[PaulineN]

It really depends on the schools and your kids.

Go to some open days or just arrange a tour and apply for the private school/s you think you want your child to go to. Do the same with the public schools (probably won't be able to do this until the year before your child starts). This way you leave all your options open. As your child gets older and ready to start school you can then decide which school would suit him best and it's soemthing you may have to keep evaluating even after he starts.

+1
Then write a list of what you liked/disliked about each school.

I stressed about school choice for 2 years before ds started prep this year. In the end we went with our gut feeling of which school would suit ds best. So far at the start of term 2, we couldn't be happier. DS has gone from a shy boy who cried every day when I left him at daycare, to a boy who now runs off with his new friends and loves school.

[TheMuriels]

We started off this year in our local public school, which incidentally has a really good reputation, but we have found it to be too large and culturally not the right fit for our daughter or us. We now have her name on a waitlist for 2 private schools in the area.

[Natttmumm]

We have chosen a private school for our DD who starts next yr. We visited the school and the fit just felt right for her. We have visited a few public schools in the area (all large) which all have a good reputation and whilst we were happy with them they just didnt have the nuturing feel that the small private school does and on top we are out of area by a few streets so there is no guarantee we would get in there. We were so impressed with the private school that we feel the money is justified, although if I didnt have the money I would go with the public school and would have been happy too. I think it comes down to the money and the other options in the area. For us it also comes down to our child's personality and how we the school will be for her. We also went by what other parents from the school have said. We knew a few parents to speak with.

Go with your gut feel