North East parents get ahead with Barratt

Parents looking for a new home close to a good school for their children are getting ahead thanks to an innovative new service from the North East’s leading housebuilder.

New research from Barratt North East says that almost a third of prospective homebuyers rate proximity to a good school as an important factor when buying a new property. But competition for places at the best performing schools can be intense.

So the housebuilder has teamed up with the Good Schools Guide to give parents who are looking for a new home the opportunity to research the best schools in the area at the same time.

Visitors to barratthomes.co.uk simply enter a location, postcode, name of the school or the name of the development in which they are interested.

They then have the option of asking for more information on nearby schools and the website’s search engine generates a list of those nearest to the development, with details about the school provided by the Good Schools Guide.

Parents can filter the search by age-range (nursery, primary and secondary) or type (mainstream and special needs) and instantly access details such as pupil numbers, percentages passing English, Maths and Science subjects, Key Stage 2 statistics, and compare performance against the local average.

For those who want to find out more in-depth information, the school’s website and contact details are also listed.

Written by parents for parents, the Good Schools Guide is widely recognised as one of the most authoritative and independent education resources available today.

“This month’s exam results always underline just how committed so many parents are to finding a school which can give their children the best start in life,” said Fenton Hewitt, Sales Director at Barratt North East.

“We understand that often it’s the school that dictates where a family lives – not the other way round.

“Many parents who were house-hunting earlier in the year took advantage of the school-finder service. We think it can give them and their children a head start when they’re thinking about both homes and schools.”

Barratt has 17 developments across Durham, Northumberland, Teesside and Tyne and Wear with new homes priced from around £100,000 to £547,500.

For more information on current availability visit: barratthomes.co.uk