Choosing the right school for your child

Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions of family life. School Guide has helped 20 million parents select a school and submit a successful school application.

School Guide has done all the homework on 34,000 schools and will show you:

• All official school data in one place
• All school league tables
• All schools, ranked and star rated
• Unvarnished parent reviews
• Catchment area maps

Here, School Guide shares their proven tips for choosing a school with total confidence and clarity.

Want help to choose the best primary school for your child? Head here

Looking for expert help and advice to select a secondary school? Head here

Choosing a primary school for your child

1. Work out what you’re looking for

When it comes to making such a big decision, make like a boy scout and be prepared. Plan ahead as far as possible as pre-schools often feed into primary schools and it’s never too early to start. Once your child starts pre-school, ask them what they enjoy most about their day so you can involve them in the decision.

Key areas to consider are:

• Type of school - state / private, co-ed / single sex, faith / non-faith
• Academic performance / strengths in sport / art / drama / music / technology and other aspects of the curriculum
• School culture and values – you can get a good sense of these on the school website
• Provision for Special Education Needs, if applicable
• Size of school. Would your child prefer a smaller one form entry school (i.e. 30 children or less in one year group), or a bigger school with several classes for each year group?
• How important is outdoor learning to you? Or any other particular ways of teaching? A lot of primary schools offer outdoor based Forest School learning which can be really beneficial.

2. Get practical

Practicalities like location and school admissions policies are often the main factor governing school choice. Think about:

• Location - How far do you want your child to have to travel to school? Is there a safe and easy walk to school or convenient public transport? Bear in mind that it can be easier for children to socialise together after school if they live closer to the school or in similar areas to other children at the school.
• Catchment areas - Find out which is your catchment school and any other admissions criteria for schools that you are interested in. Read School Guide’s Catchment FAQs or search for a school to view its catchment heat map.
• Childcare  - Do you need a school to offer wrap around childcare, breakfast clubs, after school clubs or holiday clubs? If so, does the school offer it or are there other local providers?

3. Research, research, research!

Once you’ve got an idea of what would suit your child and their likelihood of admission based on your home postcode, start your deep dive to find the best match. School Guide has everything you need to choose a school including exam data, Ofsted reports, happiness ratings and school league tables. Also consider:

• Talking to other parents with children at the school you're considering to get the inside picture. Find real parent reviews – by parents, for parents – on School Guide or ask questions on local parenting Facebook groups.
• If your child attends a local nursery or playgroup, staff there will have a good knowledge of local schools and be able to give advice on what’s most important for your child.
• Take a look at the school websites, brochures and other publications. They will tell you a lot about the style and feel of the school.

4. Visit schools and ask lots (and lots) of questions

Most schools have open days where the headteacher will give a presentation and staff will be available to answer questions. Do take your child along to open days as well as at other times when you can both get a feel of the school and its community such as fetes and fairs.  Even very young children can have strong feelings about which environments they feel comfortable in and what’s important to them.

If possible, attend open days at least the year before you need to make a decision. This takes the pressure off and allows for repeat visits if needed. As well as open days, try and visit on an ordinary school day to get a less polished feel for how the school works and to observe classes, playtimes, lunchtime, etc.

Here are some questions that you might want to ask at an open day:

• Do you have any specialist teachers for PE, Art, Drama or ICT?
• How do you settle children into the school? Some schools will start children on half days or offer some flexibility over when summer born children start school.
• How is the school day structured? Are there school assemblies?
• How much playtime do children get and what do they usually do at playtimes? Look closely at the playground space and what equipment and activities are available. How happy children are at playtime can be very important for their school experience.
• How does the school communicate with parents and how involved do they like them to be?

5. And finally… trust your own judgement

Don’t forget to focus on what is important to you and your child – and don’t be swayed by other people’s opinions. Do remember to trust your instincts throughout the process. You are the expert when it comes to your child. The ‘best’ school and the ‘best school for your child’ are sometimes not the same thing. Use your head to get all the facts and then, ultimately, follow your heart.

Choosing a secondary school for your child

1. Work out what you’re looking for

To make sure that you get all of the information that you need, it’s worth planning well ahead. Start at the beginning of Year 5 in primary school – or sooner if you need to plan to prepare for the 11+ or entrance exam. Remember: you’re not looking for a perfect school that ticks every box but work out your priorities so you feel confident you have the right match.

Key areas to consider are:

• Type of school - state / private, co-ed / single sex, faith / non-faith
• Academic performance / strengths in sport / art / drama / music / technology and other aspects of the curriculum
• School culture and values
• Provision for Special Education Needs, if applicable
• Which extracurricular activities are important to your child? Are there activities that they would like to continue with or try out?
• Mobile phone policies. Some schools are discouraging phone use during the school day. Is this something that’s important to you?

2. Get practical

Practicalities like location and school admissions policies are often the main factor governing school choice at secondary levels. Think about:

• Independent travel options - Children are more likely to be travelling further distances and more independently to secondary schools so public transport convenience and availability might be more of an issue.
• Catchment areas - These are often more complicated for secondary schools and it’s important to check individual criteria for each school. Read School Guide’s Catchment FAQs or search for a school to view its catchment heat map.

3. Research, research, research

Once you’ve got an idea of what you’re looking for and what would suit your child, start researching schools in the area that might be a good match. School Guide has everything you need to choose a school including exam data, Ofsted reports, happiness rating and school league tables. Also consider:

• School websites, brochures and other publications like newsletters. These will give you a quick sense of whether a school has a stricter corporate feel or is more holistic.
• Your child’s primary teacher can be a good source of advice about their strengths and which secondary school will suit them best.
• Find out if the secondary school has a sixth form that most of their pupils go to. If not, where do students go for sixth form study?

4. Visit schools and ask lots (and lots) of questions

Most schools have open days where you will be shown round by current pupils, the headteacher will give a speech and staff will be available to answer questions.

If possible, attend open days the year before you need to make a decision. This takes the pressure off and allows for repeat visits if needed. Open days are a good opportunity to find out about details of a school that might be particularly important to you, like the quality of school dinners or the mobile phone policy.

Although schools understandably often choose their most confident and articulate children to guide you round the school, chatting to them is still a really good chance to get a feel for the school. Asking them about their favourite subjects can often tell you a lot about the strengths of the school and the quality of the teaching. Questions about playtimes, clubs and activities, their social lives and school dinners can also be revealing.

As well as formal open days, try and visit on an ordinary school day to get a less polished view of the school and to observe classroom behaviour, playtimes, etc.

Here are some questions that you might want to ask on visit days:

• What pastoral care does the school offer? How do the form groups work? What policies are in place to tackle bullying?
• Does the school set or stream pupils into ability groups for some of all subjects and how is it done?
• What clubs and societies are there?
• What are the school dinners like?
• How much access to mobile phones is there during the school day?
• Is there a homework club?

5. And finally… trust your own judgement

Do remember to trust your instincts throughout the process. You are the expert when it comes to your child. The ‘best’ school and the ‘best school for your child’ are sometimes not the same thing. Also bear in mind that there can be a lot of changes between the start of Year 5 (when most parents first look at secondary schools) and Year 6 so try and factor in how they might develop in that time.

Also, listen to your child’s opinions on what matters to them. They will often have a lot of information from friends about what schools are really like. If your child has been involved in their school choice and is excited about going to their new school, it will help them to settle in well and enjoy their time at secondary school.

How can School Guide help you?

If you work out what’s important for your child, research all your best local options on School Guide and go to school open days, you will be in the best position to choose a school for your child. Be reassured that most children will thrive in most schools – and, if things don’t work out, there is usually the option to make a change; so try not to worry too much. Good luck!

EdPlace parents get 15% off the best help to choose a school with School Guide. A monthly subscription to School Guide unlocks all the data you need to make a clear and confident school choice. School Guide has helped over 20 million parents submit a successful school application – and now wants to help you.

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