EDUCATION WHICH SCHOOL?
Choosing
the right school
Choosing the right school for a child is one of the hardest decisions a parent has to make. Sarah Edworthy suggests some key factors to consider when selecting the one that suits your child
W
hen it comes to choosing a prep and public school, parents have to wade
through a plethora of league tables, inspection reports, glossy prospectuses and weighty school guides. All this while trying to steer clear of enduring myths, outdated advice and the frankly jaundiced views of other parents whose child didn’t get in to a certain school. Often parents have set their heart
on a particular school. But even at the interview stage, school headmasters will impress upon ambitious parents that the question they should be asking is, where best will my child prosper educationally and emotionally? Picking a school is about appreciating your child’s potential as well as approving of a particular establishment.
Siblings: family school or fostering individual talents
While every child and situation is unique, there are some key decisions which can help parents narrow down the choice of schools. If keeping things straightforward is a priority, then check a school’s sibling policy. Sending siblings to the same school is easier for school runs, admin, uniforms and preserving brain space with fewer teachers’, school secretaries’ and fellow parents’ names to remember. Some parents, however, choose to emphasise individuality, for example sending a musical child to a cathedral choir
36 FIRST ELEVEN SUMMER 2010
school, an athletic child to one with great sports facilities or a dyslexic child to a more nurturing environment.
Boarding: day, fl exi or full boarding
Geography and family circumstances will narrow down the list considerably, as might religion if this is a priority. For families, especially those living in rural areas, one of the fi rst questions has to be whether boarding is an option. This is a huge topic for debate, but if you decide boarding isn’t ideal for your child, you need to decide what is an acceptable long-term, round-trip distance that you are prepared to travel every day. Perhaps you can consider a fl exi-boarding school, giving you and your child an occasional break from the daily commute. It is also a gentle way of introducing a little independence. Even if you opt for full or weekly
boarding, you will still have to collect your children and return them to school any number of times a term, and that’s before you have factored in Wednesday and Saturday afternoon sport matches, school plays and parents’ evenings. One parent who thought they had got rid of their children for the term told me that she felt she was forever at school – though the smile on her face made it clear she didn’t fi nd it such a hardship.
Feeder schools
Feeder schools are prep schools with links to specifi c public schools
so savvy parents who want their child to go to a particular school quickly become admirable forward- planners. Those with strong family links with a public school such as Eton, Winchester, Harrow or Radley can aim for known feeder schools such as Papplewick, Lambrook Haileybury, Cothill, Dragon, Westbourne House et al. Alternatively, register early with a school’s own junior school, eg St Martin’s for Ampleforth College. As one father explained, “If you
make it clear you are choosing a school because of its reputation of getting boys into the big public schools, then the [prep] school owes it to parents to start nurturing that aim from day one.”
Individual diff erences
Even schools like Eton, Harrow and Winchester will acknowledge that
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