I have a daughter in Year 6 now, who will be starting High School (secondary school) in September 2002. This is new territory for me, so I looked on Ciao and Dooyoo for any advice on this topic, but found none. So I thought I would write my own opinion for those going through this stage now, or with it to come in the future.
It’s over twenty years since I started secondary school. I can’t remember much debate about it, it was always going to be one particular school. In fact, my parents moved house so I could go there. It wasn’t a private school, but one of the best comprehensives in the county.
So, if you have a child in Year 6, you will receive a form to fill in detailing your preferences for the school you would like then to go to. This will be accompanied by a book which lists the schools in the area, their contact details, amount of pupils and so on.
Where we live now, there are several schools my daughter could go to next year, but only two within walking distance. This was our first consideration really. I don’t drive, so she will be walking to school. The nearest school is a mile away, another is 2.7 miles. (You can find this out on www.upmystreet.co.uk) The school bus only takes pupils who live three miles or more away, so this is not an option.
The schools organise open days or open evenings, usually in late September. We went along to one of the schools with my daughter and we were all so impressed, we decided we will apply for her to attend this one.
So what factors did we take into consideration? Here are a few points to consider, although obviously, it depends on the individual and how you all feel about the place.
1) Distance
As I said earlier, this is an important consideration. How will your child get to school – by foot, by bike, by bus or will you drive them there? If you intend to drive them, will you be able to get there in time, considering any younger children you might need to take to school, or maybe you have to get to work afterwards?
Will your child qualify for a school bus? If they have to take an ordinary bus, you will have to think about the cost as well. If they are walking, is it a safe route? Do they have to cross many main roads? It can get dark at 4pm in the Winter.
2) Tour of the school
This can be a make or break part of the selection process. No matter how good a school sounds on paper, it may be awful when you go round.
Obviously, the school will have its best side on display to the public, so consider this. But do the pupils seem happy? Are the classrooms interesting, large enough, with good displays on the walls? Is the building in a good condition generally? Is there a lot of graffiti or rubbish around the place? Do the staff seem approachable?
3) A gentle introduction?
It is a big step starting at another school, especially when the child has been used to being the eldest in primary school, and will now have to get used to being a ‘baby’ again.
The school we went round has a separate play area for the Year 7 pupils, which can mean they don’t have to face all those older, more confident kids en masse.
They also have a system where the eldest pupils escort the Year 7s around the school for a couple of weeks, until they find their feet.
4) Special interests
Is your child especially gifted in something, or just an enthusiast? Do they have a talent in sport, music, drama or modern languages? Are they a scientific whiz-kid or great with computers? If so, you’ll need to ask questions about sporting facilities, school teams, after-school clubs, dramatic productions put on by the school, trips abroad, music lessons, laboratory facilities or the amount of computers in the school?
5) Eating
Can your child get a cooked meal at lunchtime? Do they do vegetarian food or cater for special diets? Are the meals reasonably priced?
The school we like has a canteen facility and even serves cooked breakfasts, which is a bonus too.
6) School uniform
This depends on what you and your child prefer really. Personally, I am pro-uniform and always have been, even during my own school days. I think uniforms are smart and give a child a sense of belonging to the school. It also cuts down on the amount of competitiveness that occurs between children over what they wear.
The school we have chosen has a very reasonable uniform policy – nice colours, not allowing trainers, not allowing short skirts, but letting girls wear single stud earrings. However, my daughter was a bit disappointed that they aren’t allowed to wear make-up until Year 10!
7) Religious Education
This was something else I wanted to know about, as I don’t agree with children being force-fed one religion, as if others don’t exist. I was assured that the National Curriculum insists that Christianity takes up 50% of the subject with other religions filling 50%. The children learn about other customs, traditions, festivals and special days. With the school being multi-racial, this is an important consideration too.
8) Exam results
This is rather a subjective one. As we all know, there are many ways of interpreting figures. If you live in a poor area, results will tend to be lower than those of a school in a wealthy area.
I think good, enthusiastic teachers can get the best out of their pupils, whether they have the potential to get Grade As in their GCSEs or Grade Es.
The figures themselves may not be important, but it can be interesting to see whether the pass rates are improving, declining or staying around the same.
9) Class sizes
Again, this is fairly standard across the country, with a maximum number permitted, but it can vary. A small country school with fifty pupils will have smaller class sizes than a big city school of over a thousand.
10) Special Needs
If your son or daughter has Special Needs, you will need to ask what facilities are available at the school and how much help your child will be able to get there.
11) Sixth Form
The school we like has an attached Sixth Form, which means she can stay there from the age of eleven to nineteen, if she wants to. This gives continuity and security. I stayed five years at my secondary school, then had to change to another school for two years of Sixth Form and it can be unsettling, especially to change schools at the age of sixteen, when you are often going through several problems with self-esteem.
12) Other forms of education
The National Curriculum means that schools all over the country should be studying the same kind of topics at about the same age. But other forms of education aren’t always so regulated, so you can ask questions about careers advice, sex education and so on.
The school we visited has something called PSHME (Personal, Social, Health and Moral Education) which includes discussion lessons on sex, smoking, drugs and so on.
For Year 7s, this concentrates on the transition from primary to secondary school, making new friends and other relevant issues.
13) Homework
Again, this should be fairly standard, but ask a few questions or check in the prospectus. Does the amount of homework increase as they get older? Will parents be expected to sign the homework diary, to say the child has completed their homework? How much homework will they get and how often?
14) Rewards and Punishment
What happens when a child misbehaves? Or when they are especially good and do well? What are the school rules? Are there incentives for children to behave well in school? Are they tough on bullying?
At the school we went round, I was impressed with the school’s reward scheme. Excellence, hard work, helping others and good attendance are rewarded by a system of stamps, certificates and awards including £10 gift vouchers and a ten-pin bowling outing!
15) Gut instinct and Word of Mouth
I would say the most important criteria in choosing a school is what you think of the place and what others say about it. Do you know anyone with children who go there? Do they like it? Do their parents approve? Ask around, chances are the parents will tell it like it is, as they haven’t got any reason not to!
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A lot of this advice can be appropriate for starting any new schools – primary school, secondary school, Sixth Form or just a new school in a different area. I hope it has been useful.
Choosing A School For Your Child 
