ADT Safe Family Zones

September 30 2023

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When looking for a forever home for you and your family, there are a range of factors that you must consider—ranging from the quality of local schools and the number of nearby parks to the general safety of the area. 

Regardless of where you choose for your family to live, you shouldn’t overlook the importance of home security systems, such as our ADT Smart Home system, with 24/7/365 monitoring by our alarm receiving centre.

With so much variation from area to area and every family having different priorities, you may wonder where in the UK is best for you and your family. 

Well, our experts at ADT have sought to answer that very question. Having researched factors such as crime and burglary rates, school OFSTED ratings, the number of parks and house prices, we’ll determine the most family-friendly areas in the UK. 

The most family-friendly areas in the UK

1. Waltham Forest

Family Safety Score: 7.23/10

Waltham Forest, one of the London boroughs, takes the top spot for family-friendly areas in the UK. It ranked within the top 15 for both the lowest crime and burglary rates, with a rate of 82 for the former and 3.2 for the latter, both per 1,000 people. It also ranked seventh for schools, with 82.8% having a “good” or higher rating from OFSTED. It is also joint-sixth for the areas with the most green spaces within a 1,000-metre radius. However, Waltham Forest also had the eleventh highest median house cost for the year ending December 2022, at £520,000. Like the other London boroughs, the cost of a bus fare is currently at £1.75, below the £2 bus fare cap. 

2. Kirklees

Family Safety Score: 7.12/10

Coming in second as the best area for families to live is Kirklees, a borough in West Yorkshire. Like the rest of West Yorkshire, Kirklees has one of the lowest bus fare costs in the UK, at just £1.60 for a single, 40 pence below the £2 bus fare cap. Kirklees also ranked within the top 20 for both the lowest burglary rates in the UK, with just 3.5 per 1,000 people and the average number of green spaces within a 1,000-metre radius. The borough also ranked fifteenth for having the lowest median house price for the year ending December 2022, at £181,000. However, Kirklees ranked 30th for their percentage of schools rated good and outstanding by OFSTED, at 77.6%. 

3. Havering

Family Safety Score: 6.99/10

The London borough of Havering rounds out the top three areas in the UK that are best for families to live, scoring 6.99 out of 10. The borough had the most OFSTED schools and colleges rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ at 89.5%, and as with the other London boroughs, bus fares are just £1.75. Additionally, the borough ranked in the top 15 for having the lowest crime and burglary rates per 1,000 people, at 76 for the former and 2.9 for the latter. Havering, however, ranked 45th for the number of green spaces within a 1,000-metre radius and the median house prices for the year ending December 2022, with just 4 for the former and the latter being £445,000. 

UK areas with the lowest crime rates

1. Dorset

Crime Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023: 49

Dorset, located in the southwest of England, comes out on top as the area with the lowest crime rate in the UK. As of the year ending March 2023, the annual crime rate for this area was just 49 per 1,000 of its population. 

2. Harrow

Crime Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023: 62

The London Borough of Harrow comes out as the UK area with the second-lowest crime rate in the UK. For the year ending March 2023, the area recorded an annual crime rate of 62 per 1,000 people.

3. Bexley

Crime Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023: 65

In third place is another London borough. This time we have Bexley, recording the third-lowest crime rate amongst areas in the UK. The area recorded an annual crime rate of around 65 per 1,000 people for the year ending March 2023. 

UK postcodes with the lowest crime rates

1. CW12 3 - Cheshire East

Total Crime Rate per 1,000 People, year ending June 2023: 4.7

The postcode area with the lowest crime rate in the UK is CW12 3, located in Cheshire East. The postcode area contains Congleton, Astbury, Rushton and Newbold wards. For the year ending June 2023, the crime rate for this postcode area was just 4.7 per 1,000 people. 

2. CW11 3 - Cheshire East

Total Crime Rate per 1,000 People, year ending June 2023: 5.5

Another postcode in Cheshire East, CW11 3, has the second lowest crime rate amongst postcode areas in the UK. The area contains the wards of Moston, Sandbach and Warmingham. Per 1,000 people, this postcode area has a crime rate of just 5.5 for the year ending June 2023. 

3. CW12 4 - Cheshire East

Total Crime Rate per 1,000 People, year ending June 2023: 6.0

And in third place is yet another Cheshire East postcode, CW12 4, which houses the wards of Brereton, Somerford, Odd Rode, and more. For the year ending June 2023, this postcode has a crime rate of just 6 per 1,000 people. 

UK areas with the lowest burglary rates

1. Swindon

Burglary Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023: 1.6

In southwest England, Swindon takes first place for areas in the UK with the lowest burglary rates. For the year ending March 2023, this area saw just 1.6 burglaries for every 1,000 of its population. 

2. Dorset

Burglary Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023: 1.8

Dorset, already having ranked in the top three for its low overall crime rate, also has the second-lowest burglary rate in the UK. The area recorded a burglary rate of just 1.8 per 1,000 of its population for the year ending March 2023.

3. Milton Keynes

Burglary Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023: 2.1

And in third place, we have Milton Keynes, which lies in Buckinghamshire and just 50 miles outside London. The area registered a burglary rate of just 2.1 for every 1,000 of its population for the year ending March 2023. 

UK postcodes with the lowest burglary rates

1. CW11 3 - Cheshire East

CW11 1 - Cheshire East

CW11 4 - Cheshire East

CW12 4 - Cheshire East

CW10 0 - Cheshire East

CF31 5 - Bridgend

BN20 9 - Eastbourne

TQ13 7 - Teignbridge

TQ5 8 - Torbay

PL17 7 - Cornwall

RG42 3 - Bracknell Forest

PL21 9 - South Hams

PL7 2 - Plymouth

CH49 4 - Wirral

BT47 5 - Derry

TQ4 7 - Torbay

YO14 0 - North Yorkshire

Burglary Rate per 1,000 People, year ending June 2023: 0

For the postcode areas in the UK with the lowest burglary rates, we have a 17-way tie for first place, with each postcode having a zero burglary rate for the year ending June 2023 per 1,000 people. Once again, we have many Cheshire East postcodes and a postcode of our number one family-friendly area Wirral recording the lowest levels of crime. 

2. PL6 5 - Plymouth

ST7 2 - Staffordshire

Burglary Rate per 1,000 People, year ending June 2023: 0.08

We have another tie for second place; this time, it is only a two-way tie. PL6 5 and ST7 2 from Plymouth and Staffordshire, respectively, both have a burglary rate of just 0.08 per 1,000 people for the year ending June 2023. 

3. CW12 3 - Cheshire East

Burglary Rate per 1,000 People, year ending June 2023: 0.10

In third place, we have another postcode from Cheshire East, the CW12 3 postcode, which is already ranked as the postcode with the lowest overall crime rate. Its burglary rate is just 0.1 per 1,000 of its population. 

UK areas with the most green spaces

1. Tower Hamlets

Average number of  Parks, Public Gardens, or Playing Fields within 1,000 m radius: 13

The London borough of Tower Hamlets has emerged as the UK area with the most green spaces, an important feature for families with children. The average number of green spaces within a 1,000-metre radius in this area is 13 as of April 2020. 

2. Southwark

Average number of  Parks, Public Gardens, or Playing Fields within 1,000 m radius: 12

Southwark, a borough in south London that also makes up a portion of CentralInner London, has one of the highest numbers of green spaces in the UK. The area has 12 green spaces on average, within a 1,000-metre radius. 

3. Stoke-on-Trent

Average number of  Parks, Public Gardens, or Playing Fields within 1,000 m radius: 9

Stoke-on-Trent has the third-highest number of parks, public gardens and playing fields in the UK. As of April 2020, the average number of such green spaces within a 1,000-metre radius in Stoke is 9.

UK areas with the highest amount of highly rated schools

1. Havering

Percentage of Outstanding and Good Rated Schools and Colleges: 89.5%

In first place for the highest number of highly rated schools by OFSTED is the London borough of Havering. 89.5% of the schools and colleges in Havering have been rated good or higher by OFSTED, the two highest achievable ratings. 

2. Sunderland

Percentage of Outstanding and Good Rated Schools and Colleges: 86.0%

In second place for the highest number of highly rated schools, we have the port city of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear. Out of the total number of schools and colleges in the area, 86% are rated good or above by OFSTED. 

3. Kingston upon Hull

Percentage of Outstanding and Good Rated Schools and Colleges: 85.0%

In third place for the highest number of well-rated schools is Kingston upon Hull, the East Yorkshire port city.. Of the total number of schools and colleges in the area, 85% are rated good or outstanding by OFSTED. 

UK areas with the lowest median house prices

1. Kingston upon Hull

Median House Price, Year Ending Dec 2022: £130,000

Kingston upon Hull again ranks in the top three, this time for the lowest median house prices. As of the year ending December 2022, the median house price for the area was around £130,000, well below the average UK house price of £285,000. 

2. Sunderland

Median House Price, Year Ending Dec 2022: £135,000

In second place for the lowest median house price in the UK is Sunderland. For the year ending December 2022, the median house price for the area was around £135,000. 

3. Stoke-on-Trent

Median House Price, Year Ending Dec 2022: £139,500

In third place, we have Stoke-on-Trent again, this time as one of the areas with the lowest median house price. The median house price in Stoke is £139,500 for the year ending December 2022. 

UK areas with the lowest bus fare prices

The Department for Transport has issued a £2 bus fare cap across England. However, not every area in the country strictly adheres to that cap; 35 of the 63 areas we looked at currently charge £2 for a single bus fare. This scheme is set to end on October 31st 2023. 

Of those below the £2 price cap, there are 27 of the 63 areas we looked at. Many of those areas are London boroughs; according to Transport for London, bus fares in those boroughs are just £1.75. Five of the areas we looked at charge just £1.60 for a single bus fare, including Leicester, Bradford and Leeds.

The other standout was Milton Keynes, the only area that appears to charge above the £2 price cap for bus fares, at £3.80.

The most family-friendly places in London

1. Sutton

Family Safety Score: 7.94/10

The borough of Sutton has come out as the most family-friendly place in London, with an overall score of 7.94 out of 10. Sutton had the third-lowest crime rate and the tenth-lowest burglary rate per 1,000 people for the year ending March 2023. Sutton also had the second-highest percentage of good and outstanding OFSTED-rated schools. 

2. Bexley

Family Safety Score: 7.23/10

Bexley comes in as the second most family-friendly place in London, scoring 7.23 out of 10. Bexley had the fifth-lowest crime rate and lowest burglary rates amongst London boroughs for the year ending March 2023. Bexley ranked ninth for their percentage of good and outstanding OFSTED-rated schools and the second most affordable average housing costs. 

3. Havering

Family Safety Score: 7.16/10

And rounding out the top three most family-friendly places in London, we have Havering with a score of 7.16 out of 10. Amongst the other London boroughs, Havering had the tenth-lowest crime rate and third-lowest burglary rate. Havering ranked top for the highest percentage of schools rated good and outstanding by OFSTED, with 89.5%. The borough also had the fifth-lowest average house pricing for the year ending December 2022.

Methodology

To begin with, we used ONS’ “Recorded crime data by Community Safety Partnership area, year ending March 2023 Edition” to make a list of the local authorities and their populations. We then ranked each local authority in the dataset on their population (Table C5), taking the top 63. This dataset also allowed us to take the total number of crimes and burglaries (Table C3) for each local authority, and then using the population figures, we calculated the crime and burglary rates per 1,000 people. 

For the postcode data, we used UK Crime Stats to get the total number of crimes, burglaries and population numbers for more than 5,000 postcode areas; this data was taken from July 2022 to June 2023. We then calculated the crime and burglary rates for each one and then ranked them based on which postcode had the lowest crime figures. Due to system problems at the Greater Manchester Police, all postcodes in this area were omitted from the data. 

We then used ONS’ “Access to gardens and public green space in Great Britain” dataset from April 2020 to take the number of green spaces for each of the areas we researched. Using the table “LAD Parks and Playing Fields”, we took the number of green spaces within a 1,000-metre radius for each area we looked at to determine which areas had the most access to green spaces. 

Using Gov.UK’s “Search for schools, colleges and multi-academy trusts” we were able to search each local authority for their school performance data (data was taken 09/08/23). We recorded the total number of schools for each area, then those that were rated “good” and “outstanding”. From there, we were able to calculate the percentage of schools rated “good” or “outstanding” against the total number of schools. 

Using the “Median house prices for administrative geographies: HPSSA dataset 9” from ONS, the current edition of this dataset, we were able to take the median price of all house types (table 2a) for the year ending December 2022. 

Using a range of sources, we were also able to research the cost of a single bus fare for each area. For the London areas, we used Transport for London. For other areas, we used Stagecoach, Mersey Travel, Transport for Greater Manchester and First Bus. 

Lastly, we used a percentrank to give each area an overall “Family Safety Score” out of 10, based on how each area performed on all the mentioned factors (except the postcode data). We then also ranked the London boroughs separately out of 10 on all factors except public transport costs, as they were all £1.75.