A guide for parents

Start with the school your child would experience

A prospectus can make every school sound like the right one. Look more closely at the subjects, the ordinary week and the people who would help your child find their feet. The results become more useful when you read them alongside that picture.

Explore the schools Read a complete example, free

Where to begin

Three steps towards a useful conversation.

We cover 19 academically selective independent schools. Our detailed school-choice research currently focuses on sixth-form entry; the depth of each school’s account varies.

Get to know the schools.
Open the profiles for the schools you are considering. Read about their programmes and daily life, then choose the intended entry year and subjects in the school-choice research. Check which information applies to that year and what remains to be confirmed.
Choose schools and check the coverage
Look at the differences that matter.
Start with a practical question: could your child take the subjects they want together? What would an independent project involve? How would a new pupil join an established year group? Use the results to examine a claim over several years, alongside the account of the education.
See how we read two schools side by side
Take your questions to the school.
Ask pupils and staff about the week you have been reading about. Bring the questions the publications leave open, and keep the school’s answers with their date. Our free visit pack helps you prepare; research access adds saved enquiries, private notes and dated briefings.
Prepare a free visit pack

Choosing from overseas

Begin the conversation before the journey.

If you are researching from Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore or elsewhere, a school’s ordinary week may be harder to picture from a distance. Start with the practical arrangements that would make the move possible, then use a call or visit to explore school life.

Ask us about the research for your schools

This opens your email app. Include your location and intended entry year; a child’s name or personal documents are not needed for a question about our coverage. Our publication is in English.

Questions to settle with each school

Entry and subjects: Which year group would your child enter, and how will the school assess their present qualifications? What are the application dates, assessment arrangements and subject requirements for that particular intake?
Where your child would live: Is the place day, weekly boarding or full boarding? What happens at weekends, half-term and other school holidays? Ask about guardianship arrangements, airport travel and who is responsible when the school is closed.
Learning and settling in: What English-language support is available, how is it arranged, and is there a separate charge? How do new pupils join lessons, activities and friendships? Ask who would notice a difficulty and whom you could contact.
The full cost: Request a written estimate for the intended entry year, including tuition, boarding where relevant, compulsory extras, deposits and payment dates. Ask which sums are refundable and what notice is required.
A conversation from home: Ask about a video call, remote assessments and an opportunity to speak to a current pupil or boarding staff. Confirm the date and time in both locations. If you need interpretation or translated documents, ask what the school can provide.

For immigration requirements, use the official GOV.UK Child Student guidance and confirm the appropriate route and sponsorship arrangements with the school. A school’s inclusion in this record does not establish visa eligibility.

A starting point for your email to a school

We are considering entry in [month and year] and would like to understand the arrangements for a pupil joining from [country]. Could you confirm the year group, application timetable, subject choices and day or boarding provision? We would also welcome information about settling-in and language support, the full costs, and a suitable time for a video conversation.

Adapt this to your circumstances and send it directly to the school’s admissions team.

School terms explained

A few words you will keep meeting.

Our schools are in England. School year names and qualifications can differ between countries, so ask the admissions team to confirm the right entry point.

GCSEs: Subject qualifications commonly taken in Year 11, when pupils are usually 15–16. GOV.UK’s guide to school years sets out the usual ages in England.
Sixth form and 16+ entry: The stage after GCSEs, generally Years 12 and 13. Schools may call these Lower and Upper Sixth, or use names of their own. “16+ entry” describes joining at this stage; confirm the school’s age and qualification requirements.
A levels and the IB Diploma: Different routes through sixth-form study. A levels are subject qualifications; the IB Diploma combines six subjects with its core. The school decides which subjects and combinations it offers. See the GOV.UK qualification guide and the IB’s curriculum explanation.
Offers and places taken up: A university offer is an invitation that may carry conditions. It does not establish that a pupil went there. When reading a destination claim, check whether it counts offers, accepted places or pupils who actually enrolled.
Pastoral care: The school’s arrangements for pupils’ wellbeing and support. A policy describes what should happen; a conversation with pupils and staff helps you ask how it works day to day.

More terms in the glossary

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