collaborative guest post
Choosing a school for your child can be an overwhelming and stressful experience for parents, whether it’s their first school or they’re moving onto secondary. The trick is to plan and prepare and to weigh up all of your options. Consider how your decision will affect the family as a whole, not just your child.
Read on for some advice from an independent school in Somerset.
Consider your Priorities
Start by considering what’s important to you and your child. For instance, do you need to be within walking distance of the school or near a bus stop? Perhaps you would prefer the school to be located on route to your work, so that you can drop your child off on the way.
Does your child have any hobbies or special educational needs that you need the school to cater for?
Once you have a list of requirements you can start researching schools in the area and figure out which of your options are appropriate. To help ease the child into school, consider some fun and colourful back to school gifts for kids.
Check out the school websites
Browse the schools’ website and check out things like their curriculum, the extracurricular activities they provide, their pastoral care, and their previous inspection reports.
Shortlist your favourites and be sure to attend open days for each so that you can get a real feel for the school. During your visit be sure to ask plenty of questions and observe your surroundings to ensure your child will be safe and happy there. When talking to the teachers, consider whether or not they are friendly and approachable.
You should also try and chat to the current pupils and think about whether or not they seem happy and well adjusted. The experience should help you decide whether or not your child will fit in.
Be sure to consider your child’s thoughts and opinions before you make a final decision on what school they will attend. Although they are young, it’s important that they feel involved in the process. After all, they are the ones who will be spending most of the time there.
