Schools such as Heathfield in Berkshire--"one of the few remaining girls' schools where every pupil is a boarder"--or Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire--"situated in sixty acres of parkland on the edge of the Cotswolds"--have paid for a profiled entry. Most are just listed geographically with contact details, size and fees charged so that you can compare what is available in any given area.

At the back are lists which highlight the schools featured in the guide offering, say, provision for dyslexia support or the teaching of English as a foreign language, or which have academic, music, sports, drama or other sorts of scholarships.

The Independent Schools Guide is aesthetically pleasing and uncomplicated to use. The language is clear and the layout logical and accessible. There is plenty of useful information both for first time buyers of independent education and for old hands. For various reasons not everyone, after all, wants to send his or her son or daughter back to the alma mater. This guide enables you to shop about. --Susan Elkin