Every year, hundreds of thousands of parents across the UK go through the process of choosing a school for their child. Whether you are looking for a Reception place, moving house and needing a new primary, or thinking ahead to secondary school, the process can feel overwhelming — especially when you are not sure what to look for or who to trust.
The good news is that most state schools in England are Good or Outstanding, which means the majority of children are in schools that are doing a solid job. The question for most families is not "is this a good school" but "is this the right school for my child and our family".
Start with location, not just ratings
It sounds obvious, but location matters enormously. A school that is Outstanding but 45 minutes away is rarely the right choice over a Good school at the end of your road. School runs, after-school clubs, friendships with local children, and walking to school independently as a child gets older — all of these depend on geography more than Ofsted grades.
Use our area search to find every school within your local authority, then filter by phase and rating to narrow it down to a realistic shortlist of three or four schools to explore further.
Read the Ofsted report, not just the grade
The headline grade — Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate — is just a summary. The full inspection report, which you can access from each school's profile page, goes into much more detail. It covers teaching quality, the curriculum, how the school supports pupils with SEND, what the behaviour is like, and whether safeguarding arrangements are strong.
A school rated Good whose report praises the excellent SEND provision might be a better choice for your child than an Outstanding school whose report doesn't mention it at all. Read past the grade.
Visit in person
No website — including this one — can replicate a school visit. Most schools hold open days in the autumn term, but you can also contact the school directly and ask to look around at any time. When you visit, pay attention to how pupils behave in the corridors, how staff speak to children, whether the building feels welcoming, and whether the head teacher's vision for the school aligns with your values.
Talk to other parents in the playground at pick-up time. Local Facebook groups and Mumsnet forums for your area are often full of honest, recent feedback about local schools that no official report will tell you.
Think about the whole child, not just academics
Academic results matter, but so do sport, music, art, drama, the pastoral care system, the culture around homework, and how the school handles bullying when it happens. A school with outstanding exam results but a poor extracurricular offer might leave your child feeling unstimulated outside the classroom. Consider what your child cares about and whether the school can support it.