As primary school interview season is right around the corner I found it necessary to write a blog about choosing a “good” primary school for your child.
A question that I am often asked is “Aunty Rachel, what is a good primary school for my child to attend?” While most persons expect me to name a random school, I am always led to have a full conversation so that they the parent will conclude at the end what’s best for their individual child.
The danger about asking any person if a particular school is “a good school” is that you are asking a person based on their perspective and not your own. Most importantly, is that there is a need for you to understand your child’s specific needs.
We need to evolve in the way we look at children’s development. That is to say, we are required to understand their learning styles and what works best for them. For instance, a child that is a visual learner, must see the principles being taught in order to learn. These children generally thrive in our school system as that is our general style of teaching.
With new principles of interactive learning and integrated classrooms being introduced, some parents with visual learning children may believe that this is the type of environment that they will like to expose their child to. But this system may not work for the visual learner, as a traditional classroom may be best as it provides much less distractions, i.e. a more focused approach to learning.
Kinaesthetic learners, those children that must actually participate in activities to learn, generally struggle in a traditional/ visual learning classroom as their style of learning requires them to be active. Sitting for long periods of time can make these type of children bored and they can become disruptive in the class room. It is believed that boys tend to be more kinaesthetic learners than girls.
Another important factor in choosing a school is the amount of yard space available. Understand that if your child is active, they need a big space to be able to run during the day to let off that energy. If you know your child personally to be one that is athletic or loves to move, then picking a school with limited play space may not be the best option, no matter how good the recommendations.
Other factors that you need to consider is the culture of the school; are they family based; are they performance driven, is there a good extra-curricular program, what are the teacher-student ratios, what are the disciplinary methods; what are their religious beliefs? These are all questions that should be asked before signing up your child.
Now I know there are people who still wish to know...”well, Aunty Rachel what is a good school?” My answer will be do your research. This research should start as soon as you are pregnant. Know your education plan for your child as it relates to the day care, preschool and primary school that you will like them to attend. Even know what Secondary schools that you may be looking at, to ensure that they are on a good path as it relates to primary school.
The second thing is to register them as early as is possible. There are some schools that require you to register the child the day they are born. That is not an exaggeration. The only way you will know this is by doing the research.
For those parents reading this who may feel it’s too late, start the research now. Most primary school registration periods fall during the year that the child is ready for transition. Have more than one option, go to more than one interview and make the choice that best suits your child, not you.
I hope that this helps you on your primary school journey and wish you a Happy and Successful Interview Season!!
A question that I am often asked is “Aunty Rachel, what is a good primary school for my child to attend?” While most persons expect me to name a random school, I am always led to have a full conversation so that they the parent will conclude at the end what’s best for their individual child.
The danger about asking any person if a particular school is “a good school” is that you are asking a person based on their perspective and not your own. Most importantly, is that there is a need for you to understand your child’s specific needs.
We need to evolve in the way we look at children’s development. That is to say, we are required to understand their learning styles and what works best for them. For instance, a child that is a visual learner, must see the principles being taught in order to learn. These children generally thrive in our school system as that is our general style of teaching.
With new principles of interactive learning and integrated classrooms being introduced, some parents with visual learning children may believe that this is the type of environment that they will like to expose their child to. But this system may not work for the visual learner, as a traditional classroom may be best as it provides much less distractions, i.e. a more focused approach to learning.
Kinaesthetic learners, those children that must actually participate in activities to learn, generally struggle in a traditional/ visual learning classroom as their style of learning requires them to be active. Sitting for long periods of time can make these type of children bored and they can become disruptive in the class room. It is believed that boys tend to be more kinaesthetic learners than girls.
Another important factor in choosing a school is the amount of yard space available. Understand that if your child is active, they need a big space to be able to run during the day to let off that energy. If you know your child personally to be one that is athletic or loves to move, then picking a school with limited play space may not be the best option, no matter how good the recommendations.
Other factors that you need to consider is the culture of the school; are they family based; are they performance driven, is there a good extra-curricular program, what are the teacher-student ratios, what are the disciplinary methods; what are their religious beliefs? These are all questions that should be asked before signing up your child.
Now I know there are people who still wish to know...”well, Aunty Rachel what is a good school?” My answer will be do your research. This research should start as soon as you are pregnant. Know your education plan for your child as it relates to the day care, preschool and primary school that you will like them to attend. Even know what Secondary schools that you may be looking at, to ensure that they are on a good path as it relates to primary school.
The second thing is to register them as early as is possible. There are some schools that require you to register the child the day they are born. That is not an exaggeration. The only way you will know this is by doing the research.
For those parents reading this who may feel it’s too late, start the research now. Most primary school registration periods fall during the year that the child is ready for transition. Have more than one option, go to more than one interview and make the choice that best suits your child, not you.
I hope that this helps you on your primary school journey and wish you a Happy and Successful Interview Season!!
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