Revealed: the London boroughs with the best state schools — and the new homes for sale in their catchment areas

Parents in London have to pay 15 per cent more (or £70,675) to buy a house in the catchment area of the best state schools than comparable properties in the surrounding area.

According to recent data from Santander the premium in south-east London is typically £40,294, versus £30,658 in east London. At the other end of the spectrum parents in Northern Ireland only have to pay an extra £2,731.

Education is one of the major drivers of the housing market — families are considering moving into a specific catchment area when their children are as young as seven.

The Good Schools Guide 2018 revealed that there are 10 times more applications for good state schools than places available in the capital.

And with the population of the capital expected to grow by 12 per cent over the next four years the competition for these homes and school places will only increase.

Brexit has put extra pressure on the system as better-off families, worried about job security and personal finance, are hunting out a good state school rather than an expensive private one.

The Happy Homes Guide by the online estate agent Yopa has revealed the best boroughs for highly-rated state secondary schools.

Schools in 20 boroughs are rated based on what percentage of pupils have achieved grade 5 or above (between B and C in the old system) in English and maths GCSEs.

Barnet has 10 schools in the top 50, and three in the top 5: The Henrietta Barnet School, Queen Elizabeth's School and St Michael's Catholic Grammar School.

Redbridge has six in the top 50, its highest rated school is Ilford County High School, where 98% of pupils achieve grade 5 or above in English and maths.

Next is Sutton, with five in the top 50 – Wilson's School is joint top, where 100% of pupils achieve the grades.

Yopa highlights the Ashmole Academy (for ages 11 to 18) in Barnet. The 1,500-pupil academy is based in the north London town of Southgate.

The school focuses on academic studies and music and over 97 per cent of Ashmole’s school leavers in 2016 went into employment or stayed in education. Ashmole is also planning to open its own primary school.

Also in Southgate, the Wren Academy (for ages four to 18) was ranked highly.

Such top schools attract buyers to the area as a cheaper alternative to nearby Muswell Hill.

Southgate was developed mainly in the Thirties after the arrival of the Piccadilly line and has plenty of semi-detached Georgian homes which sell for between £800,000 and £1.3 million.

The development New Avenue, by Countryside, is in Enfield but within the catchment for Ashmole. The developer is demolishing 171 council flats and being replaced with 408 flats, of which 268 will be for private sale and 140 for affordable rent through Enfield Council.

The scheme will have a community centre and orchard. One-bedroom private sale flats start at £395,000, with two-bedroom at £465,000 and three-bedroom flats at £570,000.

Brent includes some of the capital’s most well-established commuter areas, including Willesden and Neasden. It’s also home to Wembley Stadium, which is at the centre of a £3bn regeneration scheme due to deliver 11,000 new homes and create 10,000 jobs.

Of course such an influx of new residents may also mean changes to school catchment zones. Parents should always check the completion dates of large schemes in their area before buying a home.

Regal's new development The Avenue is close to Queen's Park and Kilburn stations and within the catchment area for Queen's Park Community School, rated good by Ofsted.

With 68 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for families, prices start from £575,000. There will also be a gym, parking and concierge on site.

Housing association Notting Hill Genesis is building family homes, each with a private garden, at new scheme BEAT NW10 in Willesden, near the good-rated Capital City Academy. Prices start from £800,000.

With the Thames on one side and Bushy Park on the other, Teddington attracts hordes of young families settling down on the outskirts of Greater London.

Waldegrave School, which is nearer to Twickenham, is in the top 50, where 70 per cent of pupils achieve grade 5 in English and maths.

However, the area's main state secondary school – Teddington School – was rated as "requires improvement" last January.

This should drive change at the school and for those parents thinking about a move in a few year's time it's worth keeping an eye on it. House prices in the catchment area may fall in the short term, as a result.

Featherstone Leigh is selling a semi-detached, refurbished four-bedroom period home on Bushy Park Road with an asking price of £1,185,000.

On the opposite side of the river to Teddington School Berkeley Homes is building Richmond Chase, an enclave of Victorian-inspired townhouses with off-street parking. Prices start at £1.48 million.

Orleans Park in nearby St Margarets has been rated as outstanding. Expect fierce competition for homes within this tight catchment area.

A three-bedroom semi-detached period property is on the market with Dexters for £984,000, just a few streets away from Orleans Park and in the heart of St Margarets Village.