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. Hertfordshire has been divided up into three areas, by Hertfordshire County Council (see above). Select the SchoolGuru map you need from the choices below. The map will open up on another page, so you can still see these instructions.

Secondary school map of East 1 Hertfordshire
Secondary school map of East 2 Hertfordshire
Secondary school map of West Hertfordshire

Got your map open? Secondary schools have blue place-markers. Scroll through the list of schools on the left. Alternatively, if you know the name of the school you want, go to 'Find...' (under 'Edit' in your menu bar). Type in the name of the school – and it will jump to it. Click on any school you're interested in. You can use the '+/-' feature at the top of the page to zoom in and explore the area around the school. Draw up a list of all the schools within a suitable distance from your house.

2. 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', a suggested route from your house, to the school, will appear on the map, in blue. The estimated distance will automatically appear in the Calculator.

Alternatively, do your own measurements and experiment with other routes. Here's how:

• You'll need a free Google Account – and then save any of the maps you're interested in ('Save to My Maps'). Select the distance measuring tool. You can then follow short cuts, cycle paths, etc, to work out your own distances. Once you've played around with this for a few minutes, you'll see how easy it is... promise! For more info on measuring, click here.

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. Alternatively, you may 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 01438 737500.

• You may need to know which parish you live in so that you can work out if you live in the priority area (if you're interested in a community school). 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 01438 737500. 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 on your chances of getting a place.
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 regret it later, as you risk not getting any of them.

Actually, I wanted primary schools

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