How can I find the best secondary schools in Hertfordshire?

Thought for the day: don't worry, be happy

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. Secondary schools have blue place-markers. Zoom in to have a better look at the schools near you. When you click on any of the markers you will see information about the school, including contact details, website, school profile, Ofsted reports and exam results. Draw up a list of all the secondary 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 to GCSE results:
The number shown is the percentage of pupils attaining five or more good GCSEs, from A* to C, and equivalents, at the end of Key Stage 4 including English and maths, in 2010. N/A means not available or not appropriate.
Herts average: 64.1 per cent. National average: 53.4 per cent.

Key to A/AS levels and equivalents:
This figure shows the average points per student of 16 to 18-year-olds at the end of advanced level study in the 2010 academic year. N/A means not available or not appropriate.
Herts average: 741.9. National average: 744.8. An A level Grade A is 270 points.

• You can also look at the secondary 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 Calculator 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 start working out which rule you'll be considered under. When you use the Admission Calculator and select a school, the oversubscription rules (or criteria, as they are also known) will appear under the map. Work through them starting with Number 1, and select the first one that is relevant for your child. That's the rule you will need to put into the Admission Calculator. You could find that you're applying under a different rule for each of your schools. To find out more about the types of schools available, click here.

• You may need to know the name of your closest Hertfordshire-maintained secondary school that's mixed-sex and non-faith. You may also need to know the name of your closest non-faith school that's mixed-sex or single-sex. If you're not sure, call Herts CC on 0300 123 4043.

• You may need to know which parish you live in so that you can work out if you live in the priority area. Your parish may be obvious, as it's basically the town or area you live in. If you're not sure, look on your council tax bill, or call Herts CC on 0300 123 4043. Then find out if you live in the school's priority area, by using the nifty tool at the very bottom of the page when you use the Admission Calculator.

5. Press calculate... and out pops the information showing whether you would have got a place in 2011.
You can read the latest Ofsted report and school profile by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. You can also see the school's GCSE and A level results, plus their contact details and website address.

6. Print out your results for future reference.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 until you've got print-outs of all the schools you're interested in.

8. Enjoy a soya latte 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 might not get any of your preferences... and trust us, that's not good news.

Actually, I wanted primary schools