Whether you’re moving to a new area, taking your child to a different secondary school, or for an entirely different reason, choosing the right school for your child shouldn’t feel like a chore. With the right research and planning, you can work towards finding the ideal school for your child with these top tips from a prep school in Hertfordshire.
Plan accordingly
You may hear a lot that parents are researching school 2 or 3 years ahead of time, and while it sounds like they’re being overly cautious it’s not a bad idea to do the same. If you’re looking to take your child to a private school it’s even more important to research early so that you know all of your options and so that your child has the chance to take a tour of the school, weigh up their choices and see what they’ll enjoy about the school.
Admission processes for school can also be a lot of preparation on your side to work towards, especially when the majority of independent schools request an aptitude test in some form. This gives you and your child plenty of time to work on these tests in preparation.
Study the local area
Look at where your child’s friends are going to school, or ask your neighbours and other parents from schools to gauge where they’ll be taking their child to school next. This gives you a lot to work with – you’ll find more honest opinions from parents you talk to than necessarily reading reviews online about schools.
Another thing to consider is the catchment area you’re in. If you’re looking at public schools your child will be limited to the schools they can attend unless you’re willing to travel and facilitate changes for your child. It makes a heap of difference if the school your child goes to is easy to reach by car or they can use local transport.
Thoroughly research online
While having parents’ opinions is important, you can also do a lot of research online to give yourself a rounded view. Read reviews online, see what other parents are saying about the school and see what the general consensus is.
More importantly, you should take a look at the performance reports and inspection reports for the school in the past few years. You want your child to succeed as best they can, which will be made clear in what independent reviews are saying about the school’s performance.
Trust your judgement
One thing to remind yourself of is that your child still has the opportunity to join another school if they find they don’t like the school they’re in. You know your child the best, and if you’re finding they’re struggling in the school you chose – don’t fret. There’s still time to move your child to a more suitable school and get them settled quite quickly. While you want to nail your decision without changing your child’s schedule so quickly, these things do happen. And your child won’t miss out on much work if that has to happen – make your decision swiftly and you can help your child with their transition to a new and happier school for them.
Leave a Reply