A new study has revealed the areas in England that have the most affordable places to live with outstanding schools - and four are in the North East.
The research, carried out by tutoring experts Superprof, examined the percentage of schools rated by Ofsted as outstanding in more than 150 parts of England, and then compared this to the average house price in each area.
Gateshead took the top spot as the most affordable place to live for outstanding education, due to its combination of highly rated Ofsted schools and house prices. Around 32% of its schools have been judged by the educational inspector as outstanding, and the area has the 13th lowest average house price in the study - £142,214.44.
Read More: The North East's top 10 primary schools revealed in Sunday Times Schools Guide 2022
Following closely behind, South Tyneside is the second best for affordable outstanding education, which has the 11th lowest average house price – £133,474.51 – and 30% of its state-funded schools received an outstanding rating from Ofsted in their most recent inspection.
St Helens is ranked as third on the list. The Merseyside town had 26% of its schools delivering outstanding teaching at the last Ofsted inspection and an average house price of £143,760.08, the 17th lowest in England.
Rounding off the top five are Wigan and Bolton, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. Both Greater Manchester towns have 25% of their schools rated as outstanding, however, Wigan has a slightly lower average house price at £154,038.55, whereas Bolton has a higher average house price of £154,756.62.
Two other North East areas are included in the top 10. Newcastle is sixth on the list and Durham comes in at 10.
Newcastle's average house price is given as £167,964.16, with 26% of schools judged to be outstanding. Meanwhile, Durham's average house price is £112,722.16, with 19% of schools rated outstanding.
A spokesperson for Superprof said: "Every parent wants the best education for their children, so living close to good schools is a priority for many families. The results from this study offer a useful and intriguing insight into which specific areas of England can offer the best education for families without having to break the bank."
Top 10 areas for outstanding schools and lowest average house prices
(Ranking, area, average house price, percentage of schools rated outstanding at last Ofsted inspection)
1. Gateshead, £142,214.44 - 32
2. South Tyneside, £133,474.51 - 30
3. St Helens, £143,760.08 - 26
4. Wigan, £152,038.55 - 25
5. Bolton, £154,756.62 - 25
6. Newcastle upon Tyne, £167,964.16 - 26
7. Liverpool, £152,974.15 - 23
8. Kingston upon Hull, £144,716.66 - 20
9. Stockon-on-Tees, £142,407.64 - 21
10. Durham, £112,722.16 - 19
