NestScope
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Area Report
Last updated 03 OCT 2026

SE21 7BU

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NestScope Score
85/ 100

A well-off neighbourhood

Better off than 6 in 10 neighbourhoods in England.

How the score works

A well-off pocket of Southwark: a school rated Outstanding within a short walk and North Dulwich Rail Station 0.1 miles off, putting roughly 7.7 sq mi within half an hour by public transport.

  • Outstanding school · a short walk
  • North Dulwich · 0.1 mi
Look up another postcode
TrySW1A 1AAM1 1AEBS1 1HT
01 — Snapshot

Around SE21 7BU.

The large figure is how many we found nearby; the chip beside each label is that category’s NestScope score out of 100 — higher beats more of the UK. Each factor looks a different distance around the postcode — how this is put together.

Schools100

Are the schools any good?

85Good/Outstanding within 2 miles
  • 114 schools in total
8Nursery
71Primary
25Secondary
2Post-16 & universities
8All-through
20 Outstanding65 Good3 Requires improvement1 Inadequate25 not yet graded
  • IMD education decile 10/10From the official English Indices of Deprivation (IMD 2019, gov.uk) — this neighbourhood's education domain sits in band 10 of 10 nationally (1 = most deprived, 10 = least). One of the anchor signals behind the NestScope Score.
Closest
1Dulwich Village Church of England Infants' SchoolAges 4–7PrimaryOutstanding0.0 mi2James Allen's Girls' SchoolAges 4–18All-throughIndependent0.1 mi3Dulwich Hamlet Junior SchoolAges 7–11PrimaryOutstanding0.2 mi4Alleyn's SchoolAges 4–18All-throughIndependent0.3 mi5The Charter School North DulwichAges 11–18SecondaryOutstanding0.3 mi6Judith Kerr Primary SchoolAges 3–11PrimaryGood0.3 mi
Nearest top-rated
·
Safety70

Is it safe?

21crimes last month within 0.25 miles
  • Safer than most UK areas on recorded crime
Violent2
ASB4
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Vehicle2
Burglary3
England median for an urban postcode · full bar = 50 a month
  • IMD crime decile 6/10From the official English Indices of Deprivation (IMD 2019, gov.uk) — this neighbourhood's crime domain sits in band 6 of 10 nationally (1 = most deprived, 10 = least). One of the anchor signals behind the NestScope Score.

Crimes reported last month · UK Police API

Healthcare93

Can I see a GP?

33GP & hospitals within 1.5 miles
  • Everyday healthcare is right on hand
30GP
3Hospital
28Pharmacy
33Dentist
  • IMD health decile 8/10From the official English Indices of Deprivation (IMD 2019, gov.uk) — this neighbourhood's health domain sits in band 8 of 10 nationally (1 = most deprived, 10 = least). One of the anchor signals behind the NestScope Score.
Nearest
1
2
3
·
Transport94

Can I get to work?

  • Among the best-connected areas in the UK
1Train
0Overground
0Metro & tram
0Ferry
27Bus
Stations
1North Dulwich Rail Station0.1 mi
·27 bus stopsnearest 0.04 mi
NestReachreal roads and timetables, not a circle on a map

How far can you get from SE21 7BU?

By car · 30 min139 sq mi
about the size of the Isle of Wight · less far than 9 in 10 postcodes in England
Bus & rail · 30 min7.7 sq mi
about 2 times Heathrow Airport · further than 9 in 10 postcodes in England
England median · full bar = 2,000 km² by car, 20 km² by bus & rail
By carreaches 13 towns · ····· · ····· · ·····
Bus & railreaches 11 stations · ····· · ····· · ·····
Green space91

How green is it?

85green spaces within 1 mile
  • Very green — open space all around
Parks & facilities96197.9 ha of parkland — about 283 football pitches · largest park 52.3 ha, 0.15 mi away
Countryside50no protected countryside within a mile
24%of the mile
21Parks
24Playgrounds
4Fields
21Sports
5Allotments
0Golf
Nearest
1
2
3
Amenities86

Can I get the shopping done?

84shops & libraries within 2 miles
  • Everyday shopping on the doorstep
5Budgens
16Sainsbury's
5M&S
13Co-op
22Tesco
1Cook
11Library
Nearest
1
2
3
·Library
Getting a school place

In Southwark, 73% of secondary-school applicants were offered their first-preference school (93% got one of their top three) for 2024/25 entry. For primary places, 89% got their first preference (98% one of their top three).

Local-authority figures (DfE applications & offers) — how competitive it is to get a place across Southwark, not a per-school number.

02 — Environment

Environment & risk near SE21 7BU.

Official risk flags for context — deliberately not part of the NestScope score (they’re categorical hazards, not amenities). Flood zones, air quality & noise explained.

03 — House prices

Sold prices in SE21.

Average sold price by property type across the SE21 district, 2021–2026.

04 — Write-up

About SE21 7BU

SE21 7BU scores 85/100 on the NestScope Score, with its strongest showing in schools and transport — with Dulwich Village Church of England Infants' School within a short walk. The breakdown below draws on official UK data covering schools, safety, healthcare, transport, environment and local amenities.

In national context, SE21 7BU is a well-off neighbourhood — IMD decile 7/10, ranked 20,902 of 32,844 neighbourhoods in England. The Index of Multiple Deprivation is the UK government's official measure of relative deprivation, refreshed roughly every five years. Housing pressure here is high (IMD housing decile 4/10).

There are 114 schools within the typical catchment area, including 20 rated Outstanding by Ofsted and 65 rated Good. The nearest school is Dulwich Village Church of England Infants' School (Ofsted: Outstanding), within a short walk.

There were 21 crimes reported on the surrounding streets in the most recent month, indicating a moderate level of immediate-area crime.

Healthcare access is good, with 30 GP surgeries, 3 hospitals and 33 dental practices in the wider neighbourhood. The nearest GP practice is COMMUNITY DERMATOLOGY SOUTHWARK SERVICE, 0.4 mi away. The nearest hospital is DULWICH COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, 0.5 mi away. A pharmacy is 0.1 mi away.

View SE21 7BU on the mapCompare with another areaLiving in SouthwarkTurn your shortlist into one report
05 — Method

How this NestScope Score works.

Anchored on official IMD data — decile 7/10, ranked 20,902 of 32,844 neighbourhoods in England. What is an area score?

01
We map what’s nearby. Schools, safety, healthcare, transport, green space and amenities around SE21 7BU — each measured at its own radius, from a 0.25-mile crime count to a 2-mile school catchment.
02
We blend in national context. Every local factor is combined with England’s Index of Multiple Deprivation, so a postcode is judged both on what’s actually nearby and on how the wider neighbourhood compares nationally.
03
One score, six visible factors. Schools, Safety, Healthcare, Transport, Green space and Amenities each get their own 0–100 score; the six combine into the single NestScope Score above. No black box — see the full methodology.
06 — Questions
Is SE21 7BU a good place to live?

SE21 7BU scores 85/100 on the NestScope Score, and nationally it is a well-off neighbourhood. It is strongest on schools (100/100) and weakest on safety (70/100) — which of those matters more is your call, not the score's.

How many schools are near SE21 7BU?

There are 114 schools within a 2-mile catchment of SE21 7BU, including 20 rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Data from DfE GIAS / Ofsted, compiled by NestScope.

Is SE21 7BU safe?

21 crimes were reported within 0.25 mi of SE21 7BU in the most recent month of UK Police API data. The area sits in IMD crime decile 7/10 nationally. For detailed crime breakdowns, visit the NestScope interactive map.

What transport is near SE21 7BU?

Transport within 0.5 miles of SE21 7BU includes 1 train station, 27 bus stops. Data from NaPTAN, mapped by NestScope. About 7.7 sq mi is reachable from SE21 7BU within 30 minutes by bus and rail (NestReach).

What is the NestScope Score for SE21 7BU?

SE21 7BU has a NestScope Score of 85/100 — a well-off neighbourhood. The score blends six local factors — schools, safety, healthcare, transport, green space and amenities — with England's Index of Multiple Deprivation for national context. See the full methodology for how it's calculated.

How far around SE21 7BU does NestScope look?

NestScope draws on data at a different radius for each factor around SE21 7BU: schools within 2 miles, supermarkets and libraries within 2 miles, GP surgeries and hospitals within 1.5 miles, transport stops within 0.5 miles, green space within 1 mile, and crime within 0.25 miles. These radii reflect how people actually reach each type of place.

More from NestScope

Keep exploring

Compiled by NestScope (nestscope.uk) from DfE/Ofsted · UK Police API · NHS ODS · NaPTAN · Ordnance Survey · Geolytix. Crown Copyright / OGL. Cite as: NestScope — SE21 7BU area report, nestscope.uk/area/SE21+7BU. SE21 7BU is in Southwark. Look up any postcode: nestscope.uk/area/YOUR+POSTCODE — e.g. SW1A 1AA, M1 1AE, BS1 1HT.