Penny Bysshe of the School Guidance Consultancy answers some FAQs about education in the region.

For relocating parents the North West is appealing for having many state and independent schools that offer a high standard of education. The trick for families lies in identifying which area in the North West provides the education that is best suited to your child.

What effect has the current economic climate had on the availability of schools places in the region?
The credit crunch is having an effect on the availability of school places in both the state and the independent sector in the North West. Some parents who educated their children privately up to the age of 11 are reluctant to commit themselves to paying fees for a further 7 years. Parents of young children are also reluctant to start on the road of paying fees and are opting to send their children to a good local state primary school. The result is an increase in the number of children applying for entry to a state school at the age of 5 and 11. On the other hand this has meant there are more places available at independent schools.

What is the quality of state education in the North West and how does it compare across the regions? 
The better performing schools are usually found outside the city centres, large towns and industrial areas. Trafford, south of the centre of Manchester is an area to which families gravitate to take advantage of the many good state primary schools and excellent state grammar schools. The schools are very over subscribed. Families looking for a grammar school education for their children are advised to move into the area before their children enter Year 6. The 11+ tests, or Entrance Examinations as they are referred to in Trafford, are usually taken at the individual schools during September the year before entry.

There are also a number of grammar schools in other regions of the North West, including the Wirral, Liverpool, Cheshire and Lancashire.

Children who are already of secondary school age can take an entrance test for a place at a grammar school. If they pass, a place is not guaranteed if the school is full. For a child who would not thrive in a grammar school environment it might be better to live in an area which has high performing, comprehensive secondary schools. Included in this list would be Lymm and Wilmslow in north Cheshire and Prestwich, Bury and Clitheroe (which also has a grammar school) to the north of Manchester. These areas not only have good primary and secondary schools but are also pleasant places in which to live. 

Is there anything HR/parents should be aware of when applying for places in state schools? How do the local education authorities operate?
Applying for a place at a state school can be a frustrating experience and is a minefield. It is a good idea to arm oneself with knowledge of how the application process works by downloading the Parents Guide to Admissions from the Local Authority’s website. Greater Manchester for example is divided into 10 Local Authorities: Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside, Stockport, Manchester, Salford and Trafford. Each area looks after the state schools in its area and runs its own admission department with its own rules.

The main entry points are the Reception Class (rising 5s) and Year 7 (11 year olds) for secondary schools. There are also some Infant (Nursery/Reception to Year 2) and Junior schools (Year 3 to Year 6) in the North West. Applications at the main points of entry have to be made through the local authority in which the family lives, in the autumn before school entry the following year. For an occasional place into a year outside a main point of entry, contact the Local Authority School Admissions Department. They will usually be able to tell you where the spaces are in the Community schools. To find out about occasional spaces in Voluntary Aided and Foundation schools contact the school directly. 

Once you have found a school with a place the aim is to find a home as close to the school as possible. Make sure that the address lies within the boundaries of the Local Authority which runs the school. This is particularly important if a family has a younger child who wants to join the school at a later date. 

What standard of private education is available in the North West?
There is a wealth of good independent schools in the North West. The good news is that their fees are less than for independent schools in the south of England and are considerably lower than London school fees. There are several independent schools that are confusingly called Grammar schools including Bury Grammar for boys and its namesake for girls, the Manchester Grammar School for boys and William Hulme’s Grammar School for boys and girls. There are good senior schools in Liverpool and the Wirral including Merchant Taylors’ School for boys and its namesake for girls, and Birkenhead School for boys. Good preparatory schools are too numerous to name. There is no substitute for visiting schools. If you meet the Head ask for an explanation of their vision for the school and what their plans are for its future. Be wary of a Head whose answer is concerned entirely with bricks and mortar. 

Is there good provision of schools offering the IB for international families moving to the region?
The IB Diploma programme is becoming an increasingly popular option in the 6th form. Calday Grange Grammar school, a high achieving state grammar school in the Wirral introduced the IB Diploma in 2008. Other state schools and colleges which offer it are Formby High School and Broad Green International School in Liverpool, Range High School in Merseyside and Loreto College in Manchester. Several other schools and colleges are planning to run it in the near future. In the independent sector Liverpool College for boys and girls age 3-18 offers the IB Diploma as does Rossall School in Fleetwood. Last year Rossall introduced the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) into their junior department for pupils up to age 11.

Are there any International Schools in the North West?
There are no American schools in the North West. Rossall School, a traditional independent day and boarding school for boys and girls age 2-18, set in a bracing location on the coast just north of Blackpool, is the nearest you will get to an international school in this area. It has been running the IB Diploma course very successfully for 10 years. The school also has an International Study Centre where foreign students can improve their English skills before moving into the main school or transferring to another one. 

What standard of Higher Education is on offer in the region?
For families with older children there are two good universities on the doorstep - the University of Manchester and the University of Liverpool. Liverpool University and Manchester both run the year Foundation Course for students who need to upgrade their skills and improve their English before embarking on a degree course. 

Is there good provision of schools that cater for children with Special Educational Needs?
For families who have a child with Special Educational Needs there are good special schools in many of the areas in the North West. When you have identified the school which has the right level of support for your child’s needs make sure you find a home that lies within the boundaries of the Local Authority which runs the school. The statementing process can take around 6 months to complete so it is best to get the process started as soon as possible.

Ultimately, for families moving to the North West or indeed anywhere in the UK, forward planning will pay dividends and will help to make a smoother transition for the child to the new school.

Penny Bysshe is director of the School Guidance Consultancy, which offers independent advice on education, school search, admission appeals and SEN. For more information please see www.school-guidance.co.uk or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .