Deciding which schools to apply for

How to find information about schools:

• Visit the school - Each school is a community with its own special character. Schools welcome individual visits, but you will need to make an appointment to meet the headteacher and to look round the school during the school day. Most secondary schools have open evenings and many have open days when you can visit and see the school in action. You can visit www.hants.gov.uk/schooldetails for details of individual schools or visit their website.

• The school prospectus - This will contain a range of information including the admissions policy, the names of the school governors, a statement about ethos and values, the school’s special educational needs policy, and pupil absence rates. Secondary schools also have to include information about examination results and where pupils go after they leave school. The prospectus is available from the school.

• The school Ofsted report - This is a detailed report from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). Ofsted also produces summaries that give a useful overall picture of a school. You can get copies of the summary and full report from the school. Copies of reports are also kept in the public library local to the school and are published on the internet at www.ofsted.gov.uk. Watch for the report’s date: the older the report, the more the school may have changed since it was written.

• School Profiles - The school profile is intended to be a more effective way of giving parents key information. It is updated annually and contains statistics about the school's performance provided by the Department for Education (previously known as the DCSF), a summary of the latest Ofsted report and narrative sections written by the school.It is available on-line at http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/ and by application to the school.

• The school website This is an increasingly useful source of information. You can find all Hampshire school websites at www.hants.gov.uk/schools

• Examination results GCSE results for all local authority schools in Hampshire are published every November in Hampshire Now, the Hampshire County Council residents' magazine. Free copies are delivered to all households in Hampshire and are also available from libraries and Hampshire County Council local information points. The results are also published on the web at www.hants.gov.uk/education/dait/ediru-gcsemenu

• Government performance tables for primary and secondary schools are on the web at www.education.gov.uk/performancetables/.

For general information about education, visit: www.education.gov.uk or the Parents section of the Direct Gov website:www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/index.htm