It is a good idea to find out about your local schools to help you decide which ones to apply to. Things you should consider include:
- How easy is it to travel to the school. Some schools have school buses. You can find out more here:
- Or your child may be able to get free transport to school. You can find out more here:
- Visiting the school – all schools have open days
- Looking at the schools’ websites
- Talking to parents of children who study there
- Looking at schools’ Ofsted reports. Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. It is a government department which inspects schools (and colleges, childcare and other services) regularly. Every time Ofsted inspects a school, they produce a report and give the school a grade. The report tells you about the effectiveness of the school including the quality of teaching and the achievement of the pupils. You can find the latest Ofsted report for any school on the Ofsted website. Use the “Distance from your home” option to search for all your local schools using your postcode.
- Looking at the school performance league tables. This is a system that gives each school a rating based on their Ofsted report, how well their pupils do in exams and their finances. You can look at school league tables on the GOV.UK website
