The most important thing you can do before choosing a school for your child is to do your research writes ELIZABETH SIMPSON.

FIND AS much information as possible about the school you are interested in. Start off by visiting the school as one of the best ways to assess a school is by visiting it in person.

This way, you will gain first-hand knowledge of where your child will be spending their day. You can learn a lot from touring the school by observing the children, the teachers and the way they work together.

Things to consider include the location of the school - Is it nearby? Will you have to drive or take public transport? When your child is older, can they walk to school safely? Remember, a long journey may be tiring for your child and difficult to arrange. Also look at the school's resources and observe the children's work and the facilities available. Does it appear to be a happy school where everyone is serious about learning? Also find out if the school encourages parental involvement? And if it is welcoming?

Many schools hold open days and evenings, where you can meet the staff and view children's work. Remember, you could also make an appointment to visit the school and ask to speak with the headteacher.

Your next step should be to obtain the LEA booklets. Your local authority produces a booklet which lists all the schools in your area. This booklet will contain information about the schools; how many pupils they admit; what the admission arrangements are; how popular they are and where to find more information.

Each year, every school publishes a prospectus. This will tell you more about a particular school than the local authority booklet can, and contains the school’s admissions policy in detail. You can obtain a copy of the prospectus from the school. It is an important document, so be sure to receive the booklets from all the schools you might be interested in.

You should also check the Achievement and Attainment Tables, which are published by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Though they cannot give a complete picture of a school, the Tables provide a guide to how well a school or college is doing.

It is also helpful to read the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) reports, which are produced by the Government's school inspectors. A report is available for every school in the country. To view a report about a particular school, Achievement and Attainment Tables and see individual school's websites, log on to www.ofsted.gov.uk . Another site worth a look is www.dfes.go.uk/localauthorities

• Which school are your child's friends going? Is it best to stay with those friends, or make new ones?

  If your child is particularly bright, or needs special help/attention, which schools will handle this best?

• If your child has particular interests, or you want them to learn a specific subject, is the school strong in this area?
• Does the school have weak areas that worry you?
• What do other parents say about their experience of the school?
• How well did their children do at the school?
• How your child will get to school safely?

Do remember that schools can change quite quickly and past experience isant always a good guide to the future.

For more information log on to www.parentscentre.gov.uk