Tips on choosing a school

1. Be clear about what you want
   Like almost everything in life, being clear about what you want improves your chances of successfully obtaining it, and this is no different in choosing a school, be it for yourself or for your children.

2. Time to plan
   You need to plan early so that you can apply on time, be aware of admissions procedures, waiting lists, and so on, and have sufficient time to research your opportunities. As a general rule you should be able to make your decisions at least a year beforehand. The longer you leave it the less opportunities you will have. Remember, it is not uncommon for schools or classes to be oversubscribed so it is an advantage to be early and prepared.

3. Define your preferences
   The best place to start is to determine your preferences, and the best way to do that is to ask yourself questions, and get your answers down on paper. You should apply this stage with a focus on the learning environment.

4. The learning environment
   The learning environment is not limited to academic achievement. It includes other considerations, such as safety, social opportunity, your ongoing development as a person, all of which may contribute to your academic progress. Surroundings which encourage a positive mental outlook, and which you or your child is happier or more comfortable in can only provide a healthier setting in which to learn, less impeded by any clutter.

5. Clarify your preferences
   Five subject headings you might find helpful in determining your preferences are:

   • Health & Safety
   • Facilities
   • Social Opportunities
   • Academic background
   • Convenience
   
   

6. Making comparisons
   By describing your preferences under these distinct classifications it enables you to more easily make logical comparisons between schools, and therefore make the right decision. Of course you don't have to use these headings, you can design your own. The important thing is that the results allow you to make comparisons, and consequently make an intelligent decision.

7. Turn preferences into questions
   Each of the preferences you decide upon in turn becomes a question, the status of which you need to establish from prospective schools.

8. Compensating factors
   Always keep in mind when researching that there may be compensating factors to consider, for instance you might want your child to have extra-curricular opportunities in dance or drama, but you may be able to meet these preferences another way, i.e. perhaps there is also a dance school nearby.

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9. Due diligence
   Lets' get back to our subject headings, and look at some of the preferences you might include under them, and how they in turn can be turned into your questions so you can apply a sufficient measure of due diligence on your choices.

10. Health & Safety.
    Your preferences and questions might be:

    Preference
    • To be safe at school.
    • To be safe on route to and from school.
    
    

    Now in order to meet these preferences the school will need to have certain policies, procedures or practices in place. Your first question to yourself should be "What needs to happen in order for my child to be safe at school?" This will lead you on to questions like the following

    Questions
    • What is the schools policy toward bullying?
    • Is it enforceable?
    • Are background checks undertaken on all school staff, including supply teachers?
    • Is there a policy on one to one contact between students and teachers?
    • Are there fire alarms, and are they maintained?
    • Is the school adequately insured?
    • Is there always a first aider on site?
    • Is the school, including the toilets, maintained in a clean, hygienic state.
    • Is there a "lollipop" person providing safe crossing outside the school?
    • What is the speed limit on the street outside the school?

    
    Some of these questions can be answered by just taking a wide eyed walk around, but remember for every question there may be either a compensating factor, or an opportunity for you to help in making the school a safer place.

11. Facilities.
    Your preferences and questions might be:

    Preference
    • To have the use and access of, for example, a running track.
    • To have a canteen providing a healthy choice of foods.
    
    Questions
    • What facilities are available for
      • Sports?
      • Arts, Music and Drama?
      • Computing and technology?
    • Are they maintained, up to date and in good condition?
    • Does the school have a canteen, and what types of meals does it provide?
      • Are there vegetarian options?
      • Is food prepared hygienically?
      • Is it subsidised?
        
        
12. Social Opportunities
    Your preferences may be
    • To have social opportunities, and the potential to make good friends
    • That the school be co-educational
    • To attend a school in keeping with a specific religious denomination
    
    Questions
    • Are there extra-curricular activities such as drama clubs, environmental clubs, book clubs etc?
    • What is the percentage split of male to female?
    • Is the school denominational?
    • How many students are there?
      
    
    Compensating factors
    • Is there a youth club nearby, or an amateur dramatic society, or a rowing club?
    • Does the school accept and respect students of my religious denomination?
      
      
13. Academic Background
    Your preferences may be
    • To have a good history of academic results
    • Good statistics on onward progress be it into higher education or the workforce.
    • A specific subject or language is taught.
    • Individual attention is available.
    
    Questions
    • What is the schools result performance?
    • How does it compare with other schools?
    • Is there a high teaching staff turnover or undue reliance on temporary substitutes?
    • What statistics are available about the onward movement of past pupils?
    • Is this subject taught?
    • What are the average class sizes?
    • What is the teacher / pupil ratio or the adult / pupil ratio?
    
    Compensating factors
    • What are the success stories of the school?
    • Could I use distance learning to study the subject?
      
      
14. Convenience
    Your preferences may be
    • The education is affordable
    • The school is within a certain distance.
    • The school provides boarding.
    
    Questions
    • Is it a public or private school?
    • Are there scholarships available?
    • Where is it situated?
    • What transport links connect it with the world?
    
    Compensating factors
    • Are there subsidies available, or forgivable loans?
    • Is there a school bus with collection route?
      
      

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15. Be organised
    That's an example of how you can identify what you want from a school and how to organise the information so that you can make comparisons and selections, but where do you get the information?

16. Sources of information
    There are many sources of information about schools, and your best plan is to balance the sources against each other, and obtain as much as you can when you're short listing.
    
    

    • Paperback school guides should be available at your local bookstore or library. These can range quite broadly in detail and in focus ranging from guides written by students for students to guides written by independent educational consultants.

    • Newspapers frequently feature special guides at various points in the academic calendar. They're generally included in the newspaper as a special insert you can pull out and keep.

    • Online guides provide a variable level of detail about schools, and have the added advantage of being able to run custom searches over a database to pinpoint your requirements. Most databases however will not include all the schools in an area, but it is a good starting point.

    • Educational Consultants can provide a professional, albeit fee paying service, to help you pick a school. The service differs depending on the consultant, and the scope of their business. It is useful to read their literature and be clear about what they are offering prior to using one.

    • Local Educational Authorities or government departments responsible for education within a defined area. Generally these come with good websites and resources for parents.

    • The school prospectus, website and literature.

    • The Head Teacher or Principal extend the main influence on the schools personality. Understanding their qualifications, background and plans for the school is essential to understanding the overall school environment.

    • Open Days are a great opportunity to wander around the school, see the facilities, meet the staff, and other parents. For open days the school is normally looking its best, so try to schedule a visit outside of the open day as well.

    • Other parents and students

17. Summary
    To summarise, be clear about your or your child's preferences, determine whether there are any compensating factors to consider, give yourself plenty of time to research and apply, obtain information from several sources, visit the school, and ask plenty of questions.