House prices near Sevenoaks School are 221 per cent higher than a mile away says report
09-25-2014
By couriereditor
Sevenoaks School. Pic: Google Street View
Digsby Sevenoaks School. Pic: sevenoaksschool.org.uk
Pupils from Sevenoaks School.
THE average value of a home within a mile of one the top 50 best performing schools in England is 16.6 per cent higher than average values in the surrounding local authority, according to research by estate agent Knight Frank.
The biggest uplift in house prices among the 50 top-performing schools - defined as those secondary schools that achieved the best A-level scores per student in the 2012/13 academic year - is Sevenoaks School, with sales prices in 2014 some 221pc higher than the average in the Sevenoaks District Council area.
According to data from the Land Registry for actual achieved sales prices within a mile radius of Sevenoaks School in 2014, this translates to a premium of £425,291 compared to the average house price in the wider local authority.
Edward Rook, Knight Frank Sevenoaks, comments: “As Sevenoaks School offers pupils the internationally recognised Bacalaureat, it has opened up the town to international buyers which has increased the demand for the housing stock beyond the traditional local and national market.
“An English education has world wide appeal.”
Oliver Knight, Residential Research, Knight Frank, said: “When deciding on a location for their family, parents can place a great deal of focus on the level and quality of education that local schools can provide and as a result good schools can be an important driver of local property markets.
“Our research highlights this, showing that in general people are willing to pay a significant premium for a home close to some of the UK’s best schools.
“However, the size of the price uplift varies and it will be affected by the location and the type of housing stock on offer in a given area.”
Homes near the best schools in the north east command the largest uplift at nearly 47pc.
In London, where property prices tend to be higher and the frequency of public transport means accessibility and the daily commute is less of a factor, the uplift is 4.9pc.
However, there are certain areas where properties in close proximity to some of the best schools trade at a discount to the Local Authority, as shown in the table below. The “best value” houses around the top 50 schools are found around Scarborough College, where prices of homes within a mile radius are 41pc, or £70,094, below the average values in the Local Authority.