The top 3 factors to consider before choosing the right school for your child

After having numerous clients contact me with the big question of ‘Which school is right for my child?’ I think it is worthwhile sharing what I have encountered. Parents often struggle to choose the ‘right’ school (if there ever is one) and this often conjures up feelings of anguish, stress and a sense of the unknown. However, having several years of experience in the education field, here are my top three tips to avoid the panic and ensure that you choose the right school for your child:

1. Location, location, location – This is often the most neglected factor when it comes to choosing the right school. If you live in Harrow and decide to apply for Whitgift (London), you are looking at a minimum of 1 hour and 15 minutes and this doesn’t even take into account any traffic. Not only can this be a stressful journey for parents, but can often take its toll on the child who arrives at school fatigued and not in the mood to learn.
2. Whether or not your child can cope with the pressure – as we all know, not all children are the same, just as some children prefer football over music, some children can deal with pressure from teachers and constant mini-tests on a weekly basis, whilst other just breakdown in tears and begin to loathe the school and everything associated with it. Now this is not healthy, thus knowing whether your child enjoys dealing with pressure and always having to be compete academically with his/her peers is imperative when choosing the right school. Some schools are certainly more academically challenging than others.
3. The vibe and atmosphere you feel whilst visiting the school – one of the most important things I would suggest is to visit the school on Open Days. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only meet the teacher and pupils and ask questions, but it allows your child to soak in the atmosphere and helps them imagine how they would feel studying in the school for at least the next 5 years.

If you do have questions, do feel free to contact me. Working as a Senior Educational Consultant, I can happily point you in the right direction or answer any questions in regards to schools (with a key focus on private and grammar schools in the London area).