How to choose a good school for your child

Every parent wants to give their child the best schooling and for this, they are ready to pay any amount. A good schooling from the very beginning can lead to a great success in the child’s career in the future. A school is a place where a child begins to learn formally. Choosing a school for your child is a very important and a difficult task too. It is important because choosing the school is the foundation of the child’s career. A good school will lay a good foundation for your child’s education. A good school will shape your child’s future. It will mould your child in a way to make him the best. It is a difficult task because there are many schools located near us and we do not know which the best school is. It is difficult to find the positive and negative points of all the schools which make all the more difficult to choose a good school. Choosing a good school may be difficult, but it is not impossible. Here are some tips and points to remember which will help you to choose a good school for your child.
Make a List: To choose a good school for your child you should know which all schools are near your place. Make a list of all the schools near you. This could be done by searching the internet about the school in your locality or by going on a drive and noting down the schools which you encounter in your way. The list should neither be too short or not be too long. Twenty schools in the list are fine. If the number of schools will be less then there will be less option to choose from and if the list is too long then it will create a lot of confusion.
Ask Others: Everyone has friends and relatives whose children are going to school. Ask them about the schools their children are studying in. Inquire about the pros and cons of the school. Als,o ask them if they are satisfied with the school or not. Asking the school representatives about the school is of no use because they will definitely quote cheesy lines to attract you. They will hide the negative points of the school. If you ask the parents whose children are studying in that school they will tell you the correct state of the school.
Make a Choice about the Curriculum: There are many education boards. CBSE and ICSE are the two major education boards in India. Along with them, there are different state boards also. All these boards have a different curriculum. The difficulty level of all the boards is different. The basics that will be taught will be different on all the boards. You should choose the board with the difficulty level which suits your child.
Visit the School: You cannot decide about the school while sitting at home. You have to go out and visit the school. When you visit the school, meet the principal and teachers of the school. Get to know about their qualification and about their nature. The teachers should be well qualified and should have vast knowledge about their subject in order to teach your child. The teachers should neither be too strict or too lenient. If the teachers are too strict, the child will be afraid to go to school. If the teachers are too lenient, they will not be able to control the child and will not be able to make them disciplined.
Calculate the Travelling Time: Traveling time plays a very important role in choosing a school. The school should be near your house. The travelling time or distance should be minimal. If the travelling will be quite large, then your child will get tired of travelling and would not be able to devote his time to studying when he reaches home. For an efficient schooling, try to minimize the travelling time.
Find out the School’s Achievement: Try to find out what the school has achieved in terms of board results, extra-curricular activities, sports competitions etc. the achievements will give you the brief idea of the school’s effectiveness in teaching and the all-round development of a child.
Size of the Class and Number of Teachers: Find out about the number of children in one class. The maximum number of students in one class should not be more than forty. The more is the number of students in a class the less individual attention is paid to the students. It becomes difficult for the teacher also to take care of all the students. The students who need special attention do not feel comfortable in such types of classrooms. Therefore, a classroom with the strength of twenty to forty is optimum. Less number of students creates limited discussion in the class.
Teaching Methodology: The teaching methodology should be such that it suits your child. Every child’s need is different. Some children feel comfortable to understand the theory that is they need a theoretical approach but some children need a practical approach. You have to make sure that the school you are choosing follows the perfect approach which will suit your child. There are some schools which give a practical session once in two weeks, once a week or once in three days. If your child needs a more practical approach, then chooses the schools which give practical classes once in three days. Otherwise, the school which gives practical classes once in two or one weeks is also good.
Extra-curricular Activities: Studies are not enough for the all-round development of the child. Extra-curricular activities are also important. The schools should organize various competitions in fields like art and craft, sports, singing, dancing etc. This will help in developing the competitive spirit in the students. Extracurricular activities are also important to the students who want to take a different career, like acting, dancing or sports.
Fee Structure: There will be many schools in a city. Each school has a different fee structure. To compare the fees of a different school, first of all,l see that what they are providing you in the fee you give them. There are some schools which charge more than other schools. These schools provide your child with stationery items and lunch whose price is included in the fees. But if the school is charging more and is not providing any such facility then it is not a good choice. If you feel that you do not want such facilities you can go for the schools which charge less. You have to think about your pocket also while choosing a school.
The Recess: There are some schools which do not have a break or recess in their time table. These schools are not at all a good choice. Children cannot study continuously for such a long time. They also need some refreshment in between. Therefore a recess is must in the timetable.
Homework: Every school gives homework. What matters is the amount of homework given to the students. If the school gives a lot of homework, the students will feel pressurized. They will find no time for playing or rest. But if the school will not at all give any homework, then some careless students who do not want to study will not at all study. The homework given to the students should be in a medium range.
Fame: A school which has a good name in the market is not necessarily good. Do not go with the fame. Do proper research on the school to find out if it is actually worth the fame. If yes, only then consider it for your child.
Types of the Classroom: In these days, there is a trend of modern classrooms. These classrooms are very beneficial for the students. They help in better understanding of the subject and makes learning more fun. If you have to choose in between two schools out of which one has a regular classroom and the other has a smart classroom, then go with the school with smart classrooms. This will definitely give your child a bright start in their schooling. It will also directly affect their result in a positive way.
Friend Circle: School is a totally new environment for your child. The child will find it difficult to make new friends or talk to other children at the first. This happens a lot when your child is shy. Then the child may start to feel lonely and will not want to go to school. So if you choose a school in which your child is already studying then he will not feel lonely and will not complain that he does not want to go to school.
Conclusion
Choosing a school is a difficult task but it can be made easy if we follow the tips mentioned above. Every child’s needs are different. So if you are thinking that the school which suits your first child will also suit your second child is not correct. You should know the brain development rate of your child and then decide what type of approach he wants he wants in his education and then select the school accordingly. You may also have to make a choice in between single-sex and co-ed schools. In terms of the curriculum and teaching, both the types of school may be equally good but the single-sex schools may create a feeling of shyness in your child which will grow even more when the child grows up. Co-ed schools will be better in this case. Make sure that you visit the school at least once and talk to the students at the school or the parents whose children are studying in the school. This will give you the actual information about the reputation of the school. The school authorities will tell only good things about the school but the truth will only be revealed if you talk to the students or parents of the students.