How can I find the best primary schools in Hertfordshire?

Primary schools - first, infant, middle and junior schools

1. First of all, let's check out schools near your house. Select your town from the map menu and the schools in your area will come up. Primary schools have red place-markers. Zoom in to get a better look at the schools in your area. When you click on any of the markers you will see information about each school, including contact details, website, school profile, Ofsted reports and exam results. Draw up a list of all the primary schools within a suitable distance from your house.

2. Are exam results important to you? You can view the most recent exam results when you click on a school's place-marker. Key stage 2 results refer to the percentage of pupils in a school that achieved Level 4 - the government benchmark for their age - in both maths and English, in the national curriculum tests known as Sats.

Guide to key stage 2 results:
Boycott = school that boycotted 2010 Sats
SS = small school
N/A = data not available or applicable in 2010.
Average score for Hertfordshire: 78. Average score for England: 73.

• You can also look at the primary league tables for Hertfordshire

Strike off any schools that don't make the grade (if that's important for you).

3. Now, it's time to work out how far away you live from the first school you're interested in. The easiest way is to use the Admission Calculator. Once you've selected a school, its location will pop up on the map below the Calculator. If you then put in your address (eg, 25 Sadleir Road, St Albans, AL1 2BL), and click, a little blue place marker will appear with a house logo. You can drag it, if you need to, until it pinpoints your house. When you press the button that says '...then calculate distance', the Caculator will estimate the distance from your house to the school (as the crow flies), and the route will appear on the map, in blue. The estimated distance will automatically appear in the Calculator.

4. We're now going to work out which rule you'll be considered under, if the school is oversubscribed. The rules will automatically appear under the map once you select a school using the Admission Calculator. Go through the rules, starting at 1, then 2, then 3 etc etc. Select the first rule that applies to your child. Put the rule number into the Admission Calculator. You could find that you're applying under a different rule for each of your schools. You can find out more about the types of school here.

5. Community and voluntary-controlled schools only. If you need to know the name of your closest community or voluntary-controlled school, to work out which rule you'll qualify under, call Herts CC on 0300 123 4043. Even if it seems obvious from the map, it's best to double check.

• Top tip: while you're waiting for a response from Herts CC, use Rule 6 in the Admission Calculator - if you're interested in the school, that's your worst case scenario.

6. You now have everything you need for the Admission Calculator. Pop in the info, press 'calculate' and you will get a school report, showing whether you would have got a place in 2011. You'll also see the latest Sats results, Ofsted report, the school profile, and the school's contact details and website address.

7. Print out your results for future reference.

8. Repeat until you've got print-outs of all the schools you're interested in.

9. Enjoy a cappuccino as you compare your results. Plan to visit as many schools as you can, to help you make your final selection. You can name three schools, in total, on your application form. Please, please include at least one 'safe' school in your preferences. Or you risk not getting any of your choices... and that's not a nice place to be.

Actually, I wanted secondary schools