CHOOSING & APPLYING
hen it comes to a successful relocation, finding the right school is often ‘make or break’. Throw into the mix a new house, a new job, and even a new country, and just thinking about the to-do list becomes exhausting. However, careful planning and good advice can help to take the pain out of the process for assignees and their families.
W RESEARCH
First things first: parents need to roll up their sleeves and get down to some serious research. Casting the net wide to start with can help families to understand what they really want from a home and school, and what they would be prepared to compromise on.
“Parents should make sure they look for a school before they decide where to live,” advises Kim Burgess, external relations director at the British School of Brussels. Often, homes in the areas surrounding good schools – regardless of whether they are fee-paying or state-funded – can come with a hefty price tag, so it’s vital that families are realistic about what they can afford. Oversubscribed state schools in England will require families to live within their catchment area if they are to stand a chance of being offered a place. It’s important, therefore, to ensure that their chosen home is both affordable and falls within the designated area of their chosen school. Likewise, deciding between state schools, independent fee-paying schools, and an international school will depend on budget, as well as on other considerations, such as length of the assignment and the standard of education available in the area. When parents have settled on a budget and a
geographical area, they will need to create a clear picture of what is most important to them and their child. The first step is to prepare a wish list of the ingredients that will make up a perfect school – for example, proximity to home, availability of sports facilities, music or theatrical opportunities, or just good and consistent exam results.
Above: Dulwich College Singapore Keep Informed |
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Once they have established their wish list, it’s time for parents to start gathering prospectuses and brochures and browsing websites. At this point, it may be worth suggesting that they compile a spreadsheet of schools available to them and the information that can be gathered before visiting, including the facilities, the curriculum taught throughout the school, details of exam performance, the latest inspection rating, the pupil-to-teacher ratio, and the numbers, types and costs of extra-curricular classes.
Families will then be able very quickly to eliminate schools from the long list of those available to them and start to create a shortlist of those that appear to meet their child’s needs.
INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION “Choosing a school for your child is never an easy decision,” says Paul Keach, headteacher of the International School of Moscow. “In an international context, this can become even more of a challenge.”
When it comes to selecting an international school overseas, Andrew Wigford, managing director of Teachers International Consultancy, an organisation for international school recruitment, suggests that families may want to consider whether the school is a member of a respected organisation or accreditation group. “Many of these organisations have codes of practice and
standards that schools need to maintain,” Mr Wigford says. “It’s important to look for registered, accredited international schools to ensure the best learning support.” Membership of these groups can also offer students international networking opportunities. For example, the International School of Moscow is a member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) – a partnership which, says Paul Keach, allows it to participate in a wide range of events all over the world.
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