School selection & trust

[EduProducer]

When you were choosing a school, what actually influenced your decision; and what did schools do that made you trust (or distrust) them?

I was mostly influenced by which schools they could be offered a place at (max 2) and which they could easily get to.

The notion of choice or selection near me is nonsense.

You don’t choose a school, you express a preference for the school(s) you want.

In making that selection, I’d consider the admission criteria, look at the schools that you have a reasonable chance of getting into, with at least one that’s as certain as you can be that you’d get a place. Visit the ones you’re interested in and get a feel for the atmosphere, ask questions, see how the pupils are- are they enthusiastic about their school, do they seem engaged, does it feel welcoming.

Trust is a bit of an odd verb to choose.

Not sure I'd use the term trust. Some schools had no desire to impress prospective families (resting on their reputation and results) whilst others went out of their way to sell themselves.

What informed my preferences: besides distance and ease of commute, care and concern for the person (did I get a warm and welcome feel), academic challenge (would my son be challenged and encouraged to reach), selection of subjects offered, and co-curricular opportunities (could any student try any activity/sport or were they gatekept).