So
here you are – a parent who needs to make that almighty decision which could
shape your child’s future. You need to find a suitable school either to kick
off your son or daughter’s academic future or to move from one step of their academic
career to the next. Where do you begin? What do you look for? And where do you
look? What do you base your decision on?
To
find the correct school and academic environment, firstly you need to
understand what your child is like, where they would fit in best and where their
attributes and character would be most nourished and cultivated. You then need to ask yourself what you would
like for your child. Have you decided on which route to take? Private or State?
Co-ed or single sex? Faith or non-faith school? Which approach would you like
for your child? Nurturing and an academic hot-house? A large school or a cosy
small one? What about the facilities? Geographical location? Boarding or day
school? Is your child gifted in music or drama? Does your child require
learning support? Or are you simply starting out on this spiral staircase and
hoping each step is the correct one?
Here we will focus on Independent Schools – fee paying, private
establishments:
Finding
a school has always been compared to finding a house. It is an elimination
process and once you do your homework and walk into the right school for your
child and for you as a family, you will know! So now, practically, how do you
find THAT school?
There
are a number of ways to start your research and there are many resources to
help you through. An Education Adviser could be your first point of
call. He or she would meet with you and basically do your homework for you – a
little like an estate agent but the Education Adviser is commissioned by
you and not by the school. They are therefore not trying to ‘sell you’ any
particular school.
The
second way to approach this is by doing your research yourself. Once you have
decided that you would like to take the Independent Schools route, find
out which schools are within your reach financially and geographically. Make a
list and read up on each one. Look up reviews and Inspection reports. Find out
if there are any School Shows in your area or ones where schools you are
interested in may be exhibiting. It is always a good idea to visit such shows
because you get the chance to see as many schools as possible under one roof
and therefore, you gather all the information you need from prospectuses to
details of Open events and you are also able to chat to representatives from
the schools. Once you go home, you can browse through the literature you
collected and make arrangements to visit those you like the look of.
Open
events are vitally important and most schools hold one or two such events a
year. Some hold more and others hold none. Make a note of the dates and do try
to visit as many as you can. For those that do not have Open events, make an
appointment to have one to one visits.
But how do you prepare for such visits?
Rule
number one: Do not write off any school if you are not one hundred per cent
sure it would not be a possible choice for your child. Give every school a
chance. Go to Open events armed with research and questions. An Open event is a
chance for you to view the school, its facilities, be shown the best of the
school and be introduced to students and staff alike. Expect everything to
shine, everyone to be welcoming and behave immaculately. However, do try to
read between the lines. Students and staff will have been told and trained to
make sure every corner is tidy, uniform is neat, classrooms are glimmering, the
best work is on display and smiles are worn on every face! You will possibly be
shown around by the crème de la crème of the school. You will be expected to
ask questions and here will be your chance to dig deeper! Make sure you are
satisfied with every answer you receive. Note how students greet teachers. Are
they (the pupils) polite, respectful, happy? Do the teachers treat the pupils
in a friendly and encouraging manner? Ask the pupil showing you around key
questions:
·
Which subjects do they prefer and
which do they not and why? What are their teachers like?
·
Would they prefer their ‘worst’
subjects had they been taught be someone different?
·
How long have they been at the
school and how long do they intend to stay there for?
·
If they are leaving, why?
·
If they are staying when some
others are leaving, why are they staying?
Take
away as much information as you can and make sure you have met all the relevant
staff – from Principle or Head, to Heads of Departments and pupils. Make a note
of every detail down to the entrance of the school, the parking and how you
were greeted upon arrival to how they bid you goodbye.
So,
Open Day ticked off your list – what next? I always suggest and favour
visiting the school on a normal academic day. At this stage, eliminate the
schools you do not see your child fitting into and concentrate on the ones you
particularly like. Make an appointment to meet with the Head and to have a
personal tour of the school. Such a visit will help you see the school in
action and on a more natural level. You will get a feel of how a day at the
school actually unfolds. Once again, go prepared and ask all the questions you
would like answers to. Remember that you are the one making the choice. You are
about to entrust that school with your child and their future. You are asking
them to help you mould your son or your daughter and make them that well
rounded, happy person you wish them to be!
What do you look out for on a personal visit? Read on:
·
Make sure you meet the Head and
not just the Registrar or the Marketing Director.
·
Ask to speak to pupils - NOT the
house captains/head girls or head boys.
·
Ask to see ALL the facilities. If
they say 'we are sure you are not interested to see such and such at this
stage.' Say: 'YES, actually I would like to see it!'
·
Which subjects are
popular and where the best results are.
·
The
universities sixth-formers go on to and the courses they follow.
·
The
head - is he/she impressive? How do they interact with the pupils? Does he or
she know most of them by name?
·
If the school does not have a
senior section, ask which schools they feed into. If it does have a Senior
School, ask roughly how many stay and how many leave. Those that leave, why do
they leave and where do they go? If you are looking at a Pre-Prep school, ask
what they expect of their pupils and where do they aim to send them on to.
·
VITAL to ask about 'setting' -
when do they start setting the pupils? How many sets are in each subject. Which
subjects do they set them in?
·
At what age do they start
languages? Which languages do they offer?
·
Which sports and which schools do
they play against?
Armed
with a wealth of information, you will hopefully leave with a pretty good idea
on whether that particular school would be right for your child or not. What
about my son or my daughter, I hear you ask! What about what THEY would like?! Experience
has proved to us over the years that children (especially those of a younger
age) can be very impressionable. One of the most common marketing tips to
schools is to entice the children before the parents – make sure all the fun
stuff is out when a child visits, hand out fun stickers, get them to see the
playground in all its glory and make sure the child whole-heartedly says ‘Mum
and dad I love it here!’. My advice is to take your child to either the Open
event or the personal tour – not both! Ideally, if you have not made a
decision, do not take your child to a school more than once unless you are sure
in your head and heart that you are happy for them to get emotionally attached
to it. Once you feel closer to a school then, by all means, take your child
again and make sure they love it as much as you do! Remember that as much as we
should give responsibility to our children, some decisions should remain ours
to a large extent and we must not burden our children with them. Please be sure
of what you would like for your child before you put them in the driving seat.
Choosing
a school for your child can be very worrying and stressful. However, it is a
process which brings back great satisfaction and rewards. Do your homework;
invest time in finding out all you can about the possible schools on your list.
When in doubt ask, ask and ask again! Remember that you are the one
interviewing and investigating. Most of us as adults still get that feeling of
‘what have I done Sir/Miss?!’ when we sit in front of a Headmaster or
Headmistress but believe it or not, they want to welcome you and your child
into their school and offer you the best of their knowledge and education.
By
Suzie Oweiss
Director
of PS Education,
Specialists
in Education and Marketing
We offer a range of competitively
priced services to suit your individual needs from 30 minute advice sessions to
tailor made packages. Call us on 07976 602 810 or email
info@pseducation.co.uk www.pseducation.co.uk
