Most affordable areas to live for the best schools, new study reveals

Gateshead is England’s most affordable place to live for the best schools  

• Gateshead ranks as the most affordable place to live for the best schools, offering the best ratio of Ofsted-rated “outstanding” schools to low house prices. 
• South Tyneside and St Helens place as the second and third most affordable areas for an outstanding education. 
• Isle of Wight, West Sussex, and Oxfordshire rank as the bottom three.  

 England for affordable outstanding education. 

The study by tutoring experts Superprof examined the percentage of schools rated by Ofsted as outstanding in more than 150 parts of England, and then compared this to the average house price in each area. 

The research revealed that Gateshead took the top spot as the most affordable place to live for outstanding education, due to its combination of highly rated Ofsted schools and England’s most affordable house prices. Gateshead topped the list due to 32% of its schools being judged by the educational inspector as outstanding, and the 13^th lowest average house price in the study – £142,214.44; therefore, ranking as the best value in England for high-quality teaching. 

Following closely behind, South Tyneside is the second-best area in England for affordable outstanding education, which has the 11^th lowest average house price – £133,474.51 – and 30% of its state-funded schools received an outstanding rating from Ofsted in their most recent inspection. 

St Helens ranks as the third most affordable place to live in England for the best schools. The Merseyside town has 26% of its schools delivering outstanding teaching at the last Ofsted inspection and an average house price of £143,760.08, the 17^th lowest in England. 

Rounding off the top five are Wigan and Bolton, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. Both Greater Manchester towns have 25% of their schools rated as outstanding, however, Wigan has a slightly lower average house price at £154,038.55, whereas Bolton has a higher average house price of £154,756.62. 

Outstanding Education and House Price Index – Top 10
Official Ranking	Area	Average House Price	Percentage of schools rated Outstanding at last Ofsted inspection	Index Rank
1	Gateshead	£142,214.44	32	1
2	South Tyneside	£133,474.51	30	2
3	St Helens	£143,760.08	26	3
4	Wigan	£152,038.55	25	4
5	Bolton	£154,756.62	25	5
6	Newcastle upon Tyne	£167,964.16	26	6
7	Liverpool	£152,974.15	23	7
8	Kingston upon Hull	£144,716.66	20	8
9	Stockon-on-Tees	£142,407.64	21	9
10	Durham	£112,722.16	19	10

Conversely, the Isle of Wight ranks at the bottom of the list, as none of its 50 schools are rated outstanding by Ofsted. The average house price in the county is £240,746.43, which is around £10,000 under the UK average. 

West Sussex also fares poorly in the analysis, placing second-last in the index. The county has only 11% of schools rated as outstanding in their last Ofsted inspection, combined with the 44^th highest average house price in the UK, at £340,781.00. 

Oxfordshire is the third-bottom of the ranking, due to having 13% of its schools meet the requirements for outstanding education, while its average house price of £370,612.05 is the 41^st highest in the UK.  

The London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea boasts an impressive 65% of schools rated as outstanding – the highest number in the country – however, it also has the country’s highest average house price, £1,220,511.49. As a result, its combined score means it ranks 80^th in the index. 

A spokesperson for Superprof commented on the findings: “Every parent wants the best education for their children, so living close to good schools is a priority for many families. The results from this study offer a useful and intriguing insight into which specific areas of England can offer the best education for families without having to break the bank.”  

The study was conducted by Superprof, an online platform which helps connecting tutors and students in need.

Outstanding Education and House Price Index – Bottom 10
Official Ranking	Area	Average House Price	Percentage of schools rated Outstanding at last Ofsted inspection	Index Rank
1	East Sussex	£308,869.97	13	153
2	Cambridgeshire	£312,003.72	12	154
3	Wiltshire	£286,957.58	10	155
4	Brighton and Hove	£400,636.46	14	156
5	West Berkshire	£372,062.77	13	157
6	South Gloucestershire	£297,006.21	10	158
7	Barking and Dagenham	£323,953.90	12	159
8	Oxfordshire	£370,612.05	13	160
9	West Sussex	£340,781.00	11	161
10	Isle of Wight	£240,746.43	0	162

Further information can be found at   www.superprof.co.uk who conducted the research.