Chichester Excels When It Comes To Education

There is no mistaking this time of year. The paddling pool has been swapped for packed lunch boxes, new uniforms have been ironed and alarms clocks are reset. The start of the new school year is an important milestone and this September, families in Chichester have already achieved an A*.

When the Daily Mail compiled its list of top 20 places to educate your child in England and Wales, the West Sussex city of Chichester made the list. To put that into perspective, there are more than 1,100 cities and towns in England alone.

As well as exceptional schooling, Chichester was praised for its location, set between the sea and the county’s pastoral countryside, which includes the South Downs. Highlights, such as Goodwood, the Chichester Festival Theatre, the Pallant House gallery, Chichester Harbour and a shopping quarter with M&S, John Lewis and Waitrose as its anchor stores, also got a mention.

Outstanding & Good rated schools in Chichester

There is a wide choice of state, independent, specialist and faith schools across Chichester, many that Ofsted have awarded a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ rating to. These include, but are not limited to:

·      St Richard's Catholic Primary School

·      St Anthony's School

·      Fishbourne CofE Primary School

·      St. Joseph's CofE Infant School

·      St. Joseph's CofE Junior School

·      Parklands Community Primary School

·      Jessie Younghusband Primary School

·      Kingsham Primary School

·      Parklands Community Primary School

·      Fordwater School

·      Chichester High School

·      Chichester Free School

·      Bishop Luffa School

·      Westbourne House

The city is also home to the University of Chichester, which is ranked in the top 40 universities in the UK and is rated TEF Gold.

Educate yourself about price premiums

There is a phenomenon called ‘the Ofsted effect’, which relates to the price premium home movers can pay for living close to the best schools. It’s something that has been monitored by the Government, as well as by estate agents. In 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) found property prices were 8% higher near the best-performing primary schools and 6.8% higher near the best secondary schools.

More recent research (2022) by law firm Simpson Millar discovered properties within the catchment of well-rated and popular schools had an average price that was 49% above the national average. If you’d like more information about house prices across Chichester, contact White & Brook’s city office, where the team track the value of family homes.

School application deadlines

Home addresses and school applications go hand-in-hand. Applying for a state school involves a parent having a permanent, valid address as part of the application. Therefore, families moving to be closer to a specific school must have exchanged on a property or signed a tenancy agreement when they fill out an application.

The application process for applying for a primary school place closes on 15th January each year. You must apply for a primary school place a year before your child can start school. The school starting age is 4. When applying for a place at a secondary school, the application process closes on 31^st October each year.

A note on catchments & distances

A school will sometimes take into account the proximity from the child's home to the school gate when offering a place, although it will not be its top criteria. Many of the best schools are oversubscribed so if you’re moving to boost your chances of getting into a specific school, it's wise to check the catchment area before searching for a new home.

Don’t assume the catchment is a circle with the school in the middle. Some schools have drawn an irregular boundary, while others work on a parish basis.

Ready to move?

Contact the White & Brooks Chichester office for properties for sale near the most respected schools. Got a property to sell near a good primary or secondary? We hold waiting lists of purchasers who would be interested in viewing your home. Contact us today for a no-obligation valuation.