Homes near Outstanding schools cost 49% more than the UK average

Homes near “Outstanding” schools cost 49% more than UK average, as parents should expect to pay a 2% premium to buy in the catchment area area of a top school, versus any other area in the same town or city.

The average price of a home in the catchment area of an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rated primary and secondary school in England is £380,824, which is 49% more than the current national average according to new research from the conveyancing team at national law firm, Simpson Millar.

Simpson Millar’s team, who analysed latest property prices in the same postcode areas as schools that were awarded ‘Outstanding’ status in 2021, also discovered that parents looking to get their children into the very best schools should expect to pay a 2% premium, when comparing the cost of homes in the school postcodes with all other properties in the same towns or cities. This is more in London though, where the premium is 3%.

Bradford is the cheapest place to buy a three-bedroom family home in the catchment area of an ‘Outstanding’ primary school, featuring first and second in the top ten list.

Parents can buy a family home for just £79k near Bradford’s Farnham Primary school, or £80k near Copthorne Primary school.

Elveden Church of England Primary school near Thetford, Suffolk is the only one in the top ten list that is in the south of England and the average family home price is twice that in Bradford (£160k versus £79k).

Top ten cheapest places to buy a three-bedroom home near and ‘Outstanding’ primary school:

(Please note, all were mixed gender)

	School	Last Ofsted Report Date	City / Town	School Postcode Area	Average House Price (all) by Postcode	Average House Price (3 bed) by Postcode
1	Farnham Primary School	Sept 21	Bradford	BD7 3HU	£114,121	£79,000
2	Copthorne Primary School	Nov 21	Bradford	BD7 3AY	£114,121	£80,000
3	Westgate Hill Primary Academy	Oct 21	Newcastle-upon-Tyne	NE4 5JN	£174,065	£85,000
4	Twelve Apostles Catholic Primary School	Oct 21	Wigan	WN7 5JS	£158,208	£125,000
5	Smithdown Primary School	Sept 21	Liverpool	L7 6LJ	£138,712	£145,000
6	The Greetland Academy	Oct 21	Halifax	HX4 8JB	£233,750	£155,000
7	St Peter’s CofE Primary School	Sept 21	Bolton	BL4 9JT	£140,016	£160,000
8	Elveden Church of England Primary Academy	July 21	Thetford	IP24 3JN	£242,208	£160,000
9	Hart Primary School	Oct 21	Hartlepool	TS27 3AP	£150,018	£165,000
10	St Aloysius Catholic Junior School Academy	Sept 21	Hebburn	NE31 1BQ	£153,128	£165,000

In contrast, Camden in London is the most expensive place to buy a three-bedroom family home near an ‘Outstanding’ primary school (Gospel Oak Primary School), where prices average £925,000 – nearly twelve times the price of buying in Bradford!

This is also where there is the biggest premium. When comparing all properties in the catchment area of Gospel Oak Primary School with those for Camden as a whole, prices are 81% higher (£764,000 more) near the school.

Areas where you pay the biggest premium to live in the catchment area of a top primary school:

School	City / Town (& Local Authority if London)	School Postcode Area	Average House (all) Price by City / Town	Average House Price (all) by School Postcode	Difference in £s	% Difference
Gospel Oak Primary School	Camden, London	NW3 2JB	£943,913	£1,708,250	£764,337	81%
Totley All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School	Sheffield	S17 4AP	£231,721	£418,473	£186,752	81%
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School	Newcastle-upon-Tyne	NE16 6NU	£153,159	£217,740	£64,581	42%

Top ten cheapest places to buy a three-bedroom home near an “Outstanding” secondary school:

(Please note, Cloughwood Academy and Beverley Grammar School are boys only, and Queen Mary High School is Girls only)

	School	Last Ofsted Report Date	City / Town	School Postcode Area	Average House Price (all) by Postcode	Average House Price (3 bed) by Postcode
1	North Shore Academy	July 21	Stockton-on-Tees	TS20 2AY	£150,115	£140,000
2	Cloughwood Academy	Sept 21	Northwich	CW8 1HW	£295,003	£150,000
3	Wright Robinson College	Oct 21	Manchester	M18 8RL	£145,886	£180,000
4	Queen Mary’s High School	Oct 21	Walsall	WS4 2AE	£221,505	£190,000
5	Dorothy Goodman School Hinckley	Oct 21	Hinckley	LE10 0EA	£261,859	£215,000
6	Southam College	Sept 21	Southam	CV47 0JW	£324,186	£250,000
7	Beverley Grammar School	Sept 21	Beverley	HU17 8NF	£252,780	£260,000
8	Corbridge Middle School	Oct 21	Corbridge	NE45 5HX	£444,706	£265,000
9	UTC Portsmouth	June 21	Portsmouth	PO2 9DU	£226,732	£270,000
10	Alsager School	Sept 21	Stoke-on-Trent	ST7 2HR	£209,824	£275,000

Tower Hamlets in London is the most expensive place to buy a three-bedroom home near an ‘Outstanding’ secondary school (Stepney All Saints), where prices average £850,000.

There is a higher-than-average premium too – property in the catchment area of the school cost 15% more than other homes in Tower Hamlets that are outside of the catchment area.

However, the price premium is highest in the catchment area of Valentines High School in Redbridge, London where it costs parents 56% more to buy a home (all sizes) that entitles their children to a place at this ‘Outstanding’ school. On average, that equates to £179k more.

Areas where you pay the biggest premium to live in the catchment area of a top secondary school:

School	City / Town (& Local Authority if London)	School Postcode Area	Average House (all) Price by City / Town	Average House Price (all) by School Postcode	Difference in £s	% Difference
Valentines High School	London	IG2 6HX	£321,500	£500,424	£178,924	56%
Chiltern Way Academy	Aylesbury	HP22 6NL	£400,192	£522,195	£122,003	30%
Alsager School	Stoke-on-Trent	ST7 2HR	£180,619	£209,824	£29,205	16%