Birmingham offers best mix of good schools and affordable homes

Birmingham is the place where homebuyers can find the best combination of good schools and affordable property, new research from online estate agent eMoov.co.uk has revealed.

The study has identified the top 50 schools in the country close to reasonably priced homes. It includes the UK’s best state schools and compares the average house price in the surrounding area, to the average GCSE score per a pupil.

The number one school based on this ranking is King Edward VI Handsworth School in Birmingham. With an average score of 588.9 GCSE points per pupil and an average house price of £107,305, it results in a property value of £182 for every GCSE point achieved. This is nine times cheaper than Beaconsfield High School at the opposite end of the top 50 table, with King Edward VI Handsworth School being the best school to buy near when balancing the cost of property, without jeopardising your child’s education.

Two other Birmingham schools have also made it in the top five – King Edward VI Five Ways School (3rd) and King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls (5th).

Proximity to good schools prompts many to move home

The survey among 1,000 homeowners with children showed that over a fifth (22 per cent) of parents have moved closer to a desired school in order to secure a place. Another 14 per cent had based their choice of a house to buy on its proximity to a school they wanted their children to attend.

One in ten (10 per cent) parents admitted they are thinking of moving into a catchment area and further 10 per cent said they had downsized and moved to be near a good school for their child.

The study also showed though, that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of parents had not studied the school league tables prior to choosing their child’s school, suggesting that reputation and local word of mouth were more prevalent in the decision making process than the Ofsted ranking.

“Property and schooling go hand in hand. Our research shows securing a place at your desired school by moving to its catchment area, is a driving factor for many. It is one of the major life stages where property is concerned, first we get a foot on the ladder, then we climb a rung or two to start a family, then we turn our attention to educating our children.

Unfortunately we aren’t all in the desirable position whereby we can wave our children off to a prestigious private school. This latest eMoov study identifies the top performing schools in the country where property in the surrounding area is relatively affordable,” Russell Quirk, founder and CEO of eMoov.co.uk, said.