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Family ranking

The best London boroughs for families, ranked

Wandsworth tops the SettleWithUs family score at 66/100. 32 boroughs scored on a single composite of schools, safety, green space, commute and everyday amenities — same yardstick, no estate-agent spin.

How to read this ranking

This score is built from postcode-level data (Ofsted + DfE schools within 1 mile, police.uk street-level crime, TfL door-to-door commute, OSM parks & amenities) averaged up to the borough. It now covers all 32 London boroughs, sampled across ~180 representative postcodes.

Two things to keep in mind: (1) within a borough, only the sampled postcodes count — a borough with mostly leafy sampled postcodes will score higher than the borough as a whole; (2) the "safety" component here uses police.uk street-level counts within 1 mile of each sampled postcode, not the Met Police per-1,000-residents borough rate used on the safest boroughs page — that's why the two rankings differ.

For a single specific street, always run the postcode report — that's where this data is honest at the level you actually live.

Top 5 for families

  1. 1WandsworthSchools 100 · Safety 100 · Green 0 · Commute 7066/100
  2. 2CamdenSchools 75 · Safety 100 · Green 0 · Commute 7059/100
  3. 3HackneySchools 75 · Safety 100 · Green 0 · Commute 7059/100
  4. 4HaringeySchools 60 · Safety 100 · Green 0 · Commute 7054/100
  5. 5Hammersmith and FulhamSchools 50 · Safety 100 · Green 0 · Commute 7051/100

Full ranking — all 32 boroughs

#BoroughOverall
1Wandsworth66
2Camden59
3Hackney59
4Haringey54
5Hammersmith and Fulham51
6Southwark49
7Islington48
8Lambeth47
9Lewisham45
10Waltham Forest44
11Ealing41
12Hounslow40
13Kensington and Chelsea40
14Barking and Dagenham36
15Barnet36
16Bexley36
17Brent36
18Bromley36
19Croydon36
20Enfield36
21Greenwich36
22Harrow36
23Havering36
24Hillingdon36
25Kingston upon Thames36
26Merton36
27Newham36
28Redbridge36
29Richmond upon Thames36
30Sutton36
31Tower Hamlets36
32Westminster36

Methodology

Every postcode gets five sub-scores on a 0–100 scale: schools (DfE GIAS + Ofsted, count within 1 mile), safety (police.uk crime, rescaled cohort-relative), amenities (OSM parks/GPs/libraries/supermarkets), green (park count), and commute (TfL Journey Planner to six central hubs). The composite weights schools 30%, safety 25%, amenities 15%, green 15%, commute 15%. Borough scores are averages across the postcodes we cover in that borough.

Frequently asked questions

Which London borough is best for families?
Wandsworth tops the ranking at 66/100, but the honest answer depends on what you weight most. Sort the full table above by schools, safety, green space or commute to see the right borough for your family.
Are outer boroughs better than inner for families?
Outer usually wins on green space, safety and space-per-pound. Inner wins on schools density and commute. If both parents commute to Zone 1, inner often beats outer on total quality of life even at a lower overall score.
What about house prices?
We don't currently score price directly — the ONS/Land Registry index is 2–3 months behind and moves slowly. Cross-reference the ranking with rightmove/zoopla for a live price cut. Bexley, Havering and Barking & Dagenham are usually cheapest per square foot.