It's back to school in Edinburgh as property prices rise in desirable catchment areas - Francesca Hill

There are plenty of factors that influence the decision to move home, and they can be fairly general or deeply personal – you might be looking for more space, a garden or a home office or maybe you want to be closer to family and friends, work, or are driven by a particular opportunity for your family.

At Coulters, we’ve seen many clients move or plan to move with the aim of getting into a certain school catchment area for their children’s education – while it might not be the driving reason, it’s certainly a major factor.

Rankings, location, feeder schools and much more all come into play when looking at schools as part of a house move, and a key research point is often the teachers who are in charge.

The Head Teacher Effect is well and truly in play in Northwest Edinburgh, where the current head at Davidson’s Mains Primary has an incredible reputation and has had such a great impact on pupils that families are competing to buy homes within the catchment postcodes.

Francesca Hill is senior property valuer at Coulters

More widely, we can look at areas where desirability is influenced by the local schools – whether they’re public or private. Looking at homes suited to families (houses with two bedrooms or more), we can see that properties in the catchment areas for Edinburgh’s top-ranking schools are commanding significantly higher prices than across the city as a whole. Areas around the number one primary and secondary schools, Sciennes Primary and Boroughmuir High School have seen average prices for houses with two or more bedrooms of £849,500 and £744,725 respectively over the last three months – way above Edinburgh’s city-wide average of £407,195.

As well as a number of well-regarded state schools, Edinburgh also boasts plenty of private establishments, where excellent schooling is available at a cost. In certain areas proximity to both highly-rated state schools and independent schools works together to push up prices. For example, houses in Ravelston, which is close to both St George’s and ESMS (Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools), have sold for an average of 114 per cent over Edinburgh’s average house price in the last three months, while those in Inverleith, near Fettes College, have averaged an additional 34 per cent.

Looking towards East Lothian, the desire to live in a good catchment area is still strong, although it’s worth noting that the catchments, here cover larger areas and so there is more choice of location than in the city. And there are plenty of good schools too; North Berwick High School, Dunbar Grammar and Knox Academy all ranked within the top 60 schools in Scotland for pupils attaining five Highers in 2022.

Of course, it’s only natural that parents want the best for their kids and for more and more Edinburgh parents, that means moving to secure attendance or to be within a short distance of to a specific school. Paying more for a home in your desired catchment area can also be a savvy investment longer-term – as long as the market stays stable you are likely to recoup your investment or make a positive return when it comes time to sell. Ultimately, a house move will always come down to your individual situation and motivations – if education is one of them it may well be the move for you.

Francesca Hill is senior property valuer at Coulters