Side-by-side comparison

SE24 vs SW12

Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction, Lambeth compared with Balham, Wandsworth, scored on the things families actually care about.

The short verdict

SE24 (Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction) wins on green space, family life, giving it the higher Family Score. SW12 still has its own appeal; see the breakdown below.

Category by category

Every score is a percentile within our London cohort: higher is better. Trophies mark the area that's clearly ahead (within 3 points we call it a tie).

Schools

Density and proximity of primary and secondary schools within 1 mile.

SE24
100
SW12
100
Safety

Inverted crime rate from data.police.uk, latest available month.

SE24
45
SW12
68
Green space

Access to parks and open space within walking distance.

SE24
100
SW12
50
Family life

GP surgeries, libraries, supermarkets and parks within 1km.

SE24
48
SW12
25
Commute

Fastest door-to-door time to one of six central hubs (Waterloo, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf, Paddington, Victoria), arriving by 08:15. Source: TfL Journey Planner.

SE24
Good · 25–35 min
29 minto Victoria
SW12
Good · 25–35 min
31 minto Waterloo
Council Tax (Band D)

Annual bill incl. GLA precept, 2025/26. Where an outcode straddles boroughs, every touching borough is listed.

SE24
Lambeth£2,030
Southwark£1,932
SW12
Wandsworth£991
Lambeth£2,030
Lower bill
Family density

% of households with dependent children at the representative LSOA. Source: ONS Census 2021 (TS003). Ranked within the SettleWithUs London cohort.

SE24
Low · 16–21%
21.9%of households with kids
More family-dense
SW12
Very low · Under 16%
14.8%of households with kids

What's within walking distance

Raw counts within 1km, useful when the percentile scores look close but the on-the-ground feel isn't.

SE24
Parks
6
GP surgeries
2
Libraries
0
Supermarkets
1
Schools (1mi)
35
Crimes/mo
986
SW12
Parks
3
GP surgeries
0
Libraries
0
Supermarkets
2
Schools (1mi)
41
Crimes/mo
580

Generated 17 May 2026.

How we score SE24 and SW12

The short answer to the questions families ask us most when comparing two areas.

How is the overall Family Score for SE24 and SW12 calculated?
The overall Family Score is a weighted blend of five sub-scores: schools, safety, green space, family life (GP surgeries, libraries, supermarkets, parks within 1km) and commute. Schools and safety carry the most weight, because they're what most families ask about first. Each sub-score is a percentile within our London cohort, so a 90 means "top 10% of London postcodes we've scored", not an absolute rating.
What does "better for families" actually mean here?
It means the area scores higher on the blend of factors most families weigh when relocating with children: school density and proximity, neighbourhood safety, access to parks and green space, and everyday family infrastructure like GP surgeries and supermarkets within walking distance. It's not a verdict on culture, nightlife, or whether you'll personally feel at home. Those are subjective and we don't pretend to score them.
Where does the data come from?
Schools come from OpenStreetMap today (we're swapping in DfE GIAS + Ofsted ratings for v1). Crime is from data.police.uk, latest available month. Parks, GP surgeries, libraries and supermarkets are counted from OpenStreetMap within a 1km radius of the postcode centroid. Commute times come from TfL Journey Planner — door-to-door from the representative postcode to six central hubs, arriving by 08:15 on a weekday.
Why is the difference between SE24 and SW12 sometimes only a few points?
Because they're scored on the same London-wide curve. Two neighbouring postcodes often share the same schools, the same green space, and the same crime patterns, so their scores end up close. We call any gap under 3 points a tie. Within that range, the right pick depends on which trade-off matters more to your family.

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