Selecting a School for Your Child

For Selecting a School for Your Child, careful planning is a must. Deciding a school for your child is very personal and could be very difficult. You should choose the school which fulfills the personality, strengths, needs, and interests of your child. The location of the school should be easy because the cost or difficulty of traveling to and from school also matters. The following article is having some important points for you to consider when you’re choosing a school for your child. Below you can find help in Selecting a School for Your Child.

Various choices of Schools

Charter Schools	Private Schools
Magnet Schools	Homeschools
Online Public Schools	Alternative Schools

Popular Streams/Boards of education followed by Indian schools

• ICSE – Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
• CBSE – Central Board of Secondary Education
• SSC – Secondary School Certificate
• IB – International Baccalaureate program
• CIE – Cambridge International Examinations

Check Also: Navodaya Vidyalaya Application Form

Basic things to look for in Selecting a School for Your Child

• Are you looking for Day or Boarding type of school?
• Which Gender-specific school among Co-Educational/ Only Boys/ Only Girls you prefer for your kid?
• Your annual budget you can spend on your child education fee?
• The teaching medium (English/ Hindi/ Regional Language) you can send your child to?
• The School Management Central Government/ Kendriya Vidyalaya/ Private Schools/ Local Body Schools do you prefer?

Basic features of a School

• Good teachers and staff
• Rigorous curriculum
• Busy, visible children
• Vibrant parent-teacher association (PTA)
• Parents welcomed and questions answered

Important facts and factors in Selecting a School for Your Child

• Class size: The teacher quality and working conditions would be more important but small class sizes can have a positive effect on children’s learning. The teachers should be well supported by other staff.
• Boys/ Girls/ Co-educational Schools: It’s up to you to choose which type of school is best for your child. The school’s quality of leadership, approach to teaching and teaching quality is more important.
• Culture or Philosophy of the School: There could be distinct cultures and teaching philosophies of the schools. Some schools have a strong sports ethic while others could follow a religious affiliation. Choose by considering what’s important to you and your child.

Things to do when you’ve selected the School

• Pay a visit to the school: If you’ve selected the school best fits for your child, the very important thing to do is to visit the school. See the classrooms for the cleanliness and what the learning environment looks like. Meet the faculty and staff and get a good idea of the expectations you have.
• Ask Questions: You should be having a number of questions to ask to the school management such as How the teachers train the child and take care of them, how is the behavior handled at the school and how much homework is given to students.
• Sit Down with the Principal: You can ask many questions to the school principal during your visit. The Principal should be open to meet with parents.
• Check Out a PTA Meeting: Collect the names and phone numbers of the teachers at the school to contact later. It would also be helpful to attend the PTA meetings.

Some important points to consider for Selecting a School for Your Child

• Start looking for the schools closest to your place of residence for safety perspective and to prevent your child from the repeated long journey which could provide discomfort.
• Choose a school which is cheaper but also give a comparable/better quality of education.
• The school should meet the highest standards of excellence and should have academic curriculum and moral standards.
• Extra-curricular activities play a massive part in shaping a child’s overall personality. The school should offer activities like outdoor games, art & craft, physical education, etc.
• The Teacher-to-Student Ratio should be maintained
• The campus should have a clean and hygienic school environment. The school should be equipped with a medical bay and staff for medical emergencies.