Research proves our point…

UK Government research paper: 'Parents' Experiences of the Process of Choosing a Secondary School'.

'Information sources used by parents The proportions using various information sources did not vary by entry cohort except in one respect discussed in section 2.4 below. Most analyses in this chapter combine the results for parents of children in the September 1999 entry cohort with those for the September 2000 entry cohort.

Visits to schools (78%) and talking to other parents (70%) were the most frequently cited sources of information.'

TES feature about a British Journal of Sociology of Education research article called 'The parents who heard it on the grapevine'.

'Many parents rely more on an informal grapevine than official information when choosing a school, researchers have found.

Stephen Ball of King's College London and Carol Vincent of the University of Warwick discovered some parents discount information from schools.

Ball and Vincent's study was based on interviews with 172 parents selecting a secondary school. Nearly all said they drew on the experiences of friends, neighbours and relatives.

Ball and Vincent concluded there was little evidence that parents are making rational market choices. Social and educational change has made them panicky.

Stories, rumour and gossip all figured in the process which can destroy a school's reputation. As one parent said: "I know a lot of parents whose kids go there . . . and I don't want her having GCSEs in how to sniff glue and roll joints."

Parents see the grapevine as particularly useful in providing information on behaviour. "I talked to anybody, not so much about what exam results were like as whether the children are happy, and things like discipline and behaviour, how much litter there is, the state of the toilets," one parent said. The research showed some try to ignore the grapevine and rely on their own instincts, others are sucked in almost against their will.

Middle-class parents tend to rely heavily on the grapevine while being aware of its fallibility. They understand the complexity of choosing a school and find the grapevine magnifies their anxiety. "It was a school gate nightmare, everybody was frantic," one said.

I heard it on the grapevine; "Hot" knowledge and school choice by Stephen J Ball and Carol Vincent'

University of Calgary report: 'Determinants of school choice'

'Parents were asked to indicate the top three kinds of information they used in making their decision about where to send their child. They were given 11 options and the opportunity to add their own. The top three sources of information used by all parents in selecting a school were talks with friends, neighbours, and other parents; talks with teachers, principals, and/or guidance counsellors; and visits to the school.

Research undertaken by the charity FamilyLives, on behalf of Pearson: 'A new conversation with parents: how can schools inform and listen in a digital age?'

“In practice though, this hard data is balanced against the word on the street, opinions of friends, neighbours and crucially their own personal impressions. League tables, test and exam results and inspections are only one part of a process which involves weighing up a complex range of published data, other evidence and opinions, their chances of success then lacing it with a large dose of gut instinct.”

“We did get a lot of information through other friends with older kids who have already been. That's very important. That's how you find out faster than anything else.” Mark, father of 3”