Steady increase of families relocating to catchment areas of top schools in EL
MORE and more families are moving from their homes to areas where the top-rated schools are situated.
This trend is known as edugration and it is growing quite fast in East London, with schools more partial to allow children into schools that live in the area. East London has seen families moving from as far as the Transkei to get closer to the schools they hoped their children would attend.
“This has major implications for the property market in those areas,” principal agent of Chas Everitt International in East London Clinton Krouse said.
“There is a huge demand for places in top schools around the country, which has resulted in most of them having to limit their intake to pupils from their immediate catchment areas unless they are term boarders,” Krouse explained.
“So the number of parents keen to find homes in these areas keeps increasing, and because the existing residents tend to want to stay put for about 15 to 20 years, there is usually an undersupply that supports continuous price growth,” he said.
Suburbs mostly affected by this, are Selborne, where Clarendon and Selborne are, and Vincent, where Hudson Park schools and Port Rex High are. Stirling, where Stirling High School is situated, is also a hotspot said principal agent at Pam Golding Properties, Hanlie Bassingthwaighte.
“Houses in these areas have become more expensive than those where there are no schools,” said Bassingthwaighte. Krouse also mentioned that most renowned local high schools also have companion primary or preparatory schools, and that is proving to be another attraction for young parents from around the country – parents who might otherwise not have considered moving to East London or been able to discover the great lifestyle it offers in addition to excellent schooling.
