Back to school – Time to move into a good catchment area?

It’s back to school soon and while many of you are busy ironing school uniforms and stocking up on essential stationery, many others are already worrying about getting their children into their preferred school next year.

Schools consider many different factors when selecting pupils, such as special needs, siblings, religion and distance from school. It’s important to think about admission early and get as much information as you can to give you the very best chance of earning a place for your little ones.

Applying for schools can be an anxious time for families – securing a place in the school of your dreams is becoming increasingly difficult and catchment areas are shrinking. Parents are often willing to cheat and lie their way into the system, with some seriously eager applicants moving their families into caravans or hotels to make sure they’re within the right postcode.

Catchment areas tend to vary between schools and can often be just a mile radius around the school grounds. To find out the requirements of schools in your area, the school’s prospectus and/or website should be able to give you all of the information you need and will tell you how they allocate places.

If you’re thinking of moving to be within a catchment area of your desired school, Rightmove is here to help!
Draw-a-Search is Rightmove’s map tool that allows you to find properties in your ideal location by drawing your very own search area.

Look for properties in your catchment area now!

Simply draw your dream school’s catchment area on the map and select your criteria; you will then be shown the available property in the area. Save your search areas for future use and sign up for alerts on properties in the area to be sure you don’t miss new property coming onto the market.

Check out the video below for instructions for using Draw-a-Search

If you don’t fancy moving too far and would like to see the schools in your area then try using our Maps & Schools tool that allows you to pinpoint schools in your desired area. Select a property that you fancy on Rightmove then use the school search feature above the map to see which primary and secondary schools are nearby and then view the schools’ Ofstead reports, exam result tables and general information.