The pre-Autumn school term rush is pushing up demand for family houses in Headington, according to one leading letting agent.

Tracey Hayden, of agents Scott Fraser, said “We are seeing unusually high demand for four-bedroom properties but it is the location, rather than the size, that is the key element.

“There are a high number of families eager to move into the catchment areas for particular state schools in Headington.

“St Andrew’s and Windmill Primary are the two main ones as both schools have such small, specific catchments and are difficult to get into.

“All the tenants want to find the right house and get settled in so that they are ready for the start of the autumn school term at the beginning of September.

“One property in Ramsay Road that we recently let generated a huge amount of interest and actually went for more than the asking rent.”

The agency is marketing a couple of other properties within the catchment area, including 39 Latimer Road, which is semi-detached with an open-plan sitting and dining room, four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a garden.

It is available from mid-September, unfurnished, at £1,750 per month.

Another example is 37 Staunton Road, a four-bedroom house which has three reception rooms plus a kitchen, two bathrooms, a large driveway with parking for several cars at the front and an enclosed back garden. It is available from August 20, part-furnished, for £1,700 per month.

Ms Hayden added: “Something else that underlines this trend is that we have a set of tenants who have been renting one of our properties in that catchment area for three years and are now buying a house in the same road from our sales department.

“It may seem at first sight as though they are quite large rental fees, but these are quite big houses with large gardens that have great appeal to families with children.

“Also, in our experience, parents don’t mind paying a bit more if it means their children will be able to go to the primary school of their choice.”