Children in premium house price areas least likely to get into first-choice schools

Competition for places highest where parents pay most to live, analysis shows

Parents paying a premium to live in a catchment area are the least likely to get their children into their first-choice school, analysis has found.
A third of parents in inner London did not get their child into their first-choice secondary school for the 2023-2024 school year, despite average house prices of nearly £830,000, analysis by estate agents Savills found.
The rejection rate for secondary schools in London was 29.3pc, despite an average rejection rate of less than 20pc across the rest of England.
In heavily populated areas, competition for coveted spots is at its highest. Those living in the South East also struggled to get their children into their favourite schools.
But parents were most likely to get their children into their preferred school in the North East, where house prices are lowest.
Things were slightly easier for those with primary-age children. In inner and outer London, 13pc and 11pc did not get into their preferred schools, compared with a national average of 7.5pc.
When their child is old enough to start primary or secondary school, parents will apply to local schools in their order of preference.
For children going to secondary school, the national offer day is March 1 this year. Primary school children will be told where they will go to school on April 16.
Many parents will pay a premium to be in the catchment area of a good local school, but there are a wide range of factors that play into school enrollment.
Geography is one factor, as is if the child already has siblings at the school. Children with additional educational needs or other medical needs are more likely to have their top choice taken into account.
Local authorities have a duty to offer each child a place at a school, but not necessarily one at the school of their parents’ choosing.
Frances McDonald, director of residential research at Savills estate agents, said: “Good schooling has long been a key driver for housing demand, particularly amongst growing families and parents often pay a premium to be within close proximity to highly regarded schools.
“But the quality of the schools only makes up one part of the equation and the likelihood of children being offered a place at a nearby school also needs to be considered.”
House prices in the counties and unitary authorities where parents are most likely to have successful primary school applications are lowest, but they are also growing fastest, the analysis found.
Of those in the top percentile, most were located in the Midlands and the North of England, with the exception of Torbay, Devon, and the Isle of Wight.
Recommended