Parents face higher prices near good schools

Those hoping to move house to ensure their children get into good schools are likely to face much higher prices, a report has stated.

The joint study by Halifax and estate agency Savills found that the average price of a home in the catchment area of a good school is 12 per cent higher that that of equivalent homes elsewhere, the Times reports.

It attributed this trend partly to the 41 per cent increase in private school fees in the last five years, stating that this has priced many parents out of this option and made the importance of living near the best state education options greater.

"Private school fees are going to be one thing that people will be asking if they can afford and that could put upward pressure on prices near good state schools," said Halifax chief economist Martin Ellis.

Those struggling to afford a more expensive home in such an area may be able to solve the problem through a potentially cheaper self build.

Pupils are much more likely to sit A-levels in wealthier districts of the country, the Conservative Party stated this week, noting that only one in eight do so in the poorest parts of the country.