You want to give everything possible to your parent and that often means the best education that you can get your hands on. Whether you choose to send them to a private school or you’re picking out schools locally to visit to see how well they present themselves, there’s a lot of pressure as a parent to ensure the place you send your child too, is the best for education.
With that being said, there are a number of steps to consider when choosing the right school for your child. Here’s everything you should consider before making a decision.
For more on this topic, check out the full Education Options collection
What are the priorities?
Whether you’re shopping for a family car or looking for your next home, there is always a list of wants and needs. It’s important to look at defining your priorities when it comes to choosing the right school for your child.
For example, are you looking for a school that provides much in the way of extracurricular activities, that might encourage them to explore a variety of different career avenues or passions? This might be a deal breaker for some parents, whereas the academic focus and the style of teaching might be of upmost importance.
Identifying the priorities that you have as a parent is the first step to knowing exactly what you’re looking for when picking out the school for your child.
Get an idea of what schools are available and do your research
To help make the most out of your journey to finding the right school, get to grips with what’s available. Read the reviews of past and present peers, as well as what their parents think. This will give you a good indication of just how good – or bad – the school is amongst those who already attend the school.
Doing your research is important as it can identify the advantages and disadvantages to certain schools so that you don’t make the mistake of signing up to one that ultimately isn’t the best for your child’s educational needs.
Be sure to check the reports on the schools too in order to see what ratings they’re getting from the official, governing bodies.
Consider the three key areas of interest
There are three key areas of interest that will likely determine what type of school you end up going with. The first is academic performance. It’s a good idea to ask what academic results have been achieved by previous and current students when it comes to exams. The teaching quality and the resources available is also important.
The quality of teaching is perhaps one of the more important factors to consider, from their qualifications to the teaching methodologies that are shared when you’re going around these schools as part of their welcome days.
And finally, what sort of emotional support and wellbeing opportunites do they provide to the students? This is just as much as important as the educational studies they partake in. After all, this is a critical time in their development where there’s a lot of pressure on their shoulders. Having that support and services is something that is doesn’t go under-appreciated.
These three key areas should be mulled over as you go around each school. Be sure to take with you a checklist of your must-haves and wants to see which school comes out on top.
Think about the school run requirements
This is perhaps one of the biggest influences in your decision-making, although if you need to make it work, there are ways in which you can ensure the commute is more manageable.
The school runs are definitely something to think about because they’re going to impact the rest of the day. Whether you’re splitting the school run between yourself and your partner, or you’re doing it all on your own. How long do you want to commute to the school and back?
There’s also the option of international schools and offering this as an opportunity for your child if it’s appropriate. Of course, you won’t be expected to do the school run when your child is overseas, but again it’s something that needs consideration regardless.
Be sure to involve your kids in the decision-making
Finally, it’s important that you’re doing all of this with your child’s involvement. When it comes to the younger school entry, it might not be something they care much about but when you’re moving them to a school where some of their friends might go to the majority of the same, then this is something to ask your child about.
Have they made many friends at their current school? Do they have a personal preference when it comes to schools around the area? It’s always worth asking your child what they think because even though it’s ultimately something you’re responsible for as a parent, it’s the child that will also be influenced by what school you put them in.
It’s a good idea to sit down with your child and to discuss the options at length. Weighing up the pros and cons while also getting their opinion is going to make sure that you’re making a fair and reasonable decision based on the needs and wants of your child – and for you as a parent.
Conclusion to Choosing the Right School for Your Child
Finding the right school for your child is a big step in your role as a parent. There’s a lot of what if’s and fear of choosing the wrong one. Ultimately though, your child will make the most of their school experience regardless of where they go. It’s also up to them how much they choose to engage with the teaching and whether you need to provide additional support at home.
Again, as a parent, the teaching doesn’t just occur in school but it occurs in the home too. Not just the academic stuff but the life skills that they will need as they grow up into responsible adults.
Hopefully, this guide has offered you all you would need to make the right decision about your little one’s school adventures this year or in the near future, whenever that might be.
For more on this topic, check out the full Education Options collection
