I wanted a school that was as similar to my beliefs in learning as I could find. Initially I thought Steiner would suit that the most. But looking at it, it wouldn't have suited dd.
I also wanted a school where she wouldn't be bullied for who her dad was. He's a policeman here and many many of the local population come into contact with him/ his colleagues. So we had her booked into 2 private schools.
But when I visited, their schooling all seemed to involve religion, even the basic English and Maths type lessons. They were also highly competitive in terms of academia. Not how I think small children need to be encouraged into learning.
One also was lacking in an anti bullying policy, and insider knowledge showed me there was a problem with bullying there -not okay.
The teachers at the public school we chose are open, relaxed and friendly. The transition and now year 1 teacher is a huge believer in play based learning. There are anti bullying and buddy policies. It is a very community oriented school without being pushy.

The playground, ability to walk to school and art/music/language program's are an added bonus.