Moving House? How to Choose an Area Based on Schools

For families with children, the local school is often the single biggest factor in choosing where to live. But researching schools and property simultaneously is overwhelming — you're comparing house prices, Ofsted ratings, commute times, and catchment areas across dozens of possible areas. PickMySchool lets you search schools by postcode, compare up to 4 side by side, and check house prices — all in one place.

1. Start with your requirements — primary or secondary? Any SEN needs? Faith preference? Budget? 2. Identify target areas — use PickMySchool's postcode search with a 3–5 mile radius to see all schools in any area you're considering 3. Shortlist schools — use the compare tool. Look at Ofsted, KS2/GCSE results, capacity (is it oversubscribed?), and SEN provision 4. Check house prices — every school profile has a House Prices tab showing recent Land Registry sales 5. Estimate admission chances — use the Admission Predictor on the Admissions tab. Enter the postcode of a house you're considering 6. Visit — once you've narrowed to 2–3 areas, visit the schools in person

The best value is often in areas where schools are improving but property prices haven't caught up yet. Look for: • Schools that moved from Requires Improvement to Good recently • Schools with strong Progress 8 (adding value) but modest raw results (depressed prices) • Areas where a new academy trust has taken over and is investing PickMySchool's inspection history shows the trajectory — a school rated Good with an upward trend might be more promising than a long-standing Outstanding school due for re-inspection.

If you're moving for a specific school: • Move BEFORE the application deadline (31 Oct for secondary, 15 Jan for primary) • The address on your application must be where you live on the deadline date • Councils verify addresses — using a temporary address to gain a place is fraud • If moving after the deadline, contact the council about in-year applications

Ready to find the right school?