Choosing a school

Catchment area cheat

Pressure for places in the UK’s best state schools is intensifying with state grammar schools leading the way. Popular schools see upwards of 10 applicants for every place. In 2014, almost half of children in some areas have been rejected from their preferred secondary school. Catchment areas are already shrinking as parents who had planned on private schooling join the battle for places in the best state schools.

Child protection

If you are preparing to entrust your child to a school – whether day or boarding – you will most likely assume that your child will be safe and that all members of the school's staff will take the greatest care to ensure that this is always the case.The chances are that your expectations will be fulfilled. Unfortunately, in a sad minority of cases that is not what happens.

Choosing a school - thoughts for parents

What do you want for your child? State school or fee-paying? Day or boarding school? Single sex or co-education? It helps to have a game plan, even if you change it at a later date. What do you want from the school? Undoubtedly you want to find a great school, one that's ideal for your child, with great teaching and possibly good facilities to match.

Educating the gifted child

Gifted children develop cognitively at a much faster rate than they develop physically, emotionally and socially, posing some interesting problems. For some, rapidly grasping what others cannot can lead to boredom, frustration and inappropriate behaviour. In all these cases there are challenges for parents, teachers and the child, who sees conforming to the norm as a major peer requirement.

Evaluating careers departments

What schools teach their pupils ought to be aimed as much at the lives which will follow university as at those dreaded examinations — and the careers department ought to be a strong part of that focus. Undergraduates who started the career decision-making process at school will be likely to make better use of their time at university.

Getting the most out of parents’ evenings

The regular opportunity to speak to your child’s teachers is not to be missed. Nicky Adams offers some pointers on squeezing the most out of parents’ evenings.

Inspection reports from Ofsted

As with most reports, there’s a code to decipher and a few questions to ask. The local school gets a glowing report, yet you know half the population are banned from the shopping centre. Puzzling? So just what do inspection reports tell us and have they any value? The answers are lots, and yes, if you know how to read them.

International study centres

International study centres are now dotted around the UK in both the most obvious and the least expected places. These centres serve as a means of teaching young people (usually from age 11-16) academic English and introducing them to English culture and English education. The aim of most of these schools is to provide a gentle transition for foreign (non-English-speaking) adolescents into life in an English school, often as boarders, and to prepare them for either A levels or, in some cases, the IB diploma, which then leads to university entry. In some cases GCSEs or IGSCEs are offered alongside intensive English language programmes to facilitate this preparation.

Mix and match state and private education

All those scary newspaper statistics about the long-term costs of keeping your child in nappies and birthday presents pale into insignificance when set beside the £150,000+ you’ll need to educate a child privately from nursery to university. But paying for a private education from finger painting to Freshers’ Week is not an option for most families. .

Northern Ireland Education System

The education system in Northern Ireland has some important differences to the one in England and Wales. Whilst the school year also starts in September, the child’s age on 1 July (rather than 1 September, as in England and Wales) determines when they start school and what school year they are in. As elsewhere, children start primary school at 4+ and move on to secondary school at 11+.

Questions to ask when visiting a school - academic matters

Don't rely on league tables  - look beyond the headlines. Check-out our detailed analysis of results for English state schools to uncover how well a school does for a child like yours. Whether the most able, least able or Annie Average, what matters is how enthusiastic the school is about teaching and developing a child.

Questions to ask when visiting a school - beyond the classroom

Every school says it has plenty of extracurricular activities, but don’t take their word for it. The only drama on offer might be staff fleeing, when the whistle blows! Academic excellence is important but don't underestimate the value of great pastoral care, trips, sport, music, the arts...and how welcome parents are - or not.

Schools and the law: parent power prevails

When to engage legal help. The vast majority of schools act fairly and provide good pastoral care; it is only occasionally that things go wrong. In those circumstances, it is my task to negotiate a fair settlement with the school, steering the parent away from proceedings, unless that is absolutely necessary. Parents need advice as to whether they have a genuine complaint or not.

Schools for children with performing arts talents

As proud parents, we all know our children are unique. They're smarter than anyone else's, funnier, certainly more attractive, better behaved and above all bursting with the kind of talent that would leave Daniel Radcliffe, Jamie Bell and Charlotte Church standing. And for some extraordinary - though totally understandable - reason, everyone but us seems blind to our offspring's God-given artistic gifts.

Schools in London

Let our experts help you navigate the capital’s education jungle. Need to find a school in London? There are very many great schools in central and outer London but, with a population of 8.4 million, places at the best schools can be in short supply. Fortunately The Good Schools Guide is on hand to help. We have considerable data on almost all London schools and we have visited, researched and reviewed many of the good independent and state schools in London.

Sex and drugs and homesickness

Given that the majority of boarding school pupils are aged from 13 upwards, some parents might think school fees a small price to pay for letting trained professionals steer their hormonal offspring over the turbulent waters of adolescence. Even so, we all know that risk taking, underage drinking, drugs, sex, self-harm, anorexia and the other ills that teenage flesh is heir to, can occur right under parents’ noses. What then should you expect boarding schools to do to keep young people safe?

Starting school

The first day at school is a large step for both parents and children, even those who have thrived at pre-school and are eager to move up to ‘big school’. So how can you help to make starting school an enjoyable experience?

Thank heavens for (strong and clever) little girls…

GSG writer Elsa Booth ponders the role of schools in fostering gender equality. It was a casual comment, made by my five year old daughter after school one day about a fellow pupil, a boy, which first brought me face to face with the confidence deficit in infant girls. ‘Christopher wants to be prime minister when he grows up’, she said, full of vicarious pride. ‘And you?’ I said, ‘would you like that?’ She laughed it off; that was boys’ terrain. Not something for little girls.

The right to see your child’s educational records

Schools can be cagey in the extreme when it comes to revealing anything which might make them vulnerable to a complaint, including information about your child. So what are your rights in terms of accessing your child’s educational records?

Understanding the British school system

Normal primary school admissions are at 3+ into the nursery or 4+ into the reception class. Some are divided into infant and junior schools, the latter starting at 7 years. Most secondary schools start at 11. For a normal application, you will need to apply – with a local address - by around mid-January for primary schools and the end of October of the year before entry for secondary schools.

Visiting a school - questions for pupils

If you get the chance, chat to pupils; they are the ones who really know what's happening both inside and outside of the classroom. Try not to ask leading questions; similarly don't ask closed questions, especially if visiting a senior boys' school, otherwise you may elicit little more than a grunt.

Types of school

When to put your child’s name down for a school

A handful of schools literally demand that you apply for a place as soon as your child is born, which means it’s never too early to start planning your child’s education. In fact, it’s a process that can start even before you’ve conceived – and that goes for all parents, wherever they want their offspring to go to school.

From embryo to 18, read on to find out how to survive the education highway. Our lively look at education planning for children of all ages and their parents aims to guide you through the schooling stages in both the independent and state sectors, and to tell you what to plan for and when.

'Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.' John Wilmot

Read more :  From embryo to eighteen - how to survive the education highway

Further reading

Alternative Schools

• Alternative education Steiner-Waldorf philosophy

  Nurturing emotional and cognitive intelligence. Underpinning Steiner-Waldorf education is a belief that children should be enthusiastic about, and enjoy, learning for its own sake; not to pass exams. As a result enquiry and exploration are encouraged. Read more...

• Alternative education, Montessori - creativity, exploration...

  Pioneered by Maria Montessori to educate the poor in Italy, to the uninitiated, Montessori methods may seem like a free-for-all. Homework, testing and exams are seldom found, the Montessori method concentrates on personal development and progress. Read more...

• Alternative education, Summerhill - learning for life

  If you really want an alternative education, where children are free to attend lessons or not, Summerhill may be the ticket. A haven for those who find school challenging, but not for the challenged or problem teenager, it emphasises knowing yourself and friendship. Read more...

• Home Education - a parent's guide to breaking up from the system

  First, the myths. Home education isn’t illegal in the UK (though it is in some other countries such as Germany). Nor is it deviant or something undertaken only by weirdos whose extreme religious or dietary views put them at odds with society. You’ll definitely encounter a few distinctly quirky perspectives among home educating parents but probably no more so than in any other community defending strongly held views that set it apart from the mainstream. Read more...

Grammar Schools

• Finding a state grammar school

  

  Counties such as Kent or Buckinghamshire are ‘selective authorities’ and most families will have at least one grammar school close to where they live. Elsewhere, for example in Reading or Kingston-on-Thames, there are just one or two grammar schools and competition for places at these is ferocious.

  How to find a state grammar school

  Grammar schools are located in 36 English local authorities. Almost half of these are considered 'selective authorities' (eg Kent and Buckinghamshire), where around one in five local children are selected for grammar school entry based on ability. The others are areas such as Barnet or Kingston, with only a few grammar schools.

  A word of warning: not all selective grammar schools have 'grammar' in their name. Bournemouth School and Dr Challoner's High School are just two examples. Likewise, many schools with grammar in their name are actually fee-paying independent schools (Bradford Grammar School and Bristol Grammar School for example).

  Do you have to live in a grammar school area? Read more...

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  Grammar Schools further reading

• Grammar school admissions

  State grammar schools are permitted to select pupils by ability. Children are usually tested in the final year of primary school (aged 10/11), by an exam commonly known as the 11+. A few schools test for entry at 13+, and many re-open their books at 16+. Some grammar schools now give preference to qualifying children on Pupil Premium.

• Grammar schools - a brief history

  The term grammar school was coined in medieval times, but modern-day state grammar schools came into being as a result of the 1944 Education Act; this made provision for a tripartite system of education, open to all.

• Grammar schools - best value added

  We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2015 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.

• Grammar Schools - the politics

  Grammar schools continue to divide opinion. Supporters believe a grammar school education gives all children, regardless of social class, a passport to a good education and future. Detractors point out that grammar schools take very few pupils entitled to free school meals, and denounce them as elitist, divisive and damaging to the moral and esteem of children who feel themselves to be failures at the age of 11.

• State grammar school local authorities

  State grammar schools are located in the following local authorities:

  Grammar schools in London:

  1. London Borough of Barnet
  2. London Borough of Bexley
  3. London Borough of Bromley
  4. London Borough of Enfield
  5. Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Council
  6. ....

Independent Schools

• Independent school system in a nutshell

  Left scratching your head about the difference between public school, private school and independent school? And where on earth prep schools and boarding schools fit into the picture? Fear not – our at a glance guide will set you straight:

  1. Public schools: historically, the most exclusive – and expensive – of boys’ private (mainly boarding) schools, eg Eton, Harrow and Winchester. Formerly the realm of the upper classes, who are now (with fees topping £30K) joined by offspring of moneyed entrepreneurs, business people and internationals. Now often co-ed, attended by boys and girls aged 13 to 18.
  2. Boarding schools: schools with facilities for pupils to have a home from home on a termly, weekly or flexible basis, often offering superb facilities and a multitude of extracurricular activities. NB most now include a large proportion of day pupils and some are funded by the state.
  3. Independent schools and private schools: essentially the same thing, ranging from grand public schools and highly selective day schools to tiny local ones and everything in between. The common denominator is that they have no state funding but rely on tuition fees, gifts and endowments.
  4. Prep and pre-prep schools: preparatory/pre-preparatory schools – essentially independent primary schools for children aged 3 to 7/8 (pre-preps), or aged 7 to 11/13  (preps). They prepare pupils for entry to mainly independent secondary schools of all types. Read more...

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  Independent Schools further reading

• Prep and pre-prep schools: what do I need to know?

  As their name suggests, the main aim of ‘preparatory schools’, or prep schools, is to prepare children for entry to fee-paying senior schools at 11 or 13. Traditionally, pre-preps take children from 3 or 4 and prepare them for moving on to preps at 7 or 8. There are fewer stand-alone pre-preps than there used to be as their main market, the boarding prep, has declined in numbers.

• Private school fees, financial assistance, scholarships and bursaries

  You want an independent school education for your children but can’t afford the fees? These days, independent education - especially if you have more than one child - is out of the financial reach of most people. Fees have rocketed in relation to salaries and inflation, and families whose children have traditionally boarded for generations are now looking for cheaper alternatives.

• Private school interviews – how do I prepare my child?

  While state schools are prohibited from interviewing any but potential sixth form students, the interview is an integral part of nearly every private school admissions process, and tends to send the applicant’s parents, rather than the actual applicant, into a spin. Parents feel considerably more responsible for their child’s social presentation than for his or her ability to do long division or conjugate French verbs.

• Visiting a school: what should you look for at an open day?

  They may not truly reflect day-to-day life at a school (this will be school at its best) but they'll give you a flavour of what's happening and allow you to soak up the atmosphere. They are your chance to have the upper hand, get a feel for the school and chat with pupils and staff. Do visit more than one school: it’s useful to compare and contrast.

• What type of boarding - full, weekly or flexi?

  If you’re reading this you’ve probably already decided that boarding might suit your son or daughter. If so the next step is to consider the arrangement that best suits your family. Unlike the old days, when youngsters were packed off to school at the age of 7 or 8 and didn’t see home again until the end of term, today’s boarding schools offer parents a choice of full boarding, weekly boarding, flexi boarding or even a combination of these. For instance, flexi boarders may wish to weekly board during exam times or become full boarders in the sixth form.

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Nursery Schools

• Child care choices for under 5s

  What type of childcare suits your family best? We’ve not met a parent who has done birth to school without some form of help. Everyone needs a new perspective on – or a break from - their children at some point in those 5 years. Children also need interaction and to form attachments with those other than their parents for their wellbeing. Read more...

• Finding the right nursery school for your child

  Pre-school isn't compulsory and for good reason. Not all parents want their child to attend a pre-school and it will not suit every child. Your child's early years may be spent at home, with you or with a nanny or au-pair. Alternatively, you may decide that time away from home suits you both. Possibilities include child-minder, nursery, kindergarten, creche, pre-school, play-group, pre-prep school, toddler group. Read more...

• Nurseries and early years - your questions answered

  All work and no play? All play and no work? Or something inbetween? Whatever you choose, think safety first. Nursery / early years education should be an exciting, important, formative part of your child's development but finding what's ideal for your child isn't always easy. The sector is regulated and inspected, though painful headlines haven't completely disappeared. Read more...

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State Schools

• A guide to State schools - the right one?

  When it comes to choosing a state school, how do you work out what is hot and what is decidedly not?

  State schools exist not only in a variety of forms, but with nuances between those.  Some areas continue to have a selective system at 11; others do not. Many secondary schools – and a few primary schools – are now academies. Plenty of these are part of large academy chains such as Harris Federation, E-Act or ARK. Other schools are free schools, set up by local groups, often with a faith designation. These are all state schools, funded by the government, but academies and free schools are not overseen by local authorities. Controversially, they are permitted to employ unqualified teachers, set their own admission criteria and ignore the national curriculum..

  However, worry less about the type of school - there are good and bad within all - but look instead at the individual school and how well it will suit your child.

  Primary schools - age 6 to 11

• Primary school admissions – finding the right school

  It’s a nerve-wracking time, deciding where you would like your child to take his or her first steps into school. A good state primary school will not only launch your child into a happy and fulfilling education journey, but also engage you in the local community. The friends you and your child make there are likely to be long-standing ones.

• Primary school admissions – what is the process?

  You must apply through your local authority for a place at a primary school, even if it’s linked to your child’s current nursery. Normal primary school admissions are at 4+ into the reception class. Applications open on different days in each local council area - usually at the start of the autumn term of the year before your child is due to start school. Check your local authority website for details of the catchment area for primary schools nearby, faith requirements and key dates.

• Primary school appeals – do I stand a chance?

  The harsh reality is that you have very little chance of success at appeal for a reception place, especially if you live in a crowded city.  Firstly, because local authorities have a duty only to provide a place at a school, not at a school of your choosing. And secondly, infant class size legislation restricts classes to 30 children in reception/KS1. 

• Primary schools – top tips when applying

  Parents of children born between 1^st September 2014 and 31^st August 2015 have until 15^th January 2019 to apply for a primary school place for the academic year starting in September 2019. Having advised parents of school applications for more than thirty years, The Good Schools Guide recommends the following read more

• Primary Schools National Offer Day 2018

  On Monday 16th April parents in England will find out whether their child has been given a place at one of their preferred choices of primary school.  All children born between 1st September 2013 and 31st August 2014 are eligible for a September school place but, even though there is a drop in applicants, The Good Schools Guide predicts that many children will miss out on their preferred schools.

  Advice from The Good Schools Guide for parents who are disappointed with the offer their child has received for a place at primary school on national offers day April 16th 2018.

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  Secondary schools and sixth form - age 12 to 18

• Secondary school admissions – finding the right school

  You are not ‘free to choose’ the state secondary school you want your child to attend, but you can ‘express a preference.’ So how can you work out which ones to go for?

• Secondary school admissions – what is the process?

  For a place at secondary school, you must apply through your local authority, even if it’s linked to your child’s current primary school. Normal secondary school admissions are at 11+ into year 7. Applications open on different days in each local council area - usually at the start of the autumn term of year 6, though for most grammar schools you will need to register for the entrance test during the summer term of year 5.

• Secondary school appeals – do I stand a chance?

  Despite all you’ve heard about competition for places at the secondary school you want for your child, it’s still a huge shock when your offer comes through for Unpopular Academy instead. Don’t despair  - you have a legal right to appeal to any school named on your preference form. But it’s vital to have a back-up plan alongside going through the appeals process.

• Secondary school offer day 2018

  Has your child been offered a place at a school that you don't want? The good news is that there are steps you can take which can result in a place at a school you prefer.

  

  Enter your email address here to receive our free downloadable guide to school appeals, with advice from our appeals experts on grounds you can use and your chances of success. If you need to find an alternative school, there's also a half price offer for a subscription to our website where you can read information and data on 30,000 schools.

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• Secondary schools – top tips when applying

  October 31^st is the date for parents to submit their state secondary school applications to the local authority. A great deal of agonising and soul-searching has been taking place in households across England in the run-up to the deadline but what exactly is the best way to select which schools to put down and how can you avoid the pitfalls which hinder families ever year?

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  Other state school options

• State boarding schools

  If you think your child would benefit from a boarding school education, but are put off by the high fees and consequent limited social mix of a typical independent boarding school, you may find that a state boarding school is the answer. Read more...

  State grammar schools
  Counties such as Kent or Buckinghamshire are ‘selective authorities’ and most families will have at least one grammar school close to where they live. Elsewhere, for example in Reading or Kingston-on-Thames, there are just one or two grammar schools and competition for places at these is ferocious. Grammar schools are located in 36 English local authorities. Read more...

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  Further reading

  Northern Ireland Education System The education system in Northern Ireland has some important differences to the one in England and Wales. Whilst the school year also starts in September, the child’s age on 1 July (rather than 1 September, as in England and Wales) determines when they start school and what school year they are in. As elsewhere, children start primary school at 4+ and move on to secondary school at 11+.

  Catchment area cheat Pressure for places in the UK’s best state schools is intensifying with state grammar schools leading the way. Popular schools see upwards of 10 applicants for every place. In 2014, almost half of children in some areas have been rejected from their preferred secondary school. Catchment areas are already shrinking as parents who had planned on private schooling join the battle for places in the best state schools.

  Inspection reports from Ofsted As with most reports, there’s a code to decipher and a few questions to ask. The local school gets a glowing report, yet you know half the population are banned from the shopping centre. Puzzling? So just what do inspection reports tell us and have they any value? The answers are lots, and yes, if you know how to read them.

  Understanding the British school system Normal primary school admissions are at 3+ into the nursery or 4+ into the reception class. Some are divided into infant and junior schools, the latter starting at 7 years. Most secondary schools start at 11. For a normal application, you will need to apply – with a local address - by around mid-January for primary schools and the end of October of the year before entry for secondary schools.

  When to put your child’s name down for a school A handful of schools literally demand that you apply for a place as soon as your child is born, which means it’s never too early to start planning your child’s education. In fact, it’s a process that can start even before you’ve conceived – and that goes for all parents, wherever they want their offspring to go to school.