Choosing a private school

A checklist for you and your children

The following checklist is designed to help you choose an appropriate and reputable private school.

Does the school have a good reputation? Does it belong to any recognised body for private schools such as the Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools? How long has it been established? Is it financially stable?

Do you plan to send your children to a junior or senior private school only, or both?

Does the school have a good academic record? For example, what percentage of pupils obtain good examination passes or go on to good universities? What subjects do pupils do best in? All schools provide exam pass rate statistics. On the other hand, if your child isn’t exceptionally bright, you may prefer to send him to a school with less academic pressure (some students find the educational demands very stressful in some schools).

What does the curriculum include (a broad and well-balanced curriculum is best)? Ask to see a typical pupil timetable to check the ratio of academic to non-academic subjects. Check the number of free study periods and whether they’re supervised.

Do you wish to send your children to a single-sex or a co-educational school? Many children, particularly girls, make better progress without the distractions of the opposite sex (although their sex education may be neglected).

Day or boarding school? If you’re considering a day school, what are the school hours? Does the school provide transport for pupils to and from home? Many schools offer weekly boarding, allowing pupils to return home at weekends.

How many children attend the school and what is the average class size? What is the ratio of teachers to pupils? Are pupil numbers increasing or decreasing? Check that class sizes are in fact what it says they are in the prospectus. Has the number of pupils increased dramatically in the last few years (which could be a good or a bad sign)?

What are the qualification requirements for teachers? What nationality are the majority of teachers? What is the teacher turnover? A high teacher turnover is a bad sign and usually suggests under-paid teachers and poor working conditions.

What extras are you required to pay? For example, optional lessons (e.g. music, dancing and sports), lunches, art supplies, sports equipment, school trips, telephone calls, clothing (most schools have obligatory uniforms, which can be very expensive), insurance, textbooks and stationery. Most schools charge parents for every little thing.

Which countries do most students come from?

Is religion an important consideration in your choice of school? What is the religious bias of the school, if any?

Are special English classes provided for children whose English doesn’t meet the required standard? Usually, if a child is under nine years of age, it doesn’t matter if his English is weak. However, children over this age aren’t usually accepted unless they can read English fluently (as printed in textbooks for their age). Some schools provide intensive English tuition for foreign students.

If you’ve decided on a boarding school, what standard and type of accommodation is provided? What is the quality and variety of food provided? What is the dining room like? Does the school have a dietician?

What languages does the school teach as obligatory or optional subjects? Does the school have a language laboratory?

What is the student turnover?

What are the school terms and holiday periods? Private school holidays are usually much longer than state schools, e.g. four weeks at Easter and Christmas and ten weeks in the summer. They often don’t coincide with state school holiday periods.

If you’re considering a day school, what are the school hours?

What are the withdrawal conditions, should you need or wish to remove your child? A term’s notice is usual.

What examinations are set? In which subjects? How do they fit in with future education plans?

What sports instruction and facilities are provided?

What are the facilities for art and science subjects, for example arts and crafts, music, computer studies (how many computers?), science, hobbies, drama, cookery and photography?

What sort of outings and holidays does the school organise?

What medical facilities does the school provide, e.g. infirmary, resident doctor or nurse? Is health and accident insurance included in the fees?

What sort of discipline and punishments are imposed and are restrictions relaxed as children get older?

What reports are provided for parents and how often? How much contact does the school have with parents?

Last, but not least, unless someone else is paying, what are the fees?

Draw up a shortlist of possible schools and obtain a prospectus from each (some schools provide a video prospectus). If possible, obtain a copy of the school magazine. Before making a final choice, it’s important to visit the schools on your shortlist during term time and talk to teachers and students.

Where possible, check the answers to the above questions in person and don’t rely on a school’s prospectus to provide the information. If you’re unhappy with the answers, look elsewhere. Having made your choice, keep a check on your child’s progress, listen to his complaints and compare notes with other parents. If something doesn’t seem right, try to establish whether the complaint is founded or not, and if it is, take action to have the problem resolved.

Don’t forget that you’re paying a lot of money for your child’s education and you should expect value for money.

Further Information

There are a number of guides to private schools in the UK, including the The Independent Schools Guide (Gabbitas Educational Consultants), The Equitable Guide to Independent Schools (Trotman), which contains independent reports on over 520 private schools, and ISC Guide to Accredited Independent Schools, available free of charge from the Independent Schools Information Service (ISCIS), Grosvenor Gardens House, 35-37 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0BS, 020-7798 1500,www.iscis.uk.net ), a guide to over 1,400 boarding and day schools in the UK and Ireland for boys and girls aged 2 to 19.

ISCIS also organises an annual national exhibition of independent schools. Another excellent guide is the Independent Schools Yearbook edited by Judy Mott (A&C Black). It contains details of governing bodies, staff, admission, entrance examinations, scholarships and fees for major private secondary schools for boys and some preparatory schools.

In addition to private schools that follow a largely British curriculum, there are also American, international and foreign-language private schools.