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Original poster

Do people REALLY move house to get into a good school?

281 replies

Ijustwanttoretire · 28/08/2019 09:23

Apparently 'The average house value in England is £247,000 but parents face taking on loans of up to £180,000 more to live near a top-rated school.' Really? Does your average family move house to get into a better senior school? £180000 would buy a decent house where I live, let alone paying that much extra to get into a good catchment area. So how many MNers have ACTUALLY done this?

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 28/08/2019 09:25

Yes, yes they do.

SavoyCabbage · 28/08/2019 09:25

I can’t believe that you can’t believe that people do it!

Chickenkatsu · 28/08/2019 09:27

Yes, I know lots of people who have moved or are planning on moving, at least partly or totally to get into a school. I also know someone who rented out their own house and rented a different house just to get into a better primary school.

Ithinkmycatisevil · 28/08/2019 09:28

I wouldn’t. But I think many do.

I’m lucky to live in an area where most schools are ok and not massively oversubscribed though.

ThunderR0ad78 · 28/08/2019 09:28

A 3 bed 1930's semi detached house is worth 900k where I live! Many people move to be within a catchment of a good state school - putting 200k for example on your mortgage is a lot cheaper than funding 2/3 children through private education.

theWarOnPeace · 28/08/2019 09:29

Yes!

We were in a school wasteland before. Very long walk to a failing school. So as we were not wanting that, we knew we’d have to move. We moved to shitty house/street in a fantastic catchment area. One of the very few shit streets here to be honest. I would do it again.

My friend has been stuck with the shitty school and they have failed her children, in particular one with SEN. My son has autism and I would do anything to make sure he gets the support he needs. Yes, even moving house.

We are about to move again, in time for secondary!

user1474894224 · 28/08/2019 09:29

We moved last year. My number one priority was school catchment areas. I have 3 kids about to go through secondary school, why wouldn't it be? (We already live in the town that worked for us as a family - so it was about which area we picked). My kids education and giving them opportunities is what my life is about at the moment. Later in life my partner and I will probably move again and our priorities will have changed (walking distance to doctors and shops by that point! Lol). We also wanted to be in the house in time for school applications last October.

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 28/08/2019 09:29

We did! Once we had child number 3, we were in an area where it was the grammar school or bust as the local high schools were so shit and we didn’t want to put us or the children in so much pressure, so we moved to an area with a better school 🤷‍♀️

SnuggyBuggy · 28/08/2019 09:30

Out of my mums group I know one mum who is looking to move for school reasons. It happens but maybe isn't as common as people think.

To be fair when we were house hunting we ruled out this one area as it had no good secondary schools. Weirdly it has really posh bits but I guess those people use private schools.

Passthecherrycoke · 28/08/2019 09:30

Yes many people in my area do. We moved into this area for its primary school, and we moved 5.5 years before D.C. started (I wasn’t even pregnant) we like to plan Grin

In terms of finance we had been looking in a more expensive area so this area seemed cheaper by comparison. However, you could get a house a mile away out of catchment for £100k less. We wouldn’t like to live there because it’s not as nice, as well as not being in catchment

Chickenkatsu · 28/08/2019 09:30

I think that you can put a child from 11 to 18 in private school for about 100k so I'm not sure about that, also you'd save moving costs like stamp duty.

Mumshappy · 28/08/2019 09:31

It's very common to do this where I live. In fact I'll be doing it in the near future. Dd8 will have left her primary when ds16 months is due to go so he wont have the sibling advantage.

happycamper11 · 28/08/2019 09:31

Here in Scotland you go to your one catchment school and there is often little leeway, certainly here in Edinburgh as schools are often over subscribed especially in the more sought after areas so out of catchment places can be unlikely. I've known people live elsewhere and rent separate accommodation for several months until their child has started. It's definitely a thing!

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2019 09:31

We didn’t get into our catchment school.

It was cheaper to send DD through private prep for 9 years than it would have been to buy a smaller house even closer to the school than where we are.

Disfordarkchocolate · 28/08/2019 09:31

Move house once to make sure my eldest children got into a good secondary school.

Moved town to make sure my youngest git into a good first school.

happycamper11 · 28/08/2019 09:32

I'd have thought it was more of a risk in England though as there's no guarantee you will get in to your nearest or catchment school as far as I can tell?

Grafittiqueen · 28/08/2019 09:32

We moved two years ago to get DS into the school we wanted him to go to. I know loads of people who have done the same.

Disfordarkchocolate · 28/08/2019 09:32

Youngest got, he's definitely not a git!

Passthecherrycoke · 28/08/2019 09:34

I don’t think it’s that common in England to not get into your catchment school. This year around 170 secondary children in our county didn’t, however, their parents hadn’t applied for their catchment schools.
They were sent to schools with spaces which are usually poorer.

I don’t understand why people make out this is an English thing- it can’t be that all schools in Wales Scotland and NI are equally good (as a PP said above, not the case in Edinburgh?)

AlunWynsKnee · 28/08/2019 09:36

Friends of mine sold up and bought another house the other side of town so they were in catchment for a particular school. No other reason.
Other friends rented theirs out and rented a house across town for a year for school admissions.

Malbecfan · 28/08/2019 09:36

People move to the state grammar school where I work from all over the world. Luckily, we lived close enough for my kids to get in. It happens and it drives me nuts that local kids are pushed down the pecking order by outsiders. Lots of them buy 2nd homes here so mummy/daddy can continue to work in London/Hong Kong whilst kid gets free education. As soon as kids finish school, parents sod off.

I could name them, but would probably lose my job, so yes, it very definitely happens and I hate it.

mollyblack · 28/08/2019 09:38

Yes in Edinburgh school catchment area is a prime reason for people choosing where they live- everyone is meant to go to their catchment school and it can be very difficult to get out of catchment places. Its very common for people to have their baby in a flat in or near town, then when the child is 2/3 move to a "nice" area for the school. Certain areas if edinburgh that fall in good catchments are extortionate, even for small fairly crappy houses.

Oldbutstillgotit · 28/08/2019 09:38

I did . The senior school in our previous catchment area was awful so we stretched ourselves and moved to our current area. Well worth it .

PooWillyBumBum · 28/08/2019 09:39

Our primary catchment schools are poor.

One of my neighbours has rented out his house and moved to a surrounding village for 5 years (got DC1 in and waiting til DC2 is old enough to get in) and will return after. His wife will then ferry the kids to and fro every day.

BarkandCheese · 28/08/2019 09:39

Of course they do. I live in an area walking distance from three grammar schools and two outstanding high schools, £180,000 wouldn’t get you a one bed flat here.

The difference between paying for a private school and buying a catchment house is that the equity stays in the house. Although I didn’t move to this area for the schools, I owned property here ten years before DD was born, once she’s finished secondary we will be selling up and moving somewhere cheaper.