Good state schools ‘push house prices beyond the reach of their teachers’
STATE schools in London risk becoming victims of their own success by pushing house prices up so high that teachers cannot afford to live near them, a senior mayor has warned.
Jules Pipe, the elected mayor of Hackney, said the price of property near good schools was now one of the biggest threats to education standards, and could push teachers out of the city. He said: “Whereas once it was parents leaving London in search of better schools, now it is teachers in search of homes they can afford.”
Fifteen years ago schools in Hackney were among the worst in Britain. Standards were so low, education was taken out of local authority control.
Now the borough boasts some of the most sought-after schools in the capital, including Mossbourne Academy, City Academy and Clapton Girls’ Academy. Many of the improvements of the past decade have been put down to the London Challenge, launched in 2003 to improve standards in schools by encouraging them to collaborate.
In an essay about the transformation of Hackney schools, Mr Pipe wrote: “London’s affordable housing crisis will take its toll as it becomes more and more difficult for teachers to live even within commuting di st ance of the schools where they are most needed.
“In that sense, London’s revolution in school standards has become the victim of its own success. In Hackney, the rapid improvement in local schools has been one of the single biggest drivers of house-price inflation beyond the bubble that is being experienced across the capital.”
Hackney house values are some of the fastest rising in London. The average stood at £606,005 in January, according to Land Registry figures, up 15.1 per cent in a year. It puts the borough behind only Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, and Richmond.
Mr Pipe’s essay was part of a collection produced for London Councils, which represents local authorities in the capital, to examine the impact of the London Challenge initiative.
But Peter John, executive member for children, skills and employment at London Councils, said the capital must now do even more to remain the “educational powerhouse” of the UK. Mr John, also leader of Southwark council, said: “As London’s population continues to grow along with its status as a global mega-city, the question is how do we ensure that success continues?”