What to look for in a secondary school?

[mollyfolk]

Starting to look at secondary's and I just don't know what to think about.

I'm looking at the results obviously and the general feel of the school at the open day?

I'm not in the UK so we don't have any ratings to work from.
Any pointers? What things did you consider when looking at schools?

Do you know any children at the schools? Knowing the boys at the three schools we were considering helped us decide.
does your DC need a very academic setting?
what extra curricula activities do they run/ are you looking for?
what is the discipline like?
how do they deal with bullying?
do they stream or set in any subjects.
what subjects do they offer for exams.

How much homework is set

Mobile phone policy. I was amazed how many schools we visited who allowed phones to be used during break and lunch.

What trips and extracurricular are on offer.

Frequency of supply/cover staff use. You're more likely to get that information from a student than the teachers.