Case study · Parents · England
Case study: how an offer distance shrank three years running
A worked example from one Birmingham grammar school, and why one year’s distance is a poor guide.
By the Pyxion Learn team · Checked 30 October 2026 · A worked example from our own published figures, not a customer story
This worked example uses the published offer distances for one school, King Edward VI Five Ways in Birmingham.
The figures
For the priority group of applicants who scored above the priority score and live inside the school’s catchment, places are ranked by distance. The furthest distance offered on national offer day was:
- 2024: 5,625 metres
- 2025: 4,918 metres
- 2026: 4,384 metres
In each year, more places were then offered by September as the waiting list moved.
Why it matters
A family who looked only at the 2024 figure and bought a home 5 km from the school would have been inside the line in 2024 and outside it two years later. Over three years the distance fell by more than a kilometre, about 22%.
How to use offer distances
- Look at at least three years, and the direction of travel.
- Check which group the distance describes (here, high scorers inside the catchment).
- Remember that offer-day figures understate the final distance once the waiting list moves.
- Leave a margin. If your home is only just inside last year’s line, treat the place as uncertain.
Our reports show the distance history for every school where it is published, and the Moving report shows house prices inside each school’s latest distance.
See distance history near you · Moving house for a school place