PARENTS looking for a new home close to a good school for their children are getting ahead thanks to an innovative new service from Northamptonshire's leading housebuilder.

New research from David Wilson South Midlands says that almost a third of prospective homebuyers rate proximity to a good school as an important factor when buying a new property. But competition for places at the best performing schools can be intense.

So the house builder has teamed-up with the Good Schools Guide to give parents who are looking for a new home to research the best schools in the area at the same time.

Visitors to www.dwh.co.uk simply enter a location, postcode, name of the school or the name of the development in which they are interested.

They then have the option of asking for more information on nearby schools and the website's search engine generates a list of those nearest to the development, with details about the school provided by the Good Schools Guide.

Parents can filter the search by age-range (nursery, primary and secondary) or type (mainstream and special needs) and instantly access details such as pupil numbers, percentages passing English, Maths and Science subjects, Key Stage 2 statistics, and compare performance against the local average.

For those who want to find out more in-depth information, the school's website and contact details are also listed.

Written by parents for parents, the Good Schools Guide is widely recognised as one of the most authoritative and independent education resources available today.

"This month's exam results underline just how committed so many parents are to finding a school which can give their children the best start in life," said Jackie Day, Sales Director at David Wilson.

"We understand that often it's the school that dictates where a family lives - not the other way round."

"Many parents who were house-hunting earlier in the year took advantage of the school-finder service. We think it can give them and their children a head start when they're thinking about both homes and schools."

David Wilson is currently building a selection of superb family homes at all its developments throughout Northamptonshire which include:

Arena Gate
Duston St Lukes
Northampton
NN5 6FB
Offering a superb selection of two, three, four and five bedroom homes. Prices start from £134,995.

Domus
Upton Way
Sixfields
Northampton
NN5 4EQ
An exclusive collection of four- and five- bedroom detached homes. Prices start from £279,995.

Woodcote Park
Towcester Road
Silverstone
Northants
NN12 8UB
A recently launched collection of two-, three- and four- bedroom homes. Prices start from £172,995.

David Wilson South Midlands was given a five star rating in this year's HBF Customer Satisfaction Survey, in which consumers are asked if they are satisfied with the quality of their new home and whether they would recommend their builder to a friend.

For added peace of mind, buyers can also benefit from David Wilson's new five year guarantee on fixtures and fittings in their new home at the time of purchase. Items covered at no extra cost to the buyer will include appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators, kitchen units, wardrobes, the central heating system, fires, doors, windows, drainage, the hot and cold plumbing system and even the driveway.

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