Choosing a School

Choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make.  Making the right choice for you and your child may involve a lot of time weighing up the options  and you must remember, that to get your child into the school of your choice means yo must apply well in advance.

The process of choosing a school for your child may seem daunting but the earlier you plan, the less chance there is of you missing key deadlines. This section helps you:

• submit an appeal if your application isn’t successful

For primary schools, you need to apply for a place well before your child reaches their fifth birthday. For secondary schools, you need to send in your application during the autumn term when your child is in Year 6.

Where to start

Before you apply to a school think about your child’s personality and what their needs are. You may find that the school with the best reputation is not necessarily the best choice for your child.

• Which school does your child prefer?  -  Find out what matters to them. You might not agree, but it’s important to talk about where they would like to go. This may be more relevant when your child is older and you are choosing a secondary school. Where are their friends going? Starting a new school can be daunting and having one or two close friends can help.
• Does your child need special attention? - If your child is very bright, has particular behavioural patterns or has special needs, it’s important to find a school that will be able to give them the support they need.
• Does your child have specific interests? - If they are keen on sport or enjoy specific subjects such as maths, languages, art or music you may be able to find a school that has the facilities to develop their interests. Some specialist schools focus on one subject but still follow the National Curriculum.

 

You can start by searching online for schools in your area, you can use the Directgov 'Find a School' page (external link) for more information. Or you can vist the Cheshire LEA Website (external link) for details of schools in your area. This will give you information about each school, how many pupils they have, their admission criteria, and where to find out more about them.

Once you’ve discovered which schools are near you, it’s time to get as much information as you can about them, for example visiting the school, checking admission criteria, and checking the most recent Ofsted report. This will help you work out which schools will suit your child best.  Many schools now have ther own websites which help you get a better idea of whether that school is for you - you can access the websites of schools in Cheshire through the Cheshire Salt Website (external link).