# How to find a suitable school

## Three ways to find a school

### 1. Find a school you know

It's best to approach a school where you already have a contact, and where they know you well. If you have a child at a local school, that’s often the best place to start.

### 2. Find a school through someone you know&#x20;

If you don't have a child at a school, we recommend that you:

* Ask a friend, colleague or relative with a child to introduce you to their school
* Check if your work has a relationship with a local school

### 3. Find a school close to you

If you can't find a school through someone you know, we recommend you find a school close to your home or place of work and approach them directly. You can use the Gov.uk website to [f](https://www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables)[ind and compare schools](https://www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables).

Every school website should have an email address and phone number. We recommend sending an email, then following up with a phone call. Alternatively, you could call the school first and find out who is best to send an email too. Many schools will have a clubs coordinator.

## Making contact with a school

Once you you have a contact name, send a them a [short initial email](../email-templates/short-initial-email-to-the-school) to see if they're interested in hosting a Design Club at the school.&#x20;

Bear in mind that school staff are incredibly busy and receive many emails and requests every day. It's important to be very brief in your initial contact. If they say they are interested, send them a more [detailed second email](../email-templates/detailed-second-email-to-the-school).&#x20;

## When to make contact

Ideally you should make contact a good month _before_ you want to start your club. It's good to have time to build trust, sort out your [DBS check](../../general-information/safeguarding/how-to-get-a-dbs-check) and establish a good relationship.

However, if you decide you want to start a club around the start of term (January, April and September in England and Wales), it's always worth touching base with a local school. They may still be finalising their clubs programme and might possibly have a free slot.

Clubs usually start the second week of term.

