If your child is approaching school for the first time, or making the jump from primary to secondary school, or you are moving to a new area then you will be asking yourself: How do I find the right school for my child?  It’s a bit of a mine field.  There’s simply no simple answer.  Rather there seem to be a multitude of other questions that suddenly need answers before you can make any sort of decision.
A useful question to ask yourself is ‘what was my school like and was it right for me?’ It may seem odd but reminiscing about your own education can help you to make informed choices. If your school was under funded or had no resources then you wouldn’t want your child to attend the same school.

However, it is important to remember that a lot of water may have passed under the bridge since you were last walking the hallowed halls of your local secondary modern.  Most parents have been out of the school environment for quite some time before our own offspring are ready to step into the arena.  A great deal can have changed during that time and it is onlyso it reasonable to expect that your school may have changed a great deal in the intervening years, either for better or for worse.    Using your own memories and experiences and tapping into those of other parents who may have older children who are already at school now, make a checklist of what is most important to you about any school.

  • Do you want a sporty school or an arty school?
  • Does your child need a school with excellent pastoral care or a more competitive ‘dog eat dog’ environment?
  • How important is high academic achievement?
  • What sort of reputation does the school have in general?
  • Do you want a school within easy walking distance or can your child cope with taking a bus to and from school?
  • What sort of extra curricular activities are important?
  • Is there before/after school care available?

When you answer these questions try to keep your child’s needs at the forefront of your mind rather than what you would have liked for yourself at school.  I was incredibly arty and musical at school but neither of my children are musical in the least.  They excel at sports, which I was not so good at as a youngster.
Once you have made your own checklist select a few schools in your area and check them out individually, on their own merits to see if they would be suitable for your child. Take the time to visit each school and inspect them where possible.  A good school will happily arrange for you to take a tour of the school and you can often see the school at work on a normal day.
Good luck and happy hunting!