Making an informed decision for your child involves thoroughly researching and evaluating various aspects of a school, including its academic reputation, teaching methods, extracurricular activities, student body, facilities, leadership, and overall culture.
By gathering information from multiple sources like websites, open days, tours, and conversations with current students and staff, you’re poised to make a well-considered choice that best suits your child’s needs.
The independent school sector educates 18 per cent of all enrolments nationwide, offering a huge variety of learning options and school choice based on values, community and culture. This is why it is important to be organised in advance to ensure the school selection process is as smooth as it can be. Choosing the right primary and secondary school is vital to a child’s future and selecting the right school is a decision that shouldn’t be rushed. After all, for children, school is as much about learning as it is about being part of the school community, having new experiences, participating in sports, clubs and extracurriculars, and making friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
To help with this decision-making process, we have compiled a list of important factors to consider when choosing the right school for your child.
Talk to your child
Before you go out to ask questions and obtain information on various schools, you first need to understand your child. When you consider a child’s unique personality traits, strengths and weaknesses, you can determine what a child’s individual learning needs are, and the specific things that a school must provide for your child so that they can learn effectively.
- What interests and hobbies do they enjoy?
- What particular skills do they have?
- What are their social needs and preferences?
Open days and school visits
Most schools hold at least one open day per year where you will be able to chat with the principal, teachers, students, as well as other parents and prospective parents. Many schools also offer opportunities for parents to visit during regular school hours. Although much of the information you need in order to make a decision can be found online or in brochures, there are some things, such as playground facilities that you may like to see in person.
School management and facilities
Consider the school’s vision, values and guiding principles that guide the staff and students. Ask about what the school has planned for its future. Do you get a sense that the school focuses on the future? Take note of whether the school seems well managed and how well the facilities are maintained.
- Is there a counsellor or nurse on-site?
- What unique facilities and resources does the school possess?
- What is the school’s computer policy?
- In what ways is technology used within the classroom?
- Is the school currently investing in new facilities that will be in use during your child’s education?
- Does it offer external campuses or a sister school?
School leadership and teachers
How invested a school’s teachers are plays a big role in how engaged students are and how successful they are on their academic pathway – whether that means getting good grades, building confidence, developing positive relationships, or fostering collaboration and teamwork within the classroom.
With ongoing teacher shortages and retention issues across the education sector, it’s important to look at whether school’s staff is comprised of committed and effective teachers. Examine teacher-student relationships. Look at the school’s teaching methods and determine whether these are aligned to your child’s talents, strengths and interests.
- Is there genuine warmth and respect between teachers and students?
- Do the teachers use different types of learning strategies such as auditory, visual and tactile?
- If your child has special learning needs, do you need a school with a remedial education program?
- Does the school provide aides and specialists such as speech pathologists, language and literacy experts?
- It’s also important to find out what the school principal is like because much of the school’s decision making will start with the leadership team.
- Are school leadership respected by students, teachers, parents/carers and the school community?
- Do they have good people management skills?
- Could they be considered a role model for the school’s students?
School is as much about learning as it is about being part of the school community. Image: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com
Academic curriculum and student life
As Australia’s population becomes increasingly diverse, technologies become more sophisticated, and the demands of the workplace more complex, independent schools are supplementing the national curriculum framework in a number of different ways. It’s important to consider the finer points of a school’s curriculum and the skills that its graduates are known for, and whether these are in line with your own child’s unique strengths and interests. Look at the admission and selection criteria of the school, and whether there are particular subjects where it records its best results.
- How does it rank against other schools in the area? Does the school tend to channel children into academic or vocational streams?
- What is the external reputation of the students? Is the school intellectually competitive? Will your child be sufficiently challenged?
- What are the school’s policies regarding gifted or special needs children?
- What proportion of students go on to study at university?
- Are students encouraged to become involved in leading the school?
- What are the class sizes? Is there a maximum number of students allowed in each class?
- Is the school co-ed or single sex? If co-ed, what is the gender balance of classes?
- Do you want your child to have access to community initiatives or overseas travel?
- What languages are offered by the school?
- How multicultural is the school?
- Are there peer-support programs to help new students fit in?
- What role does the school play in the local community?
- Are before or after-school programs available?
- How are positive, healthy relationships and friendships among students encouraged?
- Are the school’s religious and philosophical outlooks and practices the same as your child’s?
- How are morals and ethics taught within the school?
- What are the school’s rules? Are they clearly stated, positive and well enforced?
- How do teachers handle bullying? What is the school’s disciplinary policy?
Costs
A child’s education can amount to a significant financial investment over the course of their lifetime which can strain families’ resources if not planned carefully. There are some important financial considerations when choosing the right school for your child. Besides tuition fees, are there other course-related costs or extra-curricular costs that you may need to consider? Does the school offer financial assistance in the form of scholarships or bursaries and could your child qualify? Does the school facilitate a car-pooling program? Is the school’s location accessible by frequent public transport? Are there safe cycling roads on your route to the school?
The role of parents and carers
When it comes to making decisions, it’s important to be clear on how the school’s teachers interact with parents and carers to get them involved in their child’s educational experiences.
- Is there a Parent Teacher Association?
- How many parents are active? Are parents encouraged to get involved in helping to develop school policies?
- How will your child’s progress and assessment be reported to you?
- Is there a website to access lesson plans, progress reports and homework tasks?
- Do the co-curricular activities fit easily into your family’s routine?
- Does the school encourage parents to get involved in school excursions?
Trust your intuition
After gathering information, consider your gut feeling about the school and whether it aligns with your child’s needs and learning style. The ‘best’ school for your child is the one that provides them with a safe and secure environment where they can feel confident and comfortable being creative and curious, connect to their surroundings, socialise with peers, and pursue their interests. The right school is the one that will help your child to thrive and set them up for success in the future.
