WINCHESTER is the 15th-best city in the country to raise a family, according to a nationwide survey.

However, it only just made it into the top quarter of the list, and was beaten soundly by a number of other cities.

Top of the chart was Preston, which was lauded for its high number of childcare centres, beating 63 other places.

READ MORE: Winchester voted second-best UK town for family holidays

Winchester is not short of schools, like sixth form college Peter Symonds  (Image: Stuart Martin Photography)

The survey, conducted by Millie and Jones, took a variety of factors into account, including the number of schools per 100,000 residents, happiness levels and the quantity of activities available to families and kids.

One area in which Winchester did perform well was the concentration of educational institutions when weighed against the population: the city has more schools per head than any other in the country.

Winchester was also ranked as happier than most of the other towns in the top 15, however, Finland regularly tops global happiness survey.