Uk school guide

State (public) schools State schools are government run schools which are free of charge. The local authority in the area you move to (local government administration body) will guarantee your child a place in a school but they will not guarantee a place in your preferred school(s), it will depend on if there is a space available for your child at the time of submission/entry. Admission Process – Key points The admissions process varies from local authority to local authority but the general points to keep in mind are as follows. + You must have a permanent address in the UK before you can apply for a school place (temporary accommodation address is not acceptable) – a signed lease/rental contract and one proof of address document (utility bill or council tax bill) are usually required + Your children must be in the UK before you can apply, and some local authorities will ask you to go to their offices so that they can see the children + Applications can be made in person at the local authority office or online + You can apply for up to 6 schools (depending on the local authority) + Distance from home to school is used by many schools to decide which children qualify for a place, this is known as a ‘catchment area’ + If you apply for a faith school which gives priority based on attendance at a place of religion or worship, you should read the admission criteria carefully to decide if you are likely to be offered a place + There are usually no entry requirements for children, though some specialist schools will require them and most schools like to see a copy of the child’s last school report Please note that availability within a school can change weekly and therefore local authorities are often reluctant to even confirm what schools may have places when you are looking for your permanent home. Choosing a School It is important to collect as much information as possible about the schools you want to apply for and their admission procedures. You can do this by: + Reading the information from the local authority, your relocation consultant can help you to obtain this + Look at school websites or contacting schools to ask for a copy of their prospectus, although not all schools will have one + Visiting schools on special open days or making an appointment + Looking at OFSTED inspection reports (see the section on OFSTED following this) + Looking at school performance tables OFSTED Inspection Reports OFSTED stands for ‘Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills’. They report directly to the government and are independent and impartial. They inspect and regulate services which care for children and young people. Each school has an OFSTED report and will be graded as one of the following; 1. Outstanding 2. Good 3. Requires Improvement 4. Inadequate

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