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Buying home in school catchment area then move out 3 years later...?
ellie27
Posts: 1,097 Forumite
We have accepted an offer on our house and there is nothing on the market that we look at as being suitable long term for our family.
We are moving simply to get our children into a good school catchment area as our local school is one of the worst in Scotland!
So, there is a house on the market in the catchment area that I call a 'cheap, it will do' house to get us in the school. Our budget is £250k. We could secure this house for £140k.
If we buy this house and move in, my daughter starts primary August 2015 and my son August 2016. What would happen if they have been at school first few years then we put the house up for sale and end up moving 2 miles away. House would be still be in the same council/local authority but we would be in a different catchment area. Would the council force us to move our children or is that unlikely? I will call them on monday to find out but thought I would ask on here too.
We are moving simply to get our children into a good school catchment area as our local school is one of the worst in Scotland!
So, there is a house on the market in the catchment area that I call a 'cheap, it will do' house to get us in the school. Our budget is £250k. We could secure this house for £140k.
If we buy this house and move in, my daughter starts primary August 2015 and my son August 2016. What would happen if they have been at school first few years then we put the house up for sale and end up moving 2 miles away. House would be still be in the same council/local authority but we would be in a different catchment area. Would the council force us to move our children or is that unlikely? I will call them on monday to find out but thought I would ask on here too.
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Your school places would be safe if you were in England, I don't know if Scotland is different.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages, student & coronavirus Boards, money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0
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They won't no. I've got kids coming from over 20 mins away
some have actually tried to move to their new catchment area and the new schools are too full also so it definitely not forced 0 -
They don't make you move schools these days so long as you are at a reasonable distance for you to travel each day and that's really down to you to decide.0
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Don't assume that your children will automatically get into this "good school". Just living in the catchment area is no guarantee if there are more children than places.0
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jennifernil wrote: »Don't assume that your children will automatically get into this "good school". Just living in the catchment area is no guarantee if there are more children than places.
This is correct. My child did not get into our local school. I put her name on the waiting list and she's now in year 5 and still not got a place. We could walk to the school, it's that close but I have to drive or catch the bus to another school.I must remember that "Money Saving" is not buying heavily discounted items that I do not need. :hello:0 -
It may be worth looking at the local council website to see if they have any published data about how many children from each category get in and how many end up on a waiting list. If not all the catchment get in it may say how far in distance from the school they did get in.0
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I have got to agree with the above posters; there is not a 100% guarantee that your kids will get into the school you like, even if you move directly opposite the school. In fact, with you being new to the area, you stand less chance imo, as there is none of your children already there, and the school will favour siblings of children already there (and possibly the children of people who have been living near that school for many years.)
This has happened in my neck of the woods. It has a really good secondary school, and it's highly sought after, and they have this rule that if the family hasn't lived in this small town for more than 5 years, then they are not likely to consider the children, and they have to go to the comprehensive 3 miles down the road.
That said, if your kids do get into the school you want, then they won't make them move if you move house. But why not stay anyway? Just because your budget/maximum is £250K, that doesn't mean you have to spend that amount.(•_•)
)o o)╯
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If you were to move further away a couple of years after your children start Primary, OP, what impact will that have on the choice of Secondary school? Would they go to the same one as their friends, or potentially a different one?:heartpuls Mrs Marleyboy :heartpuls
MSE: many of the benefits of a helpful family, without disadvantages like having to compete for the tv remote Proud Parents to an Aut-some son 0 -
Tigsteroonie wrote: »If you were to move further away a couple of years after your children start Primary, OP, what impact will that have on the choice of Secondary school? Would they go to the same one as their friends, or potentially a different one?
Good point.(•_•)
)o o)╯
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Why not rent until the perfect house comes along - buying and selling houses is an expensive business. Plus renting puts you in a no chain position when trying to buy the perfect house.0
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