The study by eMoov 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.
The Handsworth Schools is also joined in the top 10 by King Edward VI Five Ways School (3rd) and King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls (5th), making Birmingham home to three out of the top 10 schools in the study.
The Birmingham schools were also joined in the top 10 by the Blue Coat School in Liverpool (2nd), Devonport High School for Girls in Plymouth (4th), the Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School (6th), the Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby (7th), the Crossley Heath School in Halifax (8th), the Upton Hall School in Wirral (9th) and Southend High School for Girls (10th).
eMoov also ran a survey of over 1,000 home owning parents with children. The results showed that 22% of UK homeowners have moved closer to the school they wanted their child to go in order to secure a place, while 14% bought their house years in advance as it was inside the desired catchment area.
The survey also found 10% of homeowners think about moving home to give their children a better chance of getting into their ideal school, with a further 10% having downsized to move within a catchment area.
However only 27% of those surveyed had 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.
Founder and CEO of eMoov.co.uk, Russell Quirk, commented:
“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.”
