Eastenders star Jacqueline Jossa on Gateway

Over a quarter of parents (26%) would pay a premium to buy a property near a top school in order to beat the competition for a desirable school place, according to new research from Santander. A fifth of parents have or would consider renting a second property within a catchment area and14% have or would consider moving their child to stay with friends or relatives living within a catchment area, while living elsewhere themselves.

The research found that the stress of getting their kids into the right school has a real impact on parents’ mental wellbeing with almost a quarter (22%) saying it has caused them anxiety and 15% suffering sleepless nights. Ten per cent say they have been reduced to tears over the competition for school places. The pressure leads parents start to think about their child’s education well before school age, with almost a quarter (22%) revealing they started thinking about schools shortly after their child was born, six per cent when pregnant and seven per cent when planning a family.

Aston spoke to Graham Sellar, head of mortgages at Santander and Jacqueline Jossa, Eastenders star to discuss the research and reveal when Jacqueline started to think about schools for Ella and Mia