The Price on Education: The Cost of Living Near London’s 342 ‘Outstanding’ Primary Schools
If you’re a parent with young children, it’s likely you keep a close eye on the Ofsted ratings. Schools rated as ‘outstanding’, the highest Ofsted grade, are highly sought after, and homes near these top-rated schools usually come at a premium.
And Portico London estate agents’ latest research has revealed exactly how much that premium is, as well as some extremely interesting findings.
The leading London agent reports that there are 342 ‘outstanding’, state-funded primary schools in London*, meaning the capital has the highest number of top-rated primary schools out of all the regions in the UK.
When drilling down to specific London boroughs, Portico discovered that the north-London borough of Barnet has the most ‘outstanding’, state-funded primaries at 24**. Lambeth ranked second with 22 ‘outstanding’ primaries, Richmond upon Thames was third with 20, Wandsworth and Hackney were joint fourth with 17, and Lewisham was fifth with 16.
The boroughs with the least number of ‘outstanding’, state primaries were Barking and Dagenham and Bexley, who both have 3 top-rated schools in the area.
House prices across London’s outstanding schools compared
All parents want to give their children the best start in life, but the connection between house prices and top-rated schools is long-standing.
With that in mind, Portico analysed the property prices surrounding all 342 ‘outstanding’ primaries in the capital, to find out which boroughs are most affordable, and which are the most expensive.
Out of all 32 London boroughs, east London’s Barking and Dagenham offers the best value for money if parents were looking to buy close to the borough’s ‘outstanding’ schools. Here, parents can expect to pay an average property price of just £307,463 to live near one of the area’s three ‘outstanding’ primary schools – which is less than half the average London property price of £618,587***.
On the other end of the scale, Kensington and Chelsea ranks as the most expensive borough when it comes to average property prices surrounding the area’s top schools. There are 14 ‘outstanding’ primaries in the royal borough, but to live in the vicinity of one of these schools will set parents back an average of £1,739,268. In other words, nearly a million and half more than it would in Barking and Dagenham.
Portico London estate agents table below shows the number of ‘outstanding’ state-funded primary schools per London borough, plus the average cost of living near an ‘outstanding’ school in the area:
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Drilling down to specific schools and areas within the London boroughs
When looking at specific ‘outstanding’ schools across the capital to find the real local bargains, Portico discovered that Hounslow in Greater London offers the best value local property prices near an ‘outstanding’ school in the whole of London.
The average property price surrounding Hounslow’s ‘outstanding’ Edward Pauling Primary School, located on Redford Close, Feltham, is just £233,615. Living in the immediate area of nearby Beavers Community Primary School in Hounslow was only slightly more expensive, with an average price-tag of £247,571.
Following this, Bexley, Greenwich, and Ealing have the third, fourth and fifth most affordable areas near an ‘outstanding’ primary school.
Bexley’s St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School zone in Welling has an average property price of £269,453; to live in the nearby area of Greenwich’s Cardwell Primary School in Woolwich will cost parents an average of £276,786; and the area around Gifford Primary School in Ealing stands only fractionally higher at an average of £277,079.
On the other end of the scale, London’s most expensive catchments ranked as:
1. Westminster’s St Peters Eaton Square Corn Primary School on Lower Belgrave Street – £3,184,794.
2. Kensington and Chelsea’s Christ Church CofE Primary School on Robinson St, Chelsea -£2,589,755.
3. Camden’s Primrose Hill School on Princess Rd in Primrose Hill – £2,573,738.
Portico’s research has shown that the price you can pay to live near an ‘outstanding’ school can vary wildly across London boroughs. However, interestingly, the agent’s research also reveals that the price divide between different ‘outstanding’ local areas within boroughs is also extensive.
For example, Primrose Hill School in Camden has the third most expensive local property prices (£2,573,738) out of London’s 343 ‘outstanding’ school zones, but Kingsgate Primary School located in the same borough but in Kilburn is a staggering 77% cheaper, with a much lower average property price of £578,896.
Fiona Veitch, Portico’s Marketing Director, says:
“Each year, parents across the nation fight to get their children into the right school, and we see many families moving purely to be in the catchment area of a specific school..
According to our research, the average property price of a London home in the neighbouring area of an ‘outstanding’ state-funded primary school costs £693,849. Compared to the average London property price of £618,587, this means parents will pay a huge premium of £75,262 to give their kids the best start in life.
Living near a state-funded primary school with an Ofsted ‘needs improvement’ rating costs even less. In fact, the average property price near a school that ‘needs improvement’ costs £540,638 – which is over 22% cheaper, or over £150,000, less than an ‘outstanding’ school area.
Despite there being such a strong correlation between house prices and top-rated schools, we hope our research will help the parents who are looking to move to an ‘affordable’ area near a top-rated school see what options are available to them.”
Portico’s table below shows the top 20 most affordable areas surrounding London’s ‘outstanding’ primary schools. Visit Portico here to view the full table to see all 342 ‘outstanding’ primary schools across London and their local property prices.
|
Local Authority Area |
Provider Name |
School address |
Average property price |
| Hounslow | Edward Pauling Primary School | Redford Cl, Feltham TW13 4TQ | 233,615 |
| Hounslow | Beavers Community Primary School | Arundel Rd, Hounslow TW4 6HR | 247,571 |
| Bexley | St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School | Ruskin Ave, Welling DA16 3QG | 269,453 |
| Greenwich | Cardwell Primary School | 118 Frances St, Woolwich, London SE18 5LP | 276,786 |
| Ealing | Gifford Primary School | Greenhill Gardens, Northolt UB5 6BU | 277,079 |
| Sutton | St Elphege’s RC Infants’ School | Mollison Dr, Roundshaw, Wallington SM6 9HY, | 281,000 |
| Sutton | St Elphege’s RC Junior School | Mollison Dr, Roundshaw, Wallington SM6 9HY, | 281,000 |
| Greenwich | Heronsgate Primary School | Whinchat Rd, London SE28 0EA, | 285,143 |
| Greenwich | Hawksmoor School | Bentham Rd, Thamesmead, London SE28 8AS, | 293,172 |
| Barking and Dagenham | William Ford CofE Junior School | Ford Rd, Dagenham RM10 9JS, | 299,900 |
| Havering | St Ursula’s Catholic Junior School | Straight Rd, Romford RM3 7JS, | 301,678 |
| Barking and Dagenham | The St Teresa Catholic Primary School | Bowes Road, Dagenham, Essex, RM8 2XJ | 301,739 |
| Hounslow | Feltham Hill Infant and Nursery School | Bedfont Rd, Feltham TW13 4LZ, | 309,675 |
| Tower Hamlets | Bonner Primary School | Stainsbury Street, Bethnal Green, London E2 0NF | 312,825 |
| Barking and Dagenham | Warren Junior School | Gordon Rd, Dagenham, Romford RM6 6DA, | 320,750 |
| Brent | St Joseph’s RC Infant School | Waverley Avenue, Wembley, HA9 6TA | 328,972 |
| Richmond upon Thames | St James’s Roman Catholic Primary School | 260 Stanley Rd, Twickenham TW2 5NP, | 329,475 |
| Southwark | Phoenix Primary School | Marlborough Grove, London SE1 5JT, | 330,675 |
| Lewisham | Downderry Primary School | Downderry Road Bromley Br1 5ql | 332,795 |
| Tower Hamlets | Old Palace Primary School | St Leonard’s St, Bromley By Bow, London E3 3BT, | 335,190 |