Choosing a school

Choosing a good school to send their children to is a major concern for most parents. Many parents will begin thinking about it as soon as their child is born! There are many factors to consider when deciding which school is right for your child, and many ways to go about finding information on the schools you are interested in

How do you choose a school?

It would appear that choosing a school is as easy as popping down to your local council or logging onto the internet and perusing one of the many sites offering up-to-date league tables, Ofsted reports and a search for schools within your local area.

Unfortunately, the reality is that high-grade averages and a convenient setting doesn't always equate to the ideal school for your child. Ofsted reports are few and far between years, and academic statistics from the previous year are of no use if half the personnel who helped to achieve those grades have now moved on to other schools. Likewise, a well-situated school in an affluent area offers no indication of the extent of assistance that a child with a learning disability such as dyslexia may expect to receive. 

Talk to other parents

Like so many things in life, you don't get a true representation of a school until you've scratched the surface, cut through the statistics and spoken to a few people in the know. According to Greg Hadfield, ‘If you ask any parent how they chose their child's school or deal with issues such as bulling or dyslexia - they will tell you that the advice of other parents is their most trusted source.'

Greg has a good idea of what parents want as the former education correspondent for the Sunday Times. He has since created one of their supplementary magazines entitled Parent Power, and is also the man behind the launch of a new website for parents, schoolsnet.com.