The Uk's Best Schools

By: James McKenzie
Submitted: 2009-10-02 15:57:30
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Article Summary: Finding school information is an important process in selecting the right educational institution. There are both printed and online sources of school information. The best ‘good school guides’ should be independent, i.e., not produced by the schools themselves.

Deciding on the best choice of school for your child is a massive task and probably one of the most important decisions you will have to make on the behalf of someone else. I've set about helping you take the first vital steps to finding the best schools. Many print and web publications have ratings of the best schools in a particular area. These ratings are usually based on surveys of students, job recruiters and parents, singly or in various combinations.

In the case of universities, some ratings systems use the average salary of graduates as the criteria or as one component of the criteria for ranking schools. Ratings of the best schools though sometimes consist only of lists without reviews of what each school offers.

School directories provide more detailed information, and again the best ones are independent of the schools themselves. Common information included could be the size of the student body, class size, fee structure, academic matters and, in some cases, written reports by students, parents, etc.

Good sites will have information on the school’s performance including graduation rates, grade performance of pupils and dropout rates. There should be extensive information on courses and degrees offered. Also, the review should provide the state of the school’s infrastructure including the availability of computers and internet connection, and the availability and quality of the school’s libraries.

Staff size and quality and staff turnover rates are important considerations. The site should provide information on the condition of the school’s buildings and the general atmosphere and environment of the school. Recreational facilities like gyms, arcades, swimming pools and outdoor facilities should be included.

Where to find good reviews
The major search engines are always a good place to start when looking for the best schools. Most companies that provide independent school reviews have an online presence.

You can also browse the major web directories. Yahoo Directory, for example, has several categories where school reviews might be found. For example, you can browse the category: Regional > Countries > United Kingdom > Education > Primary and Secondary > Web Directories. The Open Directory (http://dmoz.org) is another useful web directory for finding school reviews in the United Kingdom.

If you do not find what you need browsing the directories, try conducting keyword searches on Google or Yahoo. Search for phrases like “find the best schools” or “school guides uk.” Another possibility is to search for blogs, forums and social networking sites that deal with education in the UK and participate in the discussions. Finding the best school is relatively easy using the tools available on the internet.

Note from James McKenzie: I hope that you have enjoyed reading this article and have found it valuable. You should now be armed with a good idea of where to start in your search for the best schools in the UK. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, tips or additional information that you may have.

James McKenzie writes on a number of subjects including; education, finding the best secondary schools, good schools guides, children's issues - amongst other things. Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspect of this article.

Article source: Expert Articles

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