Choosing a school is a big decision which could affect the rest of a child's life.

Andrea Calvesbert looks at the options if you want to put your child into private eduction.

For some people, their local school is ideal - but not all children have the same requirements. Questions such as what you and your child need from a school and the child's personality will govern which school is chosen. Some children thrive with more individual attention and a smaller class and if this is the case, many parents turn to an independent school to satisfy their requirements.

There are several independent schools around Worcester, Malvern and the Vale of Evesham which help make up the 2,300 independent schools nationwide.

The main difference between state schools and independent schools is that independent schools can set their own curriculum and admission criteria. They are also funded by fees paid by parents and income from investment rather than by the Government.

Standards in independent schools vary as much as they do in state schools so it is still important to visit and find out as much about the school as possible. In general though, independent schools often enjoy more facilities and better-equipped science laboratories, for example. Standards in the independent sector are monitored either by Ofsted or by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Fees vary greatly from around £500 per term in some day prep schools to over £8,000 per term for boarding at some secondary schools.

According to the Indendent Schools Council (ISC), there are, on average, 9.8 pupils for every teacher in ISC schools compared to an average of about 18 at state schools. It is often for this reason that parents choose an independent school feeling that they can offer better class discipline, more individual learning and therefore better exam results. For more information on independent schools see the ISC website at www.isc.co.uk or at www.direct.gov.uk