Looking for a home in an area which has the potential to provide the best education for your children? A new study has pinpointed the best and worst places in England for raising children.
According to Oxford Home Schooling, North Lincolnshire is the best local authority area for young families to live if they want to benefit from top Ofsted ratings, availability of school places and affordable house prices.
Meanwhile, the London borough of Lewisham was the place to avoid if these factors are top of your search criteria, the study found.
Here, the number of students applying for school places was 35% higher than the number available. But this was despite fewer than two thirds of the schools being rates ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Houses in Lewisham average at nearly £400,000 with wages being just 9% of this at £35,000 so its also an expensive place to live, researchers pointed out.
This is in stark contrast to North Lincolnshire where 86% of schools were scored highly by Ofsted and one in seven student places were not filled last year.
Average wages are £25,000 but average house prices are a far more affordable £149,000 – meaning wages represent 17% of the cost of the typical house.
The Oxford Home Schooling report explained North Lincolnshire soared well above the national average in terms of its affordability and educational prospects.
Indeed, across England, 74% of schools had the higher Ofsted ratings and 6% of school places were not applied for.
In one five local authorities, schools were oversubscribed and applicants outnumbered places.
Dr Nick Smith, principal at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “All parents want the best education for their children and many will go to extreme lengths to get them into certain schools.
“This may involve moving house to be within certain catchment areas. For those considering such action, our research has highlighted the local authorities which offer quality education in areas where houses are most affordable.”
The top 10 best and worst places for young families to live in England (Source: Oxford Home Schooling)
| Best | Worst | |||||
| Local Authority | Region | Local Authority | Region | |||
| 1 | North Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | 1 | Lewisham | London | |
| 2 | Torbay | South West | 2 | South Gloucestershire | South West | |
| 3 | North East Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | 3 | City of Bristol | South West | |
| 4 | Calderdale | Yorkshire and the Humber | 4 | Islington | London | |
| 5 | Rotherham | Yorkshire and the Humber | 5 | Hillingdon | London | |
| 6 | Shropshire | West Midlands | 6 | Reading | South East | |
| 7 | Central Bedfordshire | East of England | 7 | Thurrock | East of England | |
| 8 | North Yorkshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | 8 | Croydon | London | |
| 9 | Cheshire West and Chester | North West | 9 | Knowsley | North West | |
| 10 | Rutland | East Midlands | 10 | Richmond upon Thames | London | |
