SCHOOLS PUSH PRICES

Quality educational establishments attract parents wanting to live nearby, so affecting the property market

HOMES near the country’s top schools are increasingly being sought by property buyers, regardless of whether or not such schools have zoning policies. Although most provinces no longer implement such policies, schools sometimes give preference to pupils living close by, making admission periods even more stressful for parents.

The increase in traffic congestion, and the added convenience of living near a popular school, are also reasons why properties near these schools are in demand.

New research commissioned and released by online low-commission property company PropertyFox shows that, of the 65 top high schools – primarily public schools – a large percentage gave preference to pupils who lived nearby.

The company’s School Feeder Zones 2018 Guide shows that, when accepting new pupils:

Six schools (9%) specified their preferred suburbs.

Six schools (9%) specified their preferred primary feeder schools.

29 schools (44%) gave preference to pupils who lived nearby.

25 (38%) had no explicit zones. PropertyFox founder and chief executive Crispin Inglis says it is hard for parents to get to grips with exactly where to buy property to have the best chance of being accepted by a specific school. It is a catch-22, because until parents have an address and apply, they do not know if their children will be accepted.

“Catchment area information is extremely hard to find, so our aim with the guide was to give parents some direction as to how to approach their property search, or how to find a school near their home.”

The research, conducted in part by independent education researcher Kerry squarely at buyers in the market for a house in the R1.5 million-plus price level who want to buy near their school of choice.

From the research, some of the key findings are:

Although guided by the province, each school has jurisdiction over its admission policy as set by the school governing body. Living in a feeder catchment area is never a guarantee of admission, but is a contributing criterion.

Legislation varies from province to province about feeder zones.

When looking at provincial policies, the guide says:

In the Western Cape, there’s no explicit provincial feeder zone policy, but the research shows some governing bodies do sway preference towards certain areas.

KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape also don’t have explicit provincial feeder zone policies, but many schools do. In the Free State, provincial policy gives preference to pupils living near schools. In 2018, a default 5km radius for feeder zones applied in Gauteng.

The updated 2019 policy gives preference to pupils based in feeder zones, along with siblings, and pupils from primary schools that are closest to the high schools in the area.

The PropertyFox report also states that competition for top public schools is high, with many parents camping outside their desired schools all night, and some moving as close to them as possible.