Positive choice, no choice or total rejection: the perennial problem of school catchments, housing and neighbourhoods

Housing and education are two aspects of social policy which form particularly important dimensions of the current debates around social stability and exclusion in neighbourhoods, particularly for those living within areas of deprivation. Unequal access to quality education is a critical dimension of participation in or exclusion from the knowledge‐based economy, yet in a housing market dominated by home ownership, access to oversubscribed schools can be determined by the ability to afford housing in particular areas. Alongside this, school popularity may also impact on neighbourhood composition, thus making schools influential in the socio‐economic profile of their local neighbourhoods. A key question for policy makers, then, is to what extent this occurs. This paper presents a review of the existing research on the relationship between school choice and housing decisions, focused around the question of what evidence exists to indicate how seriously school choice interacts with neighbourhood composition. It is concluded that, despite the potential relevance to policy makers, there is relatively little direct evidence available. Key outstanding questions are considered.