School is more than just a place where your child will gain an education. It’s a key part of their socialisation and the values that they will develop, so when choosing a school you will need to think carefully. Points to consider include the quality of education that your child will receive, convenience, as well as the opportunities and facilities available to them. We’ve teamed up with a private school in Surrey to create a brief checklist that you can use when exploring your options.
Single Sex Vs Co-Educational Schools
For many reasons, you may choose to send your child to a single sex school. According to research it can help remove the pressure to conform to gender stereotypes and allows children to be themselves and explore their interests freely. This is something we’ve seen in STEM which has historically been male dominated. In the presence of boys, girls are less likely to opt for subjects in the field as it doesn’t appear to be the right thing to do. The same is so for boys.
Contrary to this idea, there’s also the argument that being in the presence of the opposite gender can actually have a positive effect on children as there’s healthy competition and they can learn from one another. There are also the social skills that they will develop as they will learn how to interact with one another. Single sex schools recognise this point and work alongside opposite sex schools to provide opportunities for their pupils.
Boarding Vs Day School
This is another decision which will be individual to you and your needs. Boarding school allows for onsite attendance all throughout the term. Children can live on campus and gain a different experience entirely as they will be able to immerse themselves fully into school life and live amongst their peers. If you have reservations with the idea, there are a whole range of day schools that are just as outstanding in the level of care and education that they provide.
Quality of Education
For obvious reasons, you will need to take a look at the quality of education a school provides. This can be done in many different ways – gaining a consensus from other parents, reviewing school OFSTED reports and trustworthy reviews like those collected by The Good Schools Guide.
It’s not just about the school that’s the closest or has the best pass rate, it’s about a whole host of factors and you and your partner will need to think carefully about your stance on each of those mentioned above. We hope that this guide helps you in your school search. For more parenting content, feel free to have a look at my other posts.
