High performing comps score top with house buyers

As students prepare to sit GCSEs and A Levels this summer, parents will be looking at last year’s performances to search out the best state schools, says PropertyIndex.com.

Parents deterred by oversubscribed grammars will be flocking to secure the next best education at one of the country’s top performing comprehensives. PropertyIndex.com has seen searches on its website soar for family property in counties such as Hertfordshire, which boasts high achieving comps.

As private school fees become an unaffordable luxury for many, the rush to apply to the country’s top grammars to secure an above average education has resulted in over subscription, with as many as seven applications for every place. Now parents are looking at the next best option – a place at a high performing comprehensive which requires living in a sought after catchment.

PropertyIndex.com Chief Executive, Lee Bramzell comments: “While family homes around popular schools have always commanded a premium, the rise in interest from parents who would have previously chosen private schools has had a ripple effect for applications to local grammars and top performing comprehensives.

“Parents able to move now can snap up the many bargains on offer in traditionally solid suburbs, which not only give them a great investment property wise but also a first-rate education for their children, at no extra cost. These areas, often with excellent transport links, will be the first to fly when the market improves.”

With a wide range of top performing schools including the only comprehensive to feature in the Top 100 schools (based on 2008 A Level results) Hertfordshire has proved a popular destination with homebuyers. The number of searches for a home in the county has grown over 200% since the start of the year, as Hertfordshire’s top performing schools prove an increasingly strong draw for today’s families.

For more information, visit Propertyindex.com.