Up to a quarter of home movers move home specifically to make sure their children are in with the best chance of securing a place in their chosen school.* This is one of the top reasons for families choosing to move house.
This behaviour has increased competition for houses in specific areas, particularly those within the catchment areas of good schools with outstanding Ofsted reports. So in order to get your child into your preferred school, you have to be ready to move quickly, when the right home for you becomes available (see our ‘How to get mortgage ready’ article). This is made much easier if you can plan as far in advance as possible, so start thinking about which school you would rather your child go to before the rush begins (the deadline date for primary school applications is 15th January and secondary school is 31st October).
Be prepared to pay!
A good school can have a significant effect on house prices within its catchment area, adding up to a 20% premium onto the cost of a house. This could mean a lot less house for your money so you may need to carefully balance educational needs with the demands that growing children have on the space within a home. Some may argue that the benefits of a good education last a lifetime, and you could always move back to an area once the children have left school.
