Product Description

How do you delve behind school prospectuses? How do you choose the right school for your child? What factors other than academic rankings should you consider?This well-established guide, now in its thirteenth edition - compiled by parents for parents and completely independent - combines facts and subjective interpretation to provide the ultimate guide for parents seeking the best school for their child.Spanning both the private and state sectors, "The Good Schools Guide" covers over 1000 schools from age 5 to age 18. In addition to factual information such as contact details, entry requirements and fees, the Guide includes sections such as 'background and atmosphere' designed to enable parents to find the right match for their child. It also gives a refreshing analysis of each school's strengths and weaknesses.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #212379 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1184 pages

Review
"The only independent guide to over 800 UK schools age 5-18 - state and private sector. Fully updated. No advertising or paid-for entries. 'One of the best aids for parents...informative and witty' -The Financial Times 'Unique among the many guides available, it sets out to give frank answers to the questions every parent asks. It told the truth.' -The Daily Telegraph 'Like its predecessors, it is based on visits and the views of parents, pupils and staff. It is just as untroubled by the sensibilities of schools and as cavalier in the face of squawks from those it has offended.' -TES"

The Daily Telegraph
Unique among the many guides available, it sets out to give frank answers to the questions every parent asks. It told the truth

TES
...untroubled by the sensibilities of schools and as cavalier in the face of squawks from those it has offended

Customer Reviews

The best I've found
I've looked at lots of school guides and they were all a waste of time because the information was written by the schools themselves and their marketing departments had made sure they all sounded great. I had no idea that there was an independent source of information like this. I can't believe the schools let them do this, but as a parent I can just say it has been incredibly useful. There are a few schools it doesn't cover which is annoying, but otherwise five stars definitly.

Indispensable tool for parents
As an independent source of information on the best schools in the UK, the Guide cannot be bettered. It gives the real flavour of each school and captures all the essentials from the background and character of the Head, the academic record, issues such as entrance and exit, pastoral care, the pupils and parents, right down to the actual feel of the physical facilities and other noteworthy features such as the quality of the lunches. The reports are set out clearly under headings, allowing for comparison between schools, and are written with knowledge and wisdom as well as humour. For any parent trying to assess a school from the outside, it is essential reading.

A Good Guide to Good Schools
This is a good guide to hundreds of (mainly) independent good schools. However there are many junior schools not shown and there is the odd very good secondary school that is also not listed, so this is not a definitive guide. Typically the book allocates 2 or 3 pages to each school detailing its background , the headmaster, its academic tradition and extra-curricular activities. The book has proven to be very useful when compiling a short list of potential schools to visit.