Best Schools in Surrey & Where to Live Nearby

If your children’s schooling is driving your move, then you may have read with interest The Sunday Times annual Parent Power supplement, a definitive guide to the UK’s top schools.

Surrey is home to some of the best schools in the UK, making it a highly desirable location for families looking to relocate.
Whether you’re seeking outstanding state schools or top-rated independent schools, choosing the right location is key.

In this guide, we’ll explore:

✔️ The best state & private schools in Surrey
✔️ The top areas to buy a home near these schools
✔️ How a property search agent can help you secure the perfect family home

St Peter’s Catholic School, Guildford (#45)

The highest-placed state school in the Top 100 Secondary School category, at number 45, was St Peter’s Catholic School, Guildford, ranked based on 2022 examination results.

It also won The Sunday Times prestigious ‘Comprehensive of the Year’ award this year.

Guildford town centre, £1,195,000, Curchods

St Peter’s does not operate strict catchment areas, although it has six feeder primary schools:

St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School, Guildford
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Guildford
St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School, Godalming
St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic School, Cranleigh
St Polycarp’s Catholic Primary School, Farnham
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Dorking

For families considering a move to Guildford, our property search agents can help find homes within commutable proximity to St Peter’s, offering expert guidance on school catchment areas and the local property market.

St Andrew’s Catholic School, Leatherhead (#59)

St Andrew’s School states that although Catholic children have priority, the catchment area includes:

Epsom, Ewell, Banstead, Tadworth, Cobham, Effingham, Fetcham, Leatherhead, Ashtead, and Dorking.

The named feeder schools are:

St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Banstead
St Clement’s Catholic Primary School, Ewell
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Dorking
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Epsom
St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, Leatherhead

Leatherhead and its surrounding areas are highly sought after for families looking for good commuter links and excellent schools.

As Surrey property finders, we specialise in sourcing homes within desirable school zones, ensuring families secure the best opportunities in the local property market.

Top Independent Schools in Surrey

Six of the Top 100 Independent Schools, fall into what we consider our patch.

Guildford High School, Guildford (#5)

GHS as its known locally also won South East Independent Secondary School of the Year.

Its junior school Guildford High Prep School, came in at number one for Top Independent Prep Schools 2021 out of the 50 featured.

So, if you’re interested in living in reasonable commutability to the school, then the good news is that location wise, the school catchment is far reaching.

Its closeness to Guildford’s London Road train station, means girls travel from as far away as South West London and Woking to the north and West Sussex towns like Haslemere to the south, picking up girls from all the Godalming satellite villages on the way through.

Property market insight:

Many pupils live in Guildford itself, which offers a wide range of housing stock from Merrow, where an average 4 bedroom house is £935,920.

In central in Guildford detached houses sell for an average of £996,407 but in the prime roads such as Guildown Avenue, the last 5 houses that sold in the road in 2018-2021, were between £1,400,000 and £2,750,000.

Royal Grammar School, Guildford (#30)

If you have a son, you maybe more interested in the (RGS). Its bus routes are numerous, and ferry pupils from towns, Woking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Camberley, Kingston, Cranleigh.

Trains come in from Kingston, Epsom, Dorking, Heathrow, Hampton Court, Felton, Surbiton and Runnymead. It’s an 18 walk from Guildford Train station to the school or under five from London Road station.

Guildford, £1,850,000. Knight Frank

Property market insight:

The average 4 bed detached house in Woking is £935,234 and its near neighbour of Worplesdon which is also on the train route is £647,810.

Reigate Grammar School, Reigate (#34)

Again its location on the heart of Reigate makes it a school with a wide catchment.

Its bus routes start in, Banstead, Catherham, Crawley, East Grinstead Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Horsham, Merrow and Tadworth.

West Horsley, £2,850,000, Strutt and Parker

Property market insight:

A detached house in central Reigate will set you back £1,133,979. In Dorking an average house price is £501,531 and in Banstead detached houses average £963,774, whilst nearby Epsom its £937,790.

St Catherine’s School, Bramley (#39)

Known locally by its nickname St Cats, like GHS and RGS, many pupils travel from quite far to Guildford train station and get the dedicated bus down to the school.

It has its own private bus routes, which start in Farnham, Godlaming, Haslemere, Woking, picking up girls from a numerous of villages on the way through to Bramley, which lies just south of Guildford and quite close to Godalming and Cranleigh.

Gomshall, £2,750,000, Strutt & Parker

Property market insight:

Godalming was named as the best place to line in Surrey by Muddy Stilettos Awards in April 2022, so its no surprise that an average detached house is £1,020,223.

Haslemere £1,186,619, it’s a little more affordable in Cranleigh at £936,644, mainly because the nearest train lines are 20 mins drive away which makes commuting to London a little harder

Haslemere, £3,550,000, Strutt and Parker

Reed’s School, Cobham (#88)

Its day pupils’ bus routes start in Twickenham, Richmond, Teddington, Raynes Park, Southfields, Epsom, Guildford, Woking, Weybridge and Thames Ditton. Pick ups include Hampton, East Horsley, Oxshott, Worcester Park and Surbition.

Cobham, £2,625,000, Savills

Property market insight:

Cobham remains one of Surrey’s most desirable locations. Read more here

Churcher’s College, Petersfield (#92)

Its bus routes are a reflection of the far spread of its pupils. Buses start in Chichester, Winchester, Four Marks, Bentley, Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere, Midhurst.

Petersfield train station is on the Portsmouth line, so children can travel up from Portsmouth and down from Guildford.

Alton, £3M. Hamptons

Property market insight:

Petersfield offers a mix of family-friendly homes with easy access to London via rail.

St John’s School, Leatherhead (#97)

Leatherhead railway station is half a mile from the school. Popular trains taken by children are from Guildford, Dorking, Effingham Junction and Clapham Junction.

There are bus routes from Claygate, Weybridge, Esher, Woking, Chiswick, Guildford, Reigate, Wimbledon, Barnes Pond and Richmond.

Weybridge, £2,550,00, Knight Frank

Property market insight:

Leatherhead provides excellent commuter links and access to top schools.

Top Primary Schools in Surrey

Judged via SATS in 2019, at number 11, South Farnham School, Farnham and at 23 The Raleigh School, Leatherhead.

Criteria for getting into both South Farnham and The Raleigh is proximity to the school, so the closer your house is to the school site, the higher the chance of getting in.

Choosing the Right School & Location for Your Family

It is worth saying that schools are not only about their results, we have first hand knowledge of most of the schools in our patch and you’ll find them as varied as the children they teach.

Some of the most popular schools don’t get a mention but shouldn’t be written off or not considered.

You should always attend as many school open days as you can.

Our clients often visit a school and do one of our orientation tours of the area on the same day. We plan house viewings around school appointments so that you get a better feel for how life and school could fit together.

Away from the league tables, you need to consider whether you’d want to be part of the school that you are visiting and whether it really does suit the needs of your own child.

We coordinate house viewings around school appointments to give families a realistic feel of their future lifestyle.

If you’re considering a move to be closer to one of these schools, working with a property search company in Surrey ensures you secure the right home for your family.

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