As teenagers around the county received their GCSE results this week, a new map has been released, showing where exactly in England you should live for a combination of good value property and top quality education.
According to the research by online estate agent eMoov, Birmingham is the best place to live for parents who want a low house price and a good education for their children. The city offers the best value for money when the average house price is compared to average GCSE results.
Buying a new house in the catchment area of a good state school can actually end up costing you more than actually educating your child there. A house that is situated in a postcode of one the of the best non-fee paying schools will cost up to 28% more than houses in the surrounding areas.
This map allows you to look at the different house prices and GCSE results at the top 50 schools in the country:
King Edward VI Handsworth School topped the table, with 99% of its pupils achieving A*-C grades at GCSE this year. The average price of a house in this catchment area is £107,305. The girls’ school therefore costs £182.21 for each GCSE point – significantly cheaper than the average of £514.
Out off the top five schools in this list, three of them were in Birmingham, with King Edward VI Five Ways School and King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls taking their places at number 3 and 5.
In second place was the Blue Coat School in Liverpool, where the average house costs £132,866 and 99% of pupils achieved A*-C grades in their GCSEs. Plymouth was also revealed to be a good place to buy for those looking for a combination of quality education and good value property prices. The average property near Devonport High School for Girls would only set you back £141,621, and exam results are still very good.
Unsurprisingly, London schools do not appear particularly high in this list due to the higher property costs in the capital. Tiffin School in Kingston only just made it into the top 50, because even though pupils achieved some of the best grades in the country, the average property price comes in at a whopping £714,982.
For parents looking to move near a good school, this list may really help with their decisions. Around 22% of people will move closer to a good school in order to secure a place for their child, and 14% of people moving house have taken education into consideration years before their children are old enough to go to school.
Russell Quirk, chief executive of eMoov, said:
“Unfortunately we aren’t all in the desirable position whereby we can wave our children off to a prestigious, private boarding school, but this latest eMoov study identifies the top performing schools in the country in relation to the affordability of property in their surrounding area.
“If you’re limited in terms of budget when looking to buy, you can still ensure your children get a chance of a top education.”
Other schools that made the top 10 include Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School in Lancaster, Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby, and The Crossley Heath School in Halifax.
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