Theresa May has unveiled plans to shake up the school system by reinstating the grammar school model in an attempt to combat a broken school system, whereby only children from more wealthy families can attend the best state schools due to the higher price of property in each school catchment area.
Although she has come under criticism for the move, leading online estate agent eMoov.co.uk, has found that May’s comments do ring true.
eMoov researched the property price surrounding the top non-selective schools in each region of England and compared these to the average property price in the town or city and country as a whole. The research shows that property surrounding these top state schools’ costs, on average £345,904, £116,521 more than the average house price in England (£229,383).
By Region
Where each region as a whole is concerned and perhaps surprisingly the worst region is the North East, with a difference in price of £125,947. This then drops substantially to an additional £25,332 for a property surrounding the top schools in the South West. The cost of a good state education comes at a similar cost in Yorkshire and Humber (£18,116) with the East Midlands requiring an additional £16,560 per a property. The high price of property all over London means that buying close to a top state school only requires and additional £9,144 on average, falling to just £2,010 around top state schools in the East of England.
However, the good news for homebuyers in the South East, West Midlands and North West is that property surrounding the best state schools is actually cheaper than the average for the local areas at a whole, at £4,437, £6,251 and £17,096 respectively.
By School
The biggest gaps where individual schools are concerned are also dominated by London and the North East.
The Emmanuel College in North East provides the biggest barrier to entry for those families unable to fork out for a pricey property. The average house price surrounding the school in Gateshead is £634,773 compared to the local average of £137,074, a difference of £497,699.
Property surrounding the Grey Coat Hospital also commands £473,908 more than the average house price across the rest of Westminster, with Carmel College in Darlington completing the top three, also with a difference of £461,284.
All Saints Academy in Stockton-On-Tees (£352,449) and the London Oratory School (£178,179) complete the top five schools where the surrounding property costs more than the average for the area.
It’s no secret that homeownership is spiralling further out of reach of the average homebuyer in England and often one key factor for many looking for a new home, is to safeguard the future of their children’s education.
For those that are unable to afford the luxury of a private school education, the requirement of living in the catchment area for the state school of your choice is a pivotal factor in providing their child with a good education. Unfortunately, this heightened demand for such property has resulted in property prices surrounding many the top state schools exceeding that of the local market.
It has become a social selection in its own right, despite the schools themselves providing no barriers to entry. This has seen those unable to afford to live in a certain catchment area unable to compete with those that can, with their child missing out as a result.
Russell Quirk
Founder & CEO, eMoov.co.uk
Top Non-selective Schools
Region
House Price Surrounding the School
Local Average House Price
Difference (£)
Difference (%)
East Midlands
The Priory Academy LSST
Lincoln
£167,446
£178,420
-£10,974
-7%
Brooke Weston Academy
Great Oakley
£159,231
£186,339
-£27,108
-17%
The West Bridgford School
Nottingham
£225,818
£173,057
£52,761
23%
The Ecclesbourne School
Belper
£213,372
£213,373
-£1
0%
Outwood Academy Portland
Worksop
£213,373
£140,700
£72,673
34%
Rushcliffe School
Nottingham
£225,818
£173,057
£52,761
23%
Caroline Chisholm School
Northampton
£233,854
£212,302
£21,552
9%
Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School
Dronfield
£224,285
£224,286
-£1
0%
St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy
Chesterfield
£150,840
£158,507
-£7,667
-5%
Bishop Stopford School
Kettering
£209,294
£197,688
£11,606
6%
Average
£202,333
£185,773
£16,560
8%
East of England
Dame Alice Owen's School
Potters Bar
£505,558
£504,871
£687
0%
The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College
Bishop's Stortford
£394,678
£412,163
-£17,485
-4%
Hockerill Anglo-European College
Bishop's Stortford
£394,678
£412,163
-£17,485
-4%
Parmiter's School
Watford
£393,878
£385,772
£8,106
2%
St Albans Girls' School
St Albans
£522,224
£505,202
£17,022
3%
Wymondham College
Wymondham
£253,089
£253,089
£0
0%
The Bishop's Stortford High School
Bishop's Stortford
£394,678
£412,163
-£17,485
-4%
Presdales School
Ware
£359,388
£374,466
-£15,078
-4%
St Clement Danes School
Rickmansworth
£610,010
£610,010
£0
0%
Harris Academy Chafford Hundred
Grays
£287,662
£254,371
£33,291
12%
Hitchin Girls' School
Hitchin
£405,303
£370,740
£34,563
9%
Roundwood Park School
Harpenden
£730,636
£730,636
£0
0%
Yavneh College
Borehamwood
£404,742
£404,742
£0
0%
Average
£435,117
£433,107
£2,010
0%
London
Borough
Average School Price
Average Borough Price
Difference £
Difference %
Ark King Solomon Academy
Westminster
£1,188,672
£1,230,904
-£42,232
-4%
Bethnal Green Academy
Tower Hamlets
£519,048
£506,297
£12,751
2%
Gunnersbury Catholic School
Hounslow
£527,020
£507,152
£19,868
4%
The London Oratory School
Hammersmith and Fulham
£1,114,691
£936,512
£178,179
16%
Coloma Convent Girls' School
Croydon
£325,047
£372,693
-£47,646
-15%
Twyford Church of England High School
Ealing
£580,416
£683,714
-£103,298
-18%
Sacred Heart High School
Hammersmith and Fulham
£895,110
£936,512
-£41,402
-5%
The Grey Coat Hospital
Westminster
£1,704,812
£1,230,904
£473,908
28%
Wembley High Technology College
Brent
£376,801
£502,021
-£125,220
-33%
Langley Park School for Girls
Bromley
£485,065
£454,417
£30,648
6%
Waldegrave School
Richmond
£541,815
£796,781
-£254,966
-47%
Average
£750,772
£741,628
£9,144
1%
North East
Emmanuel College
Gateshead
£634,773
£137,074
£497,699
78%
Carmel College
Darlington
£614,168
£152,884
£461,284
75%
All Saints Academy
Stockton-on-Tees
£501,572
£149,123
£352,449
70%
Whitley Bay High School
Whitley Bay
£194,107
£206,849
-£12,742
-7%
Queen Elizabeth High School
Hexham
£234,211
£226,259
£7,952
3%
Whitburn Church of England Academy
Sunderland
£187,774
£137,002
£50,772
27%
Sedgefield Community College a Specialist Sports College
Stockton-on-Tees
£190,382
£149,123
£41,259
22%
Sacred Heart Catholic High School
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
£145,557
£192,671
-£47,114
-32%
Cardinal Hume Catholic School
Gateshead
£169,495
£137,074
£32,421
19%
St Thomas More Roman Catholic Academy
North Shields
£133,231
£175,740
-£42,509
-32%
Egglescliffe School
Stockton-on-Tees
£193,066
£149,123
£43,943
23%
Average
£290,758
£164,811
£125,947
43%
North West
Tauheedul Islam Girls High School
Blackburn
£126,938
£128,828
-£1,890
-1%
The King David High School
Manchester
£103,316
£162,970
-£59,654
-58%
Archbishop Temple School, A Church of England Specialist College
Preston
£149,643
£168,799
-£19,156
-13%
Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy
Leyland
£212,333
£168,983
£43,350
20%
The Belvedere Academy
Liverpool
£93,770
£151,571
-£57,801
-62%
Cheadle Hulme High School
Cheadle
£265,082
£265,082
£0
0%
Hutton Church of England Grammar School
Preston
£205,293
£168,799
£36,494
18%
Preston Muslim Girls High School
Preston
£130,171
£168,799
-£38,628
-30%
St Michael's Church of England High School
Chorley
£122,933
£178,703
-£55,770
-45%
Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy
Lancaster
£163,285
£181,185
-£17,900
-11%
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
Blackburn
Independent Schools Excluded
Average
£157,276
£174,372
-£17,096
-11%
South East
Gordon's School
Woking
£489,316
£445,538
£43,778
9%
Thornden School
Eastleigh
£341,060
£297,035
£44,025
13%
St Andrew's Catholic School
Leatherhead
£668,078
£669,302
-£1,224
0%
Ranelagh School
Bracknell
£306,763
£334,201
-£27,438
-9%
Rosebery School
Epsom
£495,868
£468,810
£27,058
5%
St Bede's School
Redhill
£357,790
£357,790
£0
0%
St John the Baptist Catholic Comprehensive School, Woking
Woking
£457,979
£445,538
£12,441
3%
Salesian School, Chertsey
Chertsey
£392,793
£392,794
-£1
0%
Millais School
Horsham
£370,290
£382,210
-£11,920
-3%
The Westgate School
Winchester
£304,094
£480,917
-£176,823
-58%
The Holt School
Wokingham
£437,402
£455,372
-£17,970
-4%
All Hallows Catholic School
Farnham
£448,859
£521,594
-£72,735
-16%
Howard of Effingham School
Leatherhead
£792,425
£669,302
£123,123
16%
Average
£450,978
£455,416
-£4,437
-1%
South West
Bristol Cathedral Choir School
Bristol
£298,131
£275,764
£22,367
8%
Redland Green School
Bristol
£394,811
£275,764
£119,047
30%
Colston's Girls' School
Bristol
£394,811
£275,764
£119,047
30%
Uffculme School
Cullompton
£220,142
£220,143
-£1
0%
Balcarras School
Cheltenham
£398,490
£298,115
£100,375
25%
Sexey's School
Bruton
£277,441
£277,441
£0
0%
Wellsway School
Bristol
£292,761
£275,764
£16,997
6%
The King's School
Ottery St Mary
£272,007
£306,153
-£34,146
-13%
St Peter's Church of England Aided School
Exeter
£263,066
£259,221
£3,845
1%
St Augustine's Catholic College
Trowbridge
£220,094
£220,095
-£1
0%
The Castle School
Taunton
£201,324
£233,069
-£31,745
-16%
Haygrove School
Bridgwater
£163,158
£191,726
-£28,568
-18%
Kingsmead Academy
Taunton
£275,172
£233,069
£42,103
15%
Average
£282,416
£257,084
£25,332
9%
West Midlands
Tudor Grange Academy
Solihull
£356,015
£314,248
£41,767
12%
Thomas Telford School
Telford
£131,848
£157,703
-£25,855
-20%
Haybridge High School and Sixth Form
Stourbridge
£193,544
£229,894
-£36,350
-19%
Finham Park School
Coventry
£185,926
£180,957
£4,969
3%
Arden
Solihull
£427,281
£314,248
£113,033
26%
St Paul's School for Girls
Birmingham
Independent Schools Excluded
Old Swinford Hospital
Stourbridge
£193,544
£229,894
-£36,350
-19%
St Peter's Catholic School and Specialist Science College
Solihull
£356,015
£314,248
£41,767
12%
Hagley Catholic High School
Hagley
£193,544
£333,232
-£139,688
-72%
Higham Lane School
Nuneaton
£155,595
£181,395
-£25,800
-17%
Southam College
Southam
£281,615
£281,615
£0
0%
Average
£247,493
£253,743
-£6,251
-3%
Yorkshire and The Humber
Outwood Grange Academy
Wakefield
£162,977
£171,773
-£8,796
-5%
St Aidan's Church of England High School
Harrogate
£342,862
£316,674
£26,188
8%
Tapton School
Sheffield
£275,049
£171,229
£103,820
38%
King James's School
Huddersfield
£151,707
£161,727
-£10,020
-7%
St John Fisher Catholic High School
Harrogate
£342,862
£316,674
£26,188
8%
Fulford School
York
£232,956
£252,915
-£19,959
-9%
Garforth Academy
Leeds
£182,567
£185,217
-£2,650
-1%
Harrogate Grammar School
Harrogate
Independent Schools Excluded
Outwood Academy Ripon
Ripon
£241,411
£241,411
£0
0%
Notre Dame High School
Sheffield
£275,049
£171,229
£103,820
38%
St Mary's College
Hull
£103,896
£122,159
-£18,263
-18%
Manor Church of England Academy Trust
York
£252,416
£252,915
-£499
0%
Average
£233,068
£214,902
£18,166
8%
Average Across All Regions
£345,904
£327,123
£18,782
5%
Difference Between Average Around Schools and Average Across England
£345,904 (Schools)
£229,383 (England)
£116,521
34%
The post Theresa May is right. State School Property Costs £116k More than the Average Property Price in England appeared first on .