If you are a new parent with a school-ready child, or have recently moved to a new city on transfer, you would be quite anxious about choosing the best school option for your child.
There are many factors that influence decision-making when it comes to identifying the right school for our kids. While there are many filters that can be used to zero in on the right school for your child, we have decided to make it easier for you by listing out the 7 most important things to look out for before finalizing your choice.
- Security:
Without a question, it is the onus of the parent to ensure that you check the school security system before enrolling your child. CCTV, security in the vans, pick up and drop off cards are some of the points that are best to be clarified at the school office before going ahead with any other questions.
- Distance:
In growing cities across the country, it is vital to select a school that is close to your home or workplace. This has multiple advantages – you can get there soon in case of an emergency; your child won’t waste too much time in travel; the proximity increases time spent at home for play or studies and it helps children be more independent at a younger age.
- Class strength:
Many schools in India encourage large class strengths. We have personally come across schools that have more than 70 students per class. This not only dilutes the teacher’s attention to every student, it also reduces the child’s interest in the class. We found that schools with no more than 35-40 students per class were better performers in terms of academics.
- Infrastructure:
While many schools in the city boast of state of the art infrastructure, it is wise to visit the school, classrooms and play area before making the decision. Just to narrow it down further, check if the school has a large play area that can cater to all kinds of sports and games. The school should have spacious classrooms with comfortable seating arrangements that would not cramp your child’s time there. The school should also have a stage, an A/V facility, subject labs, clean toilets, and most importantly a sick room in case of emergencies.
- Extracurricular activities:
Since school is where your kid will be spending a large amount of time during the day, it is important to pick a school that has options to choose from in terms of extracurricular activities. Some of the common activities you could check for are field trips for cementing classroom learning, dance, music, arts and crafts, sports, debate and public speaking and student clubs. Most schools brag about these options, but at the time of admission, it is best to casually glance through a display of winners and achievement around the school, which will give you a sense of the school’s attitude towards encouraging extracurricular activities.
- Consistence performance in academics and competitive events:
Knowledge of how the school has been faring in the fields of academics (Board results, academics related Olympiads and Govt. based events), as well as the performance and standing of the school in other school based activities like, inter school competitions, Distt./State / National level quizzes, sports meets, MUN, dance & music events – would give you fair idea of the schools efforts and focus on quality. The school should be maintaining or improving upon its performance over the years.
- Parent-Teacher Communication:
Communication between teachers and parents benefit both parties in several ways. Ensure that the school has a transparent, open, frequent system of communication with parents, through an app or vide email.
Most schools have now started employing several parent-teacher communication ideas such as PTAs, handbooks, and mobile phone communication to ensure a two-way communication between teachers and parents. Teachers learn more about the home environment of the child and the personality of the child which helps them meet the needs of the child more effectively. Parents benefit by getting more involved in the education of their children and by receiving ideas from teachers and the school on how to help and support their children.
Children also greatly benefit from regular communication between teachers and parents. They are more motivated in their work, they try to attend school more regularly, they show improved behaviour and they view homework and school in a more positive light.
Since teachers are experts in teaching and the parents know the child well, a collaboration between the two sets can most definitely result in a more holistic development of children.
