Education Choosing The Right School
YOUR C N
As a new school year kicks off, First Eleven’s editor, Annabel Heseltine offers tips on how to choose the right school and Elaine Purves, head of a Girls’ Day School Trust school, and Henrietta Lightfoot of Badminton School argue the toss on day versus boarding
ot long ago, I was asked by the deputy head of a leading national independent school, what did I look for in a school? A myriad of
signposts kaleidoscoped through my mind – but there was no hesitation in my reply: I look at the children, and then at the teachers. If children are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, well-mannered, friendly, and happy, then the school is doing something right. If the teachers are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, well- mannered, friendly and happy then I suspect you have found a good school, But have you found the right one? Tere is an important difference between choosing a lovely school – most of them are – and choosing the right school for your child. Prep school heads know this and spend much of their time steering a tricky and delicate course between parents’ expectations and their child’s abilities. Most parents want the best for their children but interspersed between practical considerations can be emotional baggage, background and personal, and possibly unrealistic, aspirations, all of which have to be reconciled with the practical needs of a good all-rounded education. Choosing the right school isn’t just about academic and sporting ability. Other issues will inevitably come into play: geography, finance, your child’s abilities and character. Time and aspiration all need to be considered in the process of choosing the
30 FirstEleven Autumn 2011
right school for you and your family. Just as no child is the same, so you may well find that no school fits all. I know of families with five children in five different schools! No one can write a definitive guide to choosing the right school but as a mother of four children – all with very different needs, I can give you a few pointers. What are you paying for? Well, first and
foremost, independence. Fee-paying schools are individual. Tey do not have to stick to the syllabus and the political foibles of different Secretaries of State for Education. Te heads I have met are bright, confident individuals who know how to cherry pick the best from the curriculum and are not afraid to do so. Interviewing one prospective headmaster I asked (and this is always a question you should ask), how long was he planning on staying in the school (many will see their own children out) to be told that he didn’t think he could leave as he was almost certainly unemployable because not only did he not teach the syllabus, but he was also head of a boys’ boarding prep school and there are not many of those around. Te fact that he is now on the move – to another school under the same governing body – should not necessarily be considered a concern, but do try and meet
some of the teachers as well as the incoming headmaster or headmistress. Other immediate advantages of an independent education include class size, teachers and facilities, but above all, consider how these are being used. A smaller school may not be able to compete as well in the sporting arena, but for some children a cosier atmosphere may just be what they need to thrive. Do ask to meet children from the senior years – often a couple will show you around. Talk to them freely as they will almost always give you an honest answer. Finding the right school does get
We have our London
children and our
country children. We start them all at the beginning and within a year they have all caught up
more difficult as your child progresses up the education ladder. To begin with, it should be mostly about ease and practicality, but as a child grows and evolves, the task of finding the right school requires more commitment from the parents who will need to visit several to build up an impression of what they offer. Schools, too,
have changed and evolved. So start with what you
know, even if you think it might
not be right. If you yourself went to an independent school, go back and have another look. Children may relish going to the same school as their parent. Or not! You might start with a feeling that what was good enough for you may not be good
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