In this paper we examine the role which distance, in a variety of forms, can play in the reproduction, intensification or reduction of educational inequality in different types of school systems in different countries. This is a very broad issue, and in the paper we examine the ways in which distance to school has emerged as an important factor in understanding the relationship between social and educational inequality in London. We begin by outlining a broad framework for examination of the importance of space and distance which looks at characteristics of schools, pupils and school allocational systems and how they combine in different situations. We then attempt to populate this schema by drawing on different specific examples linking to relevant national literatures.