Fiona McKenzie, senior education consultant at Gabbitas Education, advises on how to choose a senior school
As your child heads in to Year 5, your attention will no doubt turn to exploring their options for senior school. You may well find yourself trawling through brochures and websites that will be keen to emphasise the attributes of the school, but often barely go beyond the surface. On top of this, you will probably be receiving input from relatives and friends, all of whom will have strong opinions on which school they would recommend. But the most important aspect to remember is that you are trying to choose a school that is right for your child. So where do you start"
The essentials

We would recommend your first stop should be talking to your child?s current teachers. They will know your child?s strengths and will be able to share their professional opinions to recommend schools that might be well suited. Consider as a family which aspects of a school are most important to you and draw up a list of ?non negotiables?. This is anything you deem important for your child and may include academic standards, a particular extracurricular activity or pastoral support. In addition, it is important to consider at this stage your preference of curriculum all the way up to post-16. You don?t want to be caught out later on if your child is actually more suited to IB over A-levels, for example. Decide your priorities for your child and then start to draw up a list of school...