• Claires Court Schools is energetic, community minded and keen to combine breadth with a very live co-curricular offer. The school is warm, organised and outward looking.

• A strong Berkshire option for families who want an all-through day school with breadth, continuity and a less grandiose feel than some larger competitors. It should appeal to parents who want a practical, well-run family-school relationship.

Claires Court Schools' admissions process is polished, multi-entry and comfortable with families joining at many different points across a long all-through journey. The school feels well used to explaining how its structure works and how children move through the various stages.

Scholarships are clearly part of the offer, with awards framed as something that can run through to GCSE and then be revisited for sixth form. That gives the awards culture more substance than a one-off admissions flourish.

• The school does not publish bursary entry points, so families should ask directly.
• The school does not publish bursary award levels, so families should ask directly.
• Families should contact the school directly to ask whether any bursary, hardship support or discretionary fee assistance is available.

The overall picture is helped by a clear website, visible scholarship information and enough institutional footprint to make the school easier to assess than many similarly sized day schools. For a sizeable all-through school, that sort of visibility is reassuring.