The Oaklands area of St Albans is much-loved by families on account of its excellent state schools. We found out more about this popular residential location.
Conveniently located between Smallford and Fleetville, Oaklands is a suburban area ideally placed for all that St Albans and Hatfield have to offer.
There are plenty of amenities within walking distance too, including the parade of shops on Hatfield Road with its barber, convenience store and various food outlets, including The Green Kitchen vegetarian café and the ever-popular Wongs fish and chip shop and Chinese takeaway.
Then there’s The Speckled Hen, a family friendly pub on Hatfield Road which serves all the classics, including steak, burgers and bangers and mash.
Across Hatfield Road is Longacres Park, with its large playing field and two children’s playgrounds. The Alban Way walking and cycling route runs alongside this open space, connecting St Albans with Hatfield.
Property
Detached and semi-detached family homes make up most of Oaklands’ housing stock, the majority of which were built in the last 100 years.
Wynches Farm Drive is a major residential development, tucked away between The Speckled Hen and the parade of shops on Hatfield Road. The estate was built on what was once Winches Farm, and the Grade II listed main house - aptly named Winches Farm - remains on what is now Kay Walk. Homes currently on the market on Wynches Farm Drive include a four-bed detached house for £830,000 and a one-bed cluster house for £300,000. There is also a four-bed house for rent on Kay Walk for £3,250pcm.
Another major housing development to have sprouted up in the area in the last few years is Kingsbury Gardens on Hatfield Road. Built on what was once a Beaumont School playing field, homes currently available here include a five-bed detached house for £1,050,000 and a two-bed shared ownership apartment for £152,000.
Transport
The City station is more than half an hour away on foot, or a short bike or bus ride. Regular bus services are available on Hatfield Road.
The M25, M1 and A1(M) are also very close to Oaklands, meaning easy driving north and south.
Schools
St Albans is renowned for its great state schools, and no area is better equipped than Oaklands when it comes this.
Oakwood Primary School, in Oakwood Drive, was rated ‘outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted at its last inspection in 2014. It was noted that “pupils reach standards that are consistently above average” and are “exceptionally well prepared for their future lives”.
The enormously popular Beaumont School, also on Oakwood Drive, was also rated ‘outstanding’ across the board in 2014. The coeducational academy prepares pupils “extremely well” for their future and behaviour is “exemplary in and out of the classroom”. Competition to secure a place is fierce, and the school’s catchment was around 1.2km last year.
Oaklands College is a further education college which offers around 1,500 full and part-time courses to approximately 10,000 students of various ages. The college was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in its most recent inspection. It also runs work-based learning programmes and apprenticeships.
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