The short answer
Living near a school, or even inside its catchment area, does not guarantee your child a place. Each school's admission rules decide who gets priority when it is oversubscribed. Before you buy, read those rules for every school that matters to you and check how the home you are considering fits them.
This guide describes the admissions system in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland work differently — check with the relevant local council.
Five checks before you buy
- Find who sets the rules. The local council for community schools; the school or trust for academies, free schools and many faith schools.
- Read the admission arrangements. Note whether the school uses a catchment map, distance, faith, feeder schools or other criteria — and in what order.
- Check how distance is measured. Some use straight-line distance, others a walking route. The rules say which, and from which point of the home.
- Look at past allocations, if published. They show how places went in earlier years. They can change, so treat them as context, not a promise.
- Confirm the exact address. Catchment boundaries can split streets. A postcode alone may not tell you which side a particular home is on.
Common questions
What is a school catchment area?
A catchment area is a geographical area some schools use in their admissions rules. Living inside it usually gives an application higher priority when a school has more applicants than places. Not every school uses one — many use straight-line or walking distance from home to school instead.
Does living in the catchment area guarantee a place?
No. A catchment area gives priority, not a guarantee. If more children apply from inside the catchment than there are places, the school applies its other criteria — often looked-after children, siblings and then distance. Some children living inside a catchment do not get a place.
What schools are in my catchment area?
Check the admission arrangements for each school you are interested in. For community and voluntary controlled schools these are usually published by the local council; academies, free schools and faith schools set and publish their own. Look for a catchment map or the distance rule, and the order of the oversubscription criteria.
Is being close to a school enough?
Not on its own. Where a school uses distance, the distance of the last child offered a place can change every year with the number and location of applicants. Some councils publish past allocation information, which helps you judge how realistic a place is, but it is not a forecast.
How Go Locate helps
A Property Check lists nearby schools with their official Ofsted information and distance from the home, so you know which admission rules to read. It does not tell you whether a child would get a place — only the school's admission rules and the admissions authority can.
General information, not legal or admissions advice.