Five superb homes for sale within easy reach of some of Britain's best schools

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James Fisher rounds up family homes ideal for those looking for a balance of a beautiful house and a top education for the children.

Find the right school for your child with the Country Life Schools Guide

Suffolk — £1.25 million

Dedham Vale was the setting of choice for Constable and Gainsborough and it certainly suits Grade II-listed Springhill. Dating from 1577, this Tudor home has been recently renovated and is near both Old Buckenham Hall and Orwell Park schools.

With six bedrooms and three reception rooms, it comes with a barn conversion that leads to a separate annexe.

For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.

Dorset — £1.45 million

If the thought of being too far from the kids brings you out in a cold sweat, The Gardens, near Motcombe, in Dorset, might be the solution. The 7.5 acres in which it sits backs directly onto the Port Regis School grounds, meaning that the school run can be completed by car, bicycle, horse or on foot.

As well as its mix of garden and pasture, the property comes with five bedrooms, two reception rooms and a double garage, with planning permission to add two further bedrooms.

For sale with Jackson-Stops. See more pictures and details about this property.

Berkshire — £1.675 million

The mature and private gardens of Earleydene Cottage — which is for rent at £5,000 a month as well as for sale — are the perfect setting for this deceptively contemporary half-timbered home in Berkshire. Ascot, Sunninghill, Sunningdale and Windsor are all short journeys away and the choice for both prep and senior schools is, frankly, so overwhelming there’s little point in me listing them here.

Five bedrooms, two of which are en-suite, plus a magnificent kitchen/breakfast room with an island, supplement the three reception rooms.

For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.

Oxfordshire — £1.195 million

Hiding in the heart of Abingdon and set on the banks of the Thames is 1, Fellows Close. This historic house was once owned by the nearby abbey and is within striking distance of Abingdon Prep School, Cothill House, The Manor Prep and Radley College.

The interiors are a mixture of period pieces (including bespoke wooden panelling from Flanders) and modern luxuries and the garden, which backs on to the Thames, was professionally designed and planted with the intention of being low maintenance.

Four double bedrooms make up the first floor and the kitchen contains a Victorian built-in safe that doubles up as a wine store.

For sale with West: The Property Consultancy. See more pictures and details about this property.

Cumbria — £575,000

On the outskirts of Brampton and a few miles from the handsome and historic village of Lanercost, Wesley Manse is also within easy reach of the Austin Friars independent day school.

This Victorian four-bedroom house has been beautifully restored and decorated, with three reception rooms and a large kitchen-diner and a separate dining room which also opens up into a timber-framed garden room. The setting is particularly fine, with open views across the countryside, while there is also a double garage and several outbuildings.

For sale with Fine & Country. See more pictures and details about this property.