Best for grammar school search
Start here when selective admissions and 11+ planning are part of the decision.
Local school area research
Compare school areas before you move or apply
Find local authorities with strong schools, grammar options and admissions demand before choosing where to live, which schools to shortlist or which official admissions rules to check next.
Use area-level performance and search signals as a starting point, then check distance, catchment, priority rules, supplementary forms and travel before making application decisions.
Best large-city school markets
Useful for comparing many primary and secondary choices in dense urban areas.
Best commuter-belt areas
High-interest relocation areas where school choice often affects where families live.
School-aware area search
Turn area data into a realistic shortlist
Use this page to compare local authorities before choosing where to live or applying for schools. Start by selecting an area, then review school performance, admissions guidance, grammar school availability and individual school results.
Decision workflow
Use local authority data to choose where to research next
Parents usually need a practical shortlist, not another league table. Start with the constraints that affect where you can live, apply and travel, then check admissions realism for individual schools.
Useful inputs before you compare areas
Child stage
Primary, secondary, sixth form, selective, independent or in-year move.
Target place
Current postcode, target town or the streets you are considering.
Home constraints
Budget, rent or buy, commute target and travel tolerance.
School priorities
Academic results, value added, SEN, faith, grammar, mixed or single-sex.
Risk tolerance
Safe options, stretch choices and backup schools to keep in scope.
Moving home for schools
Compare authorities before you settle on target towns, streets or property searches.
Start with commuter-belt, city and grammar-area signals, then open school maps for the postcodes you are considering.
Add Rightmove contextApplying this year
Turn a local authority shortlist into deadline, preference and form checks.
Use each authority page to find official admissions links, then verify priority areas, SIFs and allocation data.
Check admissions guideComparing a shortlist
Move from area-level signals to school-by-school tradeoffs.
Compare performance, context and inspection signals side by side before deciding which schools to visit first.
Compare schoolsAdmissions realism
Check the risks that rankings cannot answer
Previous allocation distance
Check the last offered distance or allocation band where the local authority publishes it.
PAN and oversubscription
Look for places available, applications received and rules used when a school has more applicants than places.
Priority area and forms
Confirm catchment, sibling, faith, selective-entry and Supplementary Information Form requirements.
Travel and backup options
Compare realistic journeys and keep at least one credible alternative in the same authority search.
Compare areas
Local authority comparisons parents often make
Birmingham vs Kent
Large school markets with very different admissions and grammar-school patterns.
Surrey vs Hertfordshire
Popular commuter-belt relocation areas with strong parent search demand.
Barnet vs Sutton
London boroughs where selective-school interest is a major part of the search.
Buckinghamshire vs Gloucestershire
Grammar-school-heavy areas worth comparing before 11+ registration deadlines.
Admissions rules still decide realism
Local authorities coordinate applications for most state-funded schools, but individual admission rules can still vary by school type, distance, siblings, faith criteria, selective entry and supplementary forms.
Area averages are only a starting point
Authority averages are shaped by the mix of primary, secondary, selective, comprehensive and independent schools in the area. Use them to choose where to research, then compare individual schools.
Home searches need school context
Shortlist two or three local authorities, check school availability by phase, review admissions pressure, then open school profiles and rankings for the streets or towns you are considering.