Find-A-School UKThe definitive UK guide to finding an Independent UK Private School |
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Having decided on an appropriate number of schools to visit – this will depend on your available time and geographical situation – make appointments to view. My advice is to always see the school in operation and not just at an ‘Open Event’, where activities will be deliberately designed to impress. When making the appointment ask how long a tour should take and ensure that you will be able to see appropriate staff, Head of Music if that is your child’s forte, Head of Boarding etc. and always either the Deputy or preferably the Head. Once the practicalities are out of the way do your homework, prepare your questions and try to get a feel for the school. A good prospectus and website should help you. On the day try to arrive early. Were the map and directions accurate, is there a car parking problem, is the site accurately signposted? |
Once in the building, how do the children immediately impress you, how is the uniform and how is the fabric of the building? When you are welcomed, how is this achieved and how thorough is your tour? Try to see as much as you can and do not be afraid to ask anything of interest or concern. What are the class sizes? What are the qualifications of the staff? Are the children set or streamed? What you ‘take in’ will be as informative as the answers you amass to specific questions, so keep your eyes and ears open. If there are specific areas of interest to you; art, drama or sport, endeavour to watch a session and try to assess how focused the children are in their activities. Once you have seen all you wish to and met who you feel appropriate make your way to the car slowly. Is the school tidy, do the children seem happy when less supervised and how do you feel? When you arrive home try to make a few notes. If you are seeing 3 or 4 schools (which I would suggest) you will need to remember what makes each one different. < Back | Page 1 of 2 | Next > |
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