There are many excellent sources of information available to parents choosing a secondary school for 11 year-olds.

Armed with this information plus local knowledge you will be able to make the best choice.

Local Authority
Your local council education department should provide a list or booklet about schools in your area. If your child has a special aptitude such as languages or technology, ask if there are any specialist schools in your area (the government is planning more of these).

League Tables
Usually published in September and available online, these tell you the percentage of pupils who passed five or more GCSEs at grades A to C in every school. As a quick comparison of academic performance they are useful but can be misleading. A 70 per cent pass rate looks good, but if the school has an able, privileged intake, it probably should be better. Equally, a school with 40 per cent may have brilliant teachers but a much more varied intake. Many bright children thrive in schools with mixed ability, especially now that most schools set pupils according to ability. You should be asking whether the school has high expectations of all pupils?

Ofsted Inspection Reports
Available online or from the schools, these give a comprehensive picture of the school's strengths and weaknesses. If you read the report before you visit, you can ask how the school has addressed its problems since the inspection. Beware if the school is in `special measures' (serious failings) but check the date of the report - schools can improve dramatically.

Admissions
Your child has a right to a school place between the ages of five and 16. Your local educational authority must offer your child a school place within a reasonable commute. You have the right to say which school you would like your child to attend but this does not guarantee a place in the school if it is over-subscribed. Every school has its own admissions policy - you would do well to check the ones you are interested in to see if you meet their criteria, particularly for popular and oversubscribed schools. For details of the Department of Education's code on schools admissions, click here.