Top Tips for Choosing a School for Your Child

 All parents will have to go through the process of choosing a school for their child, at least once. 

It can be a stressful experience because there are so many different things to think about; 

• What are the facilities like?  
• Did the school receive a good result in their previous inspection report?
•  Is the location convenient? 
• Where do they rank in the league tables? 

The list goes on. 

To help relieve some of this stress and offer you some guidance, I have teamed up with a prep school in Somerset. 

 

Start by discussing your priorities with the rest of the family, including your child, and then preparing a checklist. 

• Does the school need to be within walking distance of your home, or on route to your work? 
• Is your child keen on sport and therefore in need of decent sporting facilities? 

Once you have a list of your main requirements, you can start doing some research online and ruling out any schools that aren’t suitable. 

There will be photos of the facilities on the websites, along with things like previous exam results and Ofsted reports.

 

Once you have established a few favourites, you can start to visit the schools. There is no better way to determine whether or not it is right for your child than to have a look around and ask lots of questions. 

• Consider whether or not the current students seem happy and well adjusted. 
• Are they welcoming? 
• Think about whether or not the school feels safe and clean and ask the staff about their pastoral care. 

 

Your instincts will play a huge role in the decision, as you know your child better than anyone else. 

Do you think they are likely to fit in? 

Take them along to the open days and see how they respond to the environment and the people. 

You also shouldn’t be afraid to chat with your family and friends for some advice if you feel out of your depth. 

Hopefully, this helps a little when it comes to your time choosing a school for your little one.

**Collaborated post