Property
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Moving To A School Catchment Area?

Moving To A School Catchment Area?

should you move or go to private school?

Why Is It An Issue?
The Pros & Cons Of Moving Or Staying Put
How Do The Costs Weigh Up?
The Sums

Are you considering the cost and upheaval of moving house, just to get your kids into the best local school? If so, is it worthwhile financially?

By Gordon Miller

Why Is It An Issue?

One of modern life's biggest questions for parents is their children's schooling. Where once we simply trotted along to our nearest comprehensive (grammar school or secondary modern for those old enough to remember the 11+ days), today we have choice.

We also have what has been called a 'postcode lottery' whereby school catchment areas, based on postcodes and not always proximity to a school, adversely impacts which school your child is offered a place at.

In some areas the problem has become so acute that parents are using whatever means are at their disposal to secure their offspring a place at a 'good' school. For some parents, wealthy enough not to worry, private education is the option. Those who are more straitened, or who believe in a state education, have a choice of playing 'postcode lottery', or moving house to be nearer a good school that falls in the catchment area, or renting near to the school.

Is It Ethical To Rent Nearby?

The issue has become a moral one - is it ethical to rent a house near to the 'good' school, simply to get your child into that school, and then decamp back to your preferred residential area? (Some LEA's have become wise to this rouse and require annual submission of residency.) But it's not only a moral poser. It's also a financial one.

Firstly, house prices and rents are often higher close to 'good' schools. Then, if you move, there's the cost of removal, stamp duty, legal fees and so on to be factored into the equation.