How to search primary schools near you

One of the most important decisions you will make on your child’s future is to find the right primary school for them to continue their learning journey. So the search for primary schools can be a tough one. Sure there will be primary schools near to your house, but are they the right ones for your child? Do they tick all your criteria for sending your child there, and will your child leave ready for the demands of secondary education?

When you begin to search primary schools for your child, one of the biggest factors will be the quality of that school. The universal rating for schools in the UK is the OFSTED report, a government initiative designed to grade all schools on the same scale, thus allowing parents to see the relative differences between 2 or more different schools. In this context, it allows you to search primary schools with the best OFSTED ratings to decide where your child should go. Remember when you are looking at these reports to read the contents as well as looking at the numbers. Each primary school is given an overall score between 1 and 4, however this doesn’t paint a complete enough picture. It is important to consider the whole report and how it relates to your decision, as not all schools who score a 1, 2, 3 or 4 are the same as one another.

The next thing to consider when you search primary schools around you is their location. Closest is not necessarily best, even though it may be the most convenient for you! Remember, when you search primary schools near to your house, you are doing so for your child’s benefit, not your own. The best advice is always to go and look around local primary schools. Find out when the open days or open evenings are, and make the effort to call in and get a feel for the learning environment, picture how your child might fit in at that primary school. Only then will you really know if that is the right primary school for you.

So your search for primary schools has gathered pace. You have checked out the OFSTED scores, you have visited some local schools, and you have narrowed down the search. You now need to consider the criteria by which your child will be accepted into the local primary schools. It is no good having done all your research that you decide upon a school which is out of reach because of location or faith. So, check with the local schools when you are searching what their entrance criteria are. If they are a faith school, check what faith it is and whether they require a baptism or christening certificate. If they are in an area full of new build properties, check what their intake level is and how far their catchment area spreads. Generally, it isn’t a good idea to search primary schools in new build villages if you do not live in the area, as these villages are usually populated with families with young children. Remember to search primary schools which are realistic to your child’s criteria, not just the one you think would be best.

The search for primary schools can be a big challenge, but in reality there are only a few small things to consider. Think about this from the start of your search for your child’s first school and you will save a lot of time and effort in the long run. The search for primary schools doesn’t have to be a tough task!

Localprimaryschools.com is the largest database in the UK of primary schools showing OFSTED reports, religious affiliation and contact information for every UK school.

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This release was published on openPR.