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Parents paying £52k extra for homes in Outstanding primary school areas

Rightmove says this is the cost of a home near the best state primary schools in England.

Nigel Lewis

Outstanding primary school Agents are used to parents quizzing them endlessly about properties for sale within the catchment areas of the best local outstanding primary schools.

And now a price has been put on this fixation. Parents pay an average price premium of £52,000 to live in the successful admission area of an Outstanding Ofsted-ranked primary school, a report from Rightmove has revealed.

The figure is based on the cost of moving from the catchment area of a Requires Improvement school to an Outstanding one.

The portal, which partnered with school search engine FindaSchool by 192.com to produce the report, also says that to move from an area around a Good school to and Outstanding costs on average £37,000.

“Previous studies have shown links between outstanding schools and house prices, however our data is the first data that is based on whether the property would have secured a place at the school,” says Dominic Blackburn from 192.com (pictured, left).

Fierce competition

Driving the fierce competition for places at the best school are some starting facts. Across England 86% of Outstanding state primary schools are oversubscribed and only 20% of all schools have Outstanding status and 62% are Good.

The areas with the biggest premiums are not in the areas one might assume they’d be. Rightmove says the West Midlands has the biggest premium between the worst and best school catchment areas of 32%, while the East Midlands has the lowest at 13%.

“Looking for the right home near the right school is one of the most important factors that home-hunters tell us they look for when they’re thinking of moving,” says Miles Shipside from Rightmove (pictured, right).

“Many are willing to compromise on other factors if it means getting their children into a good or outstanding school.”

April 5, 2017

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