Westminster College also has a campus in Maida Vale which opened in September 2017, the latter of which includes a multi-sensory room for students with learning difficulties.

Transport in Westminster

Driving through central London is never easy, and Westminster is no different. However, Westminster is very well connected through public transport. One of London’s main traffic hubs, Victoria Station, connects London to the South East including Brighton, Sussex and Dover. The station is also a popular transport link to Gatwick airport. Victoria station is connected to Westminster underground station by the Circle and District lines. Westminster is also served by the Jubilee line which runs to Waterloo, Canary Wharf and North Greenwich.
Residents of Westminster often find that parking near home can be limited. However, there are numerous car hire services in the borough as well as the Westminster Car Club Scheme. The latter of which is run in conjunction with Zipcar and allows users to hire one of 150 vehicles from a fixed location and return it to the same location at the end of the session. A growing number of the cars within the scheme are electric as the company strives to promote and encourage green vehicle usage in London. Westminster itself is also committed to promoting electric car usage, with over 450 on-street charge points, and more being added on a regular basis.
One of the main reasons why people choose to visit or move to Westminster is because of the volume of iconic sights and architecture that are accessible by foot. Whether you choose to walk to work or wish to get some fresh air with the family you will never run out of picturesque scenery to gaze upon as you walk around this beautiful borough.
Cadogan Tate has been moving people both nationally and internationally for many years and is highly experienced with removals and storage Westminster London. If you are considering moving to Westminster please get in touch with our specialist removals team who can assist you with your removals and storage needs.