All schools have to follow the policies and procedures as laid down by the government, yet they are all very different from one another. Use the guidelines below to help you assess their differences when choosing whether to apply for a school or not.

School Website
Is it simple to navigate, with clear information that is up-to-date? Does it have pictures of the children on it? What of the school’s ethos can you pick up from the website pages?

School Newsletter
What happened last week at the school? How are parents involved in the learning? Does the school diary look attractive and active? Can you see what direction and focus the school has from the Newsletter? Are children celebrated?

Word-of-mouth
Do you have friends who live in the area, or teachers who have taught there in the past few years? What do they say? Do you trust their judgement?

School Reports
Look up the latest OFSTED report of the School. How current is it? How would you recognise the changes that the school has made as a result of the judgement? Would YOU send your child to the School?