To Choose Or Not To Choose

Choosing a school can be a nerve-wrecking process for parents

This will be an even more difficult ask this year as many schools are not able to welcome prospective parents to their campuses. There are though lots of other ways to find out about possible choices for your September.

A school’s website now is probably the primary way in which parents find out information about a school. Most websites are a mix of factual information and promotional material, and it is important when you are looking at a website to distinguish between the two. All schools will put a gloss on their activities, but you can read between the lines to get a feel for everyday life. It is worth having a look at the information pages first; they may seem dull in comparison to others, but this is where you can glean useful info. The staff list will tell you the qualifications of the staff and how many of them have a degree in the relevant subject; the academic pages will give you a clue as to how flexible the curriculum is. Will your child be able to study their interests or will they be forced into making narrow curriculum choices? Have a look at the news pages too. First of all, are they up to date? Regularly updated pages show the school takes its business seriously. The news page will give you a feel for the range of activities which go on at the school and also what is valued as important Have a look too at the departmental pages – the best ones will communicate the teachers’ love for their subject and passion for inspiring students; much better than simply list of exam specifications followed. Finally, is there input from then pupils themselves? Testimonies from them can be the most revealing and there is nothing better than hearing about the school from the children’s viewpoint.

Social media accounts fulfil a similar function but can be revealing too. Are there lots of different accounts for different subjects or activities. It is worth doing some digging around as they can reveal more than the main school account. It is not always the case, but lots of vibrant social media activity is a good indication of a vibrant department and school. Finding out what is going on in each department can help you piece together about what everyday life may be like at the school. Again, how involved are the pupils with those accounts? Pupils are often much more social media savvy, so you can learn a lot from following them.

Some schools are offering virtual open days. How interactive and flexible they are can speak volumes too. Is the “open morning” simply a school video on YouTube or is it more interactive? How much opportunity does the event give you to hear from, and speak to, the staff and pupils?

Word of mouth of course is the most powerful influence on why people choose a particular school, and it is the kind of marketing money cannot buy. Talk to as many people as you can about potential schools. You will receive a spectrum of opinion – some very positive and some less so. The key is to take the rough with the smooth and use each individual view as a piece with which to build the larger jigsaw. Nowhere is perfect and different people want different things from the same institution. Try to talk to the children themselves; they are unflinchingly honest about their schools, whilst still been unswervingly loyal. It is a difficult time to get under the skin of a school so use the information wisely and good luck!