Parents paying a high price for the best catchment areas

Updated

We all want our kids to get a good education, but some parents are paying a high price for the privilege, a new study has revealed.

Parents paying property premium to be near good schools
Parents paying property premium to be near good schools



Pic: Getty

The research compared the house prices in the postcodes near the UK's top 50 fee-paying and state primary schools outside London with the average property price for the county. And in some instances, parents are prepared to pay a premium of up to 170 per cent to ensure their child gets a place at the school.


Related Searches


Though independent primaries do not have a catchment area, many mums and dads move nearby to cut down on the school run, but pay 170 per cent more than other homes in the area.

Meanwhile those in search of one of the country's top state primary schools can expect to pay 40 per cent more than those buying a similar property in the same county.

The independent Dragon School in Oxford commanded the highest premiums at 169.5 per cent, with the average home in the same street costing £1 million. St John's College School and Kings College School in Cambridge showed similarly bumped up property prices.

Towns such as Altrincham, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks also saw inflated prices on properties near good schools.
%VIRTUAL-AFCSponserAds%
Janette Wallis from The Good Schools Guide told the Daily Mail: "For the first child, the primary school seems to be the be-all and end-all.

"It's natural for all parents with their first child to want the best school for them. It can feel crucial and it is very important. Parents might use private prep schools in areas where there are grammar schools in the hope that an early spend will lead to a grammar place."

What do you think? Would you pay such a high price to ensure your child gets into a good primary school? Leave your comments below...

Advertisement