Beat the catchment crowds: Not all is equal when it comes to buying a property in school catchment areas  

New data from leading property buying company Upstix shows that homes within the catchment of the top 20 English primary schools can move at very differing pace – with as much as two and a half months between the fastest and the slowest. 

It takes an average of 206 days to sell a property within England’s top 20 primary school catchments. But how fast you need to move as a buyer to avoid missing out really depends on where you are buying.

The fastest selling primary school catchment is for St James’ Roman Catholic Primary School in Orpington (main picture), with a sale time of just 170 days, compared to the slowest of 247 days for Abacus Belsize Primary School in London.  

Top 20 Primary Schools England 

Area 

Postcode 

Sale Time 

St James’ Roman Catholic Primary School

Orpington

BR5 1BL

170

Skelton School

Penrith

CA11 9SE

178

Barnes Primary School

London

SW13 0QQ

182

Penny Acres Primary School

Dronfield

S18 7WP

189

The Raleigh School

Leatherhead

KT24 6LX

194

Evelyn Street Primary Academy and Nursery

Warrington

WA5 1BD

194

Dolphinholme Primary School

Lancaster

LA2 9AN

195

Baron’s Court Primary School and Nursery

London

SS0 7PJ

202

South Farnham school

Farnham

GU9 8DY

204

St Stephens Primary School

London

E6 1AS

204

Gatley Primary School

Stockport

SK8 4NB

204

Earl’s Court Free School Primary

London

W6 0LB

208

St Stephen’s Church of England Primary School

London

W12 8LH

212

St Ives Primary and Nursery School

Ringwood

BH24 2LE

212

Fox Primary School

London

W8 7PP

217

Heathfield Academy

Croydon

CR0 1EQ

218

Charles Dickens Primary School

London

SE1 1AF

223

Nascot Wood Junior School

Watford

WD17 4YS

229

Redhill Primary School

Derby

DE72 3SF

231

Abacus Belsize Primary School

London

N1C 4PF

247

 

Fred Jones, Chief Operating Officer at Upstix, says: “It is no secret that the UK home buying and selling process can be incredibly stressful – but it is even more so when you have a school application deadline to meet. Our research shows that there can be as much as two and a half months difference in property selling times depending on which primary school catchment area you are trying to get into.  

SNAPPED UP

“Homes in some of the catchment areas of great schools can be snapped up quickly and with Labour proposing changes to VAT on private school fees we’re likely to see ever greater demand in the coming months.

“It means parents on the prowl for outstanding state education will need to start their house hunt soon as options will be snapped up quickly.” 

“For families with an existing property to sell, there’s a risk this could hold up the process, which can be lengthy, complex, and costly. With only 231 days until the January primary school application deadline, =. we’re seeing more and more parents make the most of our instant cash buying proposition to beat the catchment crowds.” 

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