How do I contact a school headteacher to say, "I want my DD to go to your great school please!"?

[Nixz]

We are moving counties in a few weeks and after reading lots and lots of Ofsted reports and studying 'streetmap' extensively, I have found 2 schools that I would like DD (7) to attend.
I have drawn a complete blank when it comes to contacting them though!
I want to email and ask what their admission requirements are and is there room for one more 7 year old, etc but I dont know what to write - help!

If they are state schools you have to contact the education department of the council you are moving to and see if there are places availiable. They will send you a form, you fill it in and send it back. The school will not give you any info, they will tell you to phone the council. It may be a different procedure where you are moving to though, phone the council to check.

You can just phone up private schools, it's alot easier.

Telephone instead?

I can't see any problem with saying exactly what you've written here.

If the schools are Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools, the Head Teacher and Govenors have the final decision in who attends their school. I would make a phone call direct to the school office and book and appointment with the Head to have a look around.

Ask for a school brochure, (most schools have them,) and it should tell you what the admissions criteria are. The school office will know the numbers for each class.

On most County websites they have listings of all schools in the county; and all the contact details should be there too.

When we moved I just rang the school (state school) that I liked, asked for a prospectus and arranged a tour - never spoke to school admissions at all. The school told me there were no places but they sent me an application form and got me to ring weekly and luckily a place became available.

Ring them, explain you're moving, do they have any spaces in that year and how do you apply. If ok, arrange to visit. You'll speak to a school secretary who will have answered your questions lots of times

I shall phone, the only problem is,the school is 250 miles away. It is quite difficult for me to arrange a visit and say for sure when we will be moving (DP is in the forces and are quite unorganised when it comes to welfare issues!)