Today I have a guest post that gives some advice on choosing the right school, something that we are considering at the moment with Dylan
I remember an instance last year when my friend’s daughter had to be admitted into a school and she was comically investigative about which school has to be chosen. When asked she told me something I would never forget. She said, “This is going to be the first introduction of my child to the outer world and I want that to be the best no matter what.”
A school is a place where the child is shaped into an individual and paves a path for his entire life. We bring to you few simple things to look for when you are choosing it.
First ensure that you plan and pay frequent visits to the school, check its classrooms, refreshment area, playground, computer room etc. Most of the schools have an open day for the prospective parents. Ensure you go for it. Check with other parents around. Get to know the quality of pupils. Talk to one or two of them. While you talk to them ensure that you do not ask them in front of the teachers. They will lie.
Second, check the notice boards for the notices about extra-curricular activities conducted by the school. Schools are not just for education but to also make sure that the child’s growth is holistic. Physical, educational, logical, emotional… Growth in every form is essential.
Third, surf the net for any reviews that parents might have put up for the school you are choosing for your child. Internet these days gives a wide variety of good and bad reviews about almost everything and although some of it probably is never true, it still helps in decision making. If there are too many negative reviews and hardly one or two good ones, it definitely calls for a problem and you may want to re-think on your decision.
Take your child to the school and check with him/her how he/she feels about it. Your child’s first gut instinct can most of the times be true because small children are smart that way. They know exactly where their heart feels good and sense negativity soon.
Schooling is going to be an integral part of your child for about 10-12 years and hence you want to make sure that you get the best for him/her. So once you choose a school, you would like to look for some good school products for your child. For some real good schooling stuff and discounts on them you may want to look into http://www.voucherbin.co.uk/.
