Quarter of Yorkshire parents move house for better school place
A report out today reveals the lengths Yorkshire parents will go to in order to get their kids into a good school.
A report out today reveals the lengths Yorkshire parents will go to in order to get their kids into a good school.
Figures show a quarter have moved house so they could be in a certain catchment area - with some mums and dads willing to pay over 10 per cent more for a property, or even change jobs.
Lauren Munsun has just moved to Roundhay from Scotland - she says making sure her daughter was able to go to a good school was a big concern:
"We found that Gledhow was best according to Ofsted so we then had to find somewhere to rent that we thought would be within the catchment area.
"That's part of the reason we chose Roundhay, because of the opinion that most of the schools are pretty good. So I think it must be very stressful for people who are in areas where the schools aren't good.
"Also in the areas around good schools we notice you're kind of paying a premium for your housing."
The study by Santander found 26 per cent of parents with children of a school age have either bought or rented a new property to secure an address within their desired school catchment area.
Families were prepared to spend 11 per cent more - equating to £23,707 in the current property market.
A fifth of those surveyed said they were forced to downsize, while 17 per cent said they've had to change jobs as a result of the move.
A further 22 per cent admit they overstretched themselves, paying more for the property than they could realistically afford, while around the same amount moved far away from family or friends.
However, more than a quarter of those who moved to be within a particular catchment area said they had, or would, move out straight away once their child had secured a place.