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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:
sheshootssheimplores · 28/08/2019 09:39

We’re in a similar situation with secondary. We have the children in an amazing primary but the secondaries round here are a bit meh. We will be looking to move in the next couple of years and the local secondary schools will be a huge part of our decision making.

AlbertWinestein · 28/08/2019 09:39

We moved continents to get our kids into a better school!

DonPablo · 28/08/2019 09:40

I know people who have moved to be in catchment areas. And people who have fiddled the system by renting a house in the 6 months that count for admissions. They never lived in it, but the £3k rent was worth it in their opinion!

I guess if the school options are shit/brilliant it causes this kind of behaviour.

Thatnovembernight · 28/08/2019 09:41

Yep. Family friends of ours moved once for the primary school and a second time for secondary school. Some local friends currently have house on market so they can move for a secondary school.

Jenniferturkington · 28/08/2019 09:42

Yes we did. We moved to a less favourable area when the dc were little in order to get a house with a garden. When secondary school was on the cards we moved to a better catchment and sacrificed outdoor space. We know lots of people who did similar.

Cherryblossomtrees · 28/08/2019 09:42

Yes of course... Why wouldn't they? The school catchment is a major consideration in where you buy a house for many (most?) people with kids.

Idontwanttotalk · 28/08/2019 09:44

My DSis & BIL moved 4 years ago so that they could be in a catchment area for a particular school. My DN is starting the school this September. They like to plan in advance. Grin

The difference between what they sold their home for and the price they paid was £120k.

user1474894224 · 28/08/2019 09:46

@Chickenkatsu it costs way more than that here. It's about 18k a year at our local prep school for fees and after-school club. Times that by 3 for me. Then to go to a fee paying secondary I would have to add on a lot on top for transport, plus all the trips, uniform, extra curricular activities etc it was definitely cheaper to move to a state school we are happy with (hopefully).

courderoy · 28/08/2019 09:46

people definitely move to be near schools in my area. There are also a lot of people that move just after they have the secondary school place. Means the child and the siblings get the school places, kids that continue to live within walking distance don’t and kids are driven for miles everyday. What is even more perverse is that a family with younger kids will move in (in anticipation of the secondary school place) and drive their kids to their primary schools near their old house.

Chocolatelover106 · 28/08/2019 09:48

Yes, we did. Our son has Aspergers and we were told by a primary school teacher to not send him to the local school as it would be a disaster. We moved 20 miles to get him into the recommended school, and although it has not all been plain sailing, he is now going into year 13 and plans to go to medical school.

Spikeyball · 28/08/2019 09:48

Ds goes to an independent special school and if we moved over the county border, he could lose his place as the new LA might decide not to fund it, so we wouldn't do that.
We live in a one secondary school (good) town which everyone goes to so it doesn't matter where you live if you live within the town.

Mrsfrumble · 28/08/2019 09:49

My parents did this in 1978! Didn’t like the catchment schools so moved. I don’t think it’s a recent development...

EllesBells123 · 28/08/2019 09:49

Yes, we are moving next year primarily because the schools are much better in the area we are moving to.

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2019 09:53

Just a word of caution to anyone planning on doing it, catchment is no guarantee of a place!

Smellybluecheese · 28/08/2019 09:53

Yes, we moved as the only decent primary schools where we sued to live were religious and we didn't want that for DD. Where we've moved to is also with in catchment of a highly sought after secondary so we're staying put until after she starts there.

Missingstreetlife · 28/08/2019 09:54

Yes and lie about their religion.

Cherryblossomtrees · 28/08/2019 09:55

idontwanttotalk my in laws took my DN to be registered when he was a few weeks old,.and then went via the school on the way home from the registry office to put his name down... they had moved into the house a few months before. This is a state school in Scotland.

Now THAT is forward planning. Shock Grin

Grambler · 28/08/2019 09:59

I know people who have discovered religion - and more religion. I also know someone who rented a house a mile away from her home for 18 months (and lived there) to ensure a school place.

It's a gamble - schools change, a school's reputation or results don't necessarily mean it'll be the best place for your child. New schools open, then decide not to open a sixth form.

InDubiousBattle · 28/08/2019 09:59

I know someone who got their brother to get rid of his tenant from his rental so that they could move in for 9 months to get their dc into their primary of choice. So they had to pay rent, mortgage (their home was left empty), fees for her brother finding a new tenant when they moved home.

onefootinthegrave · 28/08/2019 10:00

Your average family doesn't do this because they can't afford to.

If everyone stayed put and went to their local primary/secondary it would no longer be 'shitty' as there would be a good mix of children in each school.

But sadly we have moved to a society where those with a bit more forget about those that don't have as much and rather than help those with the least, they tread all over them to get a supposed advantage over them.

Which doesn't pay in the long term because everyone suffers when society isn't equal.

AlunWynsKnee · 28/08/2019 10:01

You've reminded me @Mrsfrumble that my parents were going to move a few miles up the road to avoid our catchment secondary and get me in to a better school in the late 70s. As it was we moved to a different area for my dad's job.

KitKat1985 · 28/08/2019 10:01

We moved last year. We were principally moving for more space but nearby schools was a big deciding factor for us. In the end we had a choice of 2 houses and even though there were advantages to house 2 we went with house 1 as it was just down the street from a good school, so pretty certain the DDs would therefore get in there.

Tonnerre · 28/08/2019 10:01

Bear in mind that, assuming the school stays popular, if you do this you will be able to sell the house at a premium once your children are through school. Or even sooner, given that you may feel free to move once you've got the youngest in.

SnuggyBuggy · 28/08/2019 10:02

My DP faked religion as our catchment secondary was in special measures, I'd say my secondary school had more parents faking religion than not

Baguetteaboutit · 28/08/2019 10:02

Yes. We did. Although we live in a part of the country where living close to a good school didn't command a £180k premium, more like £50k. Well worth it.

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