When it comes to getting the right education for your child, it’s always a good idea to take a closer look at all of your options. That being said, if you’re considering a private school for your child, you’ll want to keep in mind that just because a school is “private” doesn’t always necessarily mean that it offers what your child needs best. Furthermore, private schools aren’t exactly cheap either.
Rather than immediately settling for one, it’s important to visit other schools too; see what they offer and how things are being run at their institution. Try to talk with the school officials and convey your thoughts and questions in order to get a better idea of what the private school is going to be like for your child. Additionally, if you know anyone whose child goes to a certain school you’re considering then you might want to ask them for their opinions and experiences so far with the aforementioned institution.
That being said, what questions should you being asking in order to get the most important information which you can use as reference in your decision making? Here are some suggestions.
What is the school’s vision or philosophy?
While it may seem like a school’s vision or philosophy is just a bunch of fancy words brought together to make the school sound smart, that isn’t the case. Their vision and philosophy is essentially their reason behind offering education in the first place. It is how they view education itself—its nature, purpose, and importance in an individual’s life. It is also where they base their objectives from when it comes to teaching and the methods they implement with which they find best fulfils both their vision and philosophy. That being said, as parents, you’ll want to make sure that their values and beliefs align with yours too.
You’ll find that a school’s philosophy is often reflected in their mission statement and is carried out through a “strategic plan” which is exactly the school’s concrete plan towards achieving their mission. Do they implement hands-on learning or do they encourage exploratory learning? While none of these methods are inherently wrong, some of them may not be the best for your child, which is why it’s also an important factor to look out for.
You can start by learning about a school through their vision and mission statement. From there, you can ask questions for further elaboration.
What classes or programs do they offer that are different from other schools near the area?
Unlike public state schools, private schools on the other hand have the advantage of developing a specialized curriculum aside from the core curriculum which offers specific classes and programs that may not be offered in other schools or can be difficult to find elsewhere. Due to this, you’ll want to know if the school offers relevant programs that may be good for your child. Perhaps it aligns with their interests or hobbies which can further help them in developing their knowledge and skills in the said area.
What extracurricular activities do they offer?
In line with the second question, you’ll want to know what the extracurriculars they are offering aside from the main curriculum.
Extracurricular activities give your child a chance to learn outside of the classroom. Here they are able to build their relationships with other children and strengthen their social skills. Not only that, but it also helps to foster confidence in themselves and is another great way of encouraging them to explore their talents which they would not otherwise be able to do in a regular classroom setting.
Thus, when inquiring about extracurricular activities, you’ll want to consider the ones that may interest your child. For example, if your child is athletic then they may want to be in the school’s sports team, on the other hand if they’re into music and singing, they could join the school choir or band.
What are the school’s policies on safety?
Now in the time of the pandemic, learning more about the school’s safety policy is imperative especially since you’ll be entrusting your child under their care. Not only should you feel comfortable with how they handle various potential problems, but your child should feel safe in their premises as well.
In the interest of feeling at ease for your child’s safety, you’ll want to ask them about their protocols and standards in ensuring that the school is safe and in the event of emergencies, have the capability of responding to it efficiently. Moreover, with the danger of the virus still around, you may want to ask additional hygiene-related questions too such as: requirement of students wearing masks within the school, how frequently do they deep clean their facilities, etc.
How many students are there in a class and the ratio of student-to-teacher?
Class size often affects the quality of education that your child might be getting. Luckily, private schools usually have a smaller student-to-teacher ratio, which essentially means that in the event a student is having a hard time with the subject or lesson, the teacher can easily respond to their questions and will have more time to teach them one-on-one. In contrast, a class with many students may be hard for the teacher to keep up with and one-on-one teaching sessions would be difficult to do if the student is having trouble with the lesson.
How much is the tuition and what does it include?
Private schools aren’t exactly cheap as mentioned earlier, but they widely vary in tuition rates. You’re bound to find a good school with reasonable tuition. But there might be extra costs that aren’t included in the tuition, like textbooks, food, uniform, extracurricular activities, field trips, etc. You’ll want to know how much the yearly tuition is and the services that are included in it, especially if it's quite expensive. Apart from that, knowing what payment modes the school accepts can help you manage the tuition expenses better than just paying straight front up if you’re having financial difficulties.
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