Complete Parents Guide to Private Schools (UK) by Educators

First Published 2016 – Electronic Edition

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Contents Creating Your Selection Criteria ........................................................................................ 4 1a - Self-Completion Personality Test to be Completed by Your Child............................... 5 1b - What Your Childâ&#x20AC;&#x;s Score Means ................................................................................. 8 2a - Child Needs/Wants Analysis to be Completed by Parent.......................................... 10 2b - Using your Answers to create a structured selection criteria ..................................... 13 Researching and Comparing Potential Schools ............................................................. 14 Official School Websites .................................................................................................. 15 Independent School Inspection Reports .......................................................................... 16 Get First Hand Accounts ................................................................................................. 22 Uncover Hidden Press Stories ......................................................................................... 24 Compare Key Performance Metrics ................................................................................. 27 Open Days and School Visitations .................................................................................. 28 Visitation Mentality........................................................................................................... 28 Preparing for a Visit ......................................................................................................... 28 Important Observations ................................................................................................... 29 Key Questions to Cut Through the Fluff ........................................................................... 32 Points to Seek Clarification On ........................................................................................ 34 Financially Planning for Private School .......................................................................... 36 Key Tips .......................................................................................................................... 36 Additional Costs .............................................................................................................. 36 Applying to the School of Your Choice .......................................................................... 37 Visitation.......................................................................................................................... 38 Application ....................................................................................................................... 38 Entrance Examination ..................................................................................................... 39 Interview .......................................................................................................................... 41 Decision .......................................................................................................................... 43

Creating Your Selection Criteria Before you start researching any school as a potential placement for your child, the first thing you have to identify is „what am I specifically looking for‟. Everyone wants the best school they can afford, although „best‟ means vastly different things to each family and child. You need to clearly identify what you want to achieve from your child‟s education and work backwards from there. If you have a clear goal in mind, then it is much easier to identify the criteria that your selection will be based on. A clear goal doesn‟t need to be something which is a tangible target such as „I want my son/daughter to get 3 A star grades in their A-Levels‟ or „I want my son/daughter to gain an arts/sports scholarship to a specific college/university‟. In most cases parental goals are more generalised and rounded. For example your core goal may be one of: a high focus on academic attainment, a nurturing staff-pupil support system, a high focus on activity based learning or a strong emphasis on moral/religious ethics. It is highly recommended by the majority of education consultants to spend as much time, if not more, creating your selection criteria than analysing potential schools.

In this section you will find the following: 1a. A self-completion personality test for your child. 1b. Using test results to understand what kind of learning environment might aid your child.

2a. A child-analysis questionnaire for parents. 2b. Using questionnaire results to create a structured selection criteria.

1a â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Self-Completion Personality Test to be Completed by Your Child.

1. When Do You Feel Your Best? A) In the Morning B) During the Afternoon or Early Evening C) Late at Night

2. You Usually Walk... A) Fairly fast, with long steps B) Fairly fast, with little steps C) Less fast paced, head up, looking the world in the face D) Less fast paced, head down E) Very slowly

3. When talking to people you... A) Stand with your arms folded B) Have your hands clasped C) Have one or both your hands on your hips D) Touch or approach the person to whom you are talking E) Play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with... A) Your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side B) Your legs crossed

C) Your legs stretched out or straight

D) One leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with... A) A big appreciated laugh B) A laugh, but not a loud one C) A quiet chuckle D) A sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you... A) Make a loud entrance so everyone notices you

B) Make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know

D) Make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted do you... A) Welcome the break B) Feel extremely irritated D) Vary between these two extremes

[Continued on next page]

8. Which of the following colours do you like most? A) Red or Orange B) Black C) Yellow or Light Blue D) Green E) Dark blue or purple F) White G) Brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep... A) Stretched out on your back B) Stretched out face down on your stomach C) On your side, slightly curled D) With your head on one arm E) With your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are... A) Falling B) Fighting or struggling C) Searching for something or somebody D) Flying or floating E) You usually have dreamless sleep F) Your dreams are always pleasant

Finished â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Please go to the next page to calculate your result.

Parents - Calculate Your Child‟s Points Score:

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

A 2 6 4 4 6 6 6 6 7 4

B 4 4 2 6 4 4 2 7 6 2

C 6 7 5 2 3 2 1 5 4 3

D -2 7 1 5 --4 2 5

E -1 6 ----3 1 6

F -------2 -1

G --------

Score

--Total⇩

1b - What Your Child’s Score Means

OVER 60 POINTS: As a potentially head-strong and domineering personality, the best school for your child should have a lot of scope for hierarchy and advancement. Your child likely has a lot of strong characteristics, is enthusiastic and not happy to simply plod along. Look for schools which have a prefect structure with many levels, lots of sporting competition and a high focus on recordable achievements. 51 TO 60 POINTS: It is likely that your child is a highly enthusiastic, impulsive character who would naturally be more of a leader in a group. They will be happy to try new things and enjoy lots of different experiences. Look for schools with a varied and interesting curriculum which should keep your child engaged. Extra-curricular activities will also be an important consideration. Try and find a school that offers more than just the standard sports and clubs. Things such as outdoor excursions, foreign student exchanges and adventure weekends are all available in private schools.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Your child is likely lively, charming, amusing and practical. Much of the same school suitability advice as in the 51-60 points section above holds true here. However a bit more grounding and stability is probably preferred, which is reflected in your child‟s more modest personality. As well as opportunities to excel in the presence of others, you may want to look for a school with individual-focused extracurricular activities to offer a more rounded choice. It is important to allow your child to work on selfdevelopment as well as being in a competitive environment. 31 TO 40 POINTS: Your child is likely to be quietly confident, someone who is respected by others but not seen as a „big personality‟ or a natural leader in a group. For this median group you should look for a school that doesn‟t push everyone for pole position dominance, but still acknowledges and encourages individual successes. Schemes such as the „Duke of Edinburgh‟ or „Youth Enterprise‟ can be an excellent channel for your child to develop through. 21 TO 30 POINTS: It is likely that your child enjoys and thrives in an environment that is very structured. They like to be in control of their surroundings and know what they‟re doing next. Your child may well be quieter and not overly interesting in being a stand out character in a crowd. Naturally you should look for a school which has a high level of organisation and structure to its lessons, timetables and extracurricular activities. This personality type thrives in boarding schools due to the scheduled nature of school life. UNDER 21 POINTS: It is likely that your child is shy, nervous, indecisive and perhaps needs more looking after than others. Your priority in terms of school choice should be ongoing pupil support and an empathetic and warm system for introducing new pupils. Look for schools that have a buddy system for new pupils. This really helps shy individuals integrate via a friendly peer who acts as their support for the first few weeks. You should also try and find a school which has dedicated 1-1 pupil catch ups with a „support teacher‟. This means that at regular intervals (usually twice a term), every pupil has a development meeting with their dedicated support teacher to discuss anything they wish.

2a – Child Needs/Wants Analysis to be Completed by Parent

1. If you could change only one thing about your child’s current school what would it be: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

2. Is it eseential that your child’s school teaches the national curriculum: Yes No

3. Do you want your child’s school peers to be: In the top percentage of academic intellect A mixed range of abilities

4. Do you want your child to attend a mixed gender school: Yes No – Single sex education

5. Would you consider a boarding school: Yes No

6. What sort of ethos would you like your child’s school to have: Religious Teaching Secular but conservative teachings Secular but modern teachings

7. How important are small class sizes to you: Very Moderately Not a Deciding Factor

8. Is having sizable grounds within the school’s boundary’s important to you: Yes No

9. Do you want an all-inclusive fee structure (i.e. textbooks, uniforms, after school clubs etc. included): Yes No

10. Is fee affordability a concern: Yes No

11. Is having top quality sports facilties and high performing school teams essential for your child: Yes No

12. Is having top quality drama/arts facilities such as a performance theatre or music studios essential: Yes No

13. Do you require a school with a forward-thinking technological program (i.e. teaches the latest in computing practices, key digital skills, often invests in classroom technology): Yes No

14. Tick any which would be important to your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extracurricular development: Organising charitable events and fundraising Enterprise or business experience Natural outdoor activities and skill building Cultural exchanges and trips abroad Competitive sporting tours/competitions Music groups tours/competitions School pupil council Combined cadet force

2b – Using your Answers to create a structured selection criteria

After completing the questionnaire above, you as a parent should have a clearer idea as to what is important in your school choice. Summarising your answers to the questions in 2a can be done by combining them into a quick paragraph or two to reference back to. This creates a succinct and clear outline of what you would like from your child‟s ideal school and it is recommended you do this.

Completed example: My child‟s school needs to teach the national curriculum and should have pupils with a mixed range of abilities. It should be a co-educational establishment which takes both day and boarding pupils. It must have small class sizes of under 12 pupils and should be conservative in its ethos and teachings, but not necessarily religious. Having expansive grounds is not a must-have and so it can be either an inner-city or rural school. Fee affordability is a concern and so annual day fees should not be more than £11,000 and this must be an all-inclusive figure. Sports/drama facilities are not overly important, but classroom technology is a deciding factor. The school should have various team/character building extra-curricular activties available such as the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme.

The above paragraph is constructed entirely from the answers to the questions for parents in 2a. Although the information hasn‟t changed, having it pieced together in front of you in actual sentences really changes the impact it has. This is a good reference point to come back to before making a final decision on any school, and it is recommended you complete this exercise.

Note: Combine your answers with the results of your child‟s personality test in 1a to create an overall selection criteria. Choosing a school should always be a decision which factors in both the child‟s and parent‟s preferences.

Researching and Comparing Potential Schools Now that you have clarified what it is you are looking for in a school, it is time to begin the research stage of your search. There are countless sources of information that you can use to base your decision on. The issue is that all of these sources are not equal, and as a busy parent you only have so much time on your hands. The purpose of this guide is to make choosing the right school an easy and efficient process. Therefore in this section you will learn how to cut through the fluff, find the right information and also access vital facts that are hidden from other who don‟t know how to research properly!

This section includes actionable information on:

What to pay attention to (and not) on schools‟ official websites.

How to lift the key facts independent inspection and Ofsted reports.

Find out first-hand accounts of teaching styles, headmaster influence and the school‟s real atmosphere without leaving your computer.

Uncover any negative (or positive) press about the school that would never show up on a “normal” Google search.

Easily compare key performance metrics between schools.

Official School Websites

The logical and first step for every school search should be the official school website. Although there are many trustworthy 3rd party sources of information, you can be sure the school‟s own site will be up to date. If you‟re looking for key facts such as tuition fees, contact details, activities etc. then you can 100% count on the school‟s own website. It is also great for getting an idea of the school facilities, grounds, buildings and sporting activities. However you should be aware that a school‟s own website is essentially a marketing/sales brochure. It is designed to present the school in as positive light as is possible, and won‟t even hint at any weak points. It isn‟t that every school will have glaring issues that they‟re covering up, but your attention will definitely be directed to the areas they wish to promote. Therefore don‟t discount school websites as a valid source of information, but use them as a starting point for your research.

Figure 1 - St Edward's Oxford School Website

Tip: Remember most private schools now employ a marketing officer, which means that official websites are more promotional than in previous years.

Independent School Inspection Reports

School inspection reports are a fantastic source of unbiased information and readily available to download online for free. Depending on the country/region you are looking at there are different inspecting bodies which conduct inspections. See a summary below: ISI – Independent Schools Inspectorate Ofsted – England HMIE – Scotland Estyn – Wales ETI – Northern Ireland

Understanding the Difference Between Reports Private schools can be inspected by the state or a 3rd party body such as the Independent Schools Inspectorate. It is important to understand the difference between these reports as the inspections and procedures behind them are different. ISI reports are less rigid and don‟t exactly follow an absolute structure like Ofsted reports do. The fact that a school can‟t actually fail an ISI report gives an indication of the difference in the mentality of this inspecting body. In an ISI report schools can be flagged for issues such as health and safety concerns which must be addressed, but not fail on the quality of teaching, pupil welfare etc. Having said that, ISI reports can make recommendations to „support continued improvement of quality‟. Therefore you will still be able to identify any areas of weakness an independent school has. It is important to note that private schools which are part of the ISC (Independent Schools Council) are inspected by the ISI, but all others are inspected by Ofsted or the Schools Inspection Service (SIS). Ofsted reports are much more structured and have definitive grading levels. Schools can and do explicitly fail Ofsted reports and the evaluation process is a lot more invasive.

Reading and Using Inspection Reports Independent Schools Inspectorate Each school is awarded a grade within a 4 point system, the individual grades are: 1 - „Excellent‟ 2 - „Good‟ 3 - „Sound‟ 4 - „Unsatisfactory‟

Both ISI and Ofsted reports work on a 4 tier grading system. However there are differences in the framework and judging criteria used to decide the quality of schooling beyond legal regulations. In general the ISI holds schools to a higher standard of performance both in academic and extracurricular activities, as is expected of the independent education sector.

What is included in an Independent Schools Inspectorate Report Integrated Inspection reports offer detailed assessments of a school. The report includes an introductory section on the characteristics of the school, such as its aims and ethos, age range, gender, cultural background, overall ability of pupils and whether they attend on a day or boarding basis. Integrated Inspection reports provide a full account of a school‟s provision, including qualitative judgements on pupils‟ achievements, the curriculum, teaching, pupils‟ personal development, pastoral care, welfare, health and safety, governance, leadership and management. Where applicable, these reports also include findings on boarding provision and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). They focus on outcomes for pupils in terms of their academic and extra-curricular achievement and their personal development. Source - ISI.net

What can an Integrated Inspection report tell me about a school? Integrated Inspection reports give a frank and objective overall account of a school‟s provision and outcomes for pupils, and a clear statement of whether the school meets the required government standards. It should indicate how well the education caters for pupils of different needs and abilities, how broad the education is, what the atmosphere of the school is like – in terms of the ethos, behaviour of pupils and relationships – and how well pupils are cared for.

As such they may play a role in helping you to choose a school for your child. However, reports are no substitute for a personal visit to the school to evaluate for yourself the extent to which you think it will suit the talents, character and needs of your own child. Our reports are not designed to provide a ranking or league table of schools. Source - ISI.net

What is included in an Intermediate Inspection report? Intermediate Inspection reports are published as a result of focused inspections for boarding welfare provision or registered Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) settings. These reports do not include information on a school's provision beyond that of the National Minimum Standards for Boarding or the requirements of the EYFS, whichever is applicable. Source - ISI.net

What is included in a Regulatory Compliance Inspection report? Regulatory Compliance Inspection reports provide a summary only of whether a school meets or does not meet the minimum standards required by the relevant regulation (Independent School Standards Regulations, National Minimum Standards and Early Years Foundation Stage statutory requirements as applicable). Source - ISI.net

Ofsted Each school is given an overall grading from 1 to 4, which is broken down into the following: 1- „Outstanding‟ 2 - „Good‟ 3 - „Requires Improvement‟ 4 - „Inadequate‟. The grade each school is given is also supplemented by a series of structured comments and suggestions by the inspector. This allows readers to delve into the specific areas that might need attention and make some all-important notes. When visiting a school on an open day or private tour you should look into these points you note down as a matter of further investigation. More on this in the next section. The overall grade is actually made up of four different areas which are analysed and aggregated to make up the final score. These are as follows:

Progress and Attainment of Pupils This section of the assessment pertains to examination results, pupil targets and how children in the school progress from one stage of their overall development to another. It also analyses how well the school is catering to pupils of different abilities and backgrounds, making sure everyone‟s education plan is maximised and not only the very top performers. Specifically inspectors are looking at: 

Pupils are making good progress towards meeting or exceeding the expected attainment for their age, as set out in the school‟s own curriculum and assessment policies.



Pupils are set challenging goals, given their starting points, and are making good progress towards meeting or exceeding these.

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Pupils are gaining and consolidating knowledge, understanding and skills.

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Pupils, including the most able, do work that deepens their knowledge, understanding and skills, rather than simply undertaking more work of the same difficulty or going on to study different content.

Quality of Teaching The quality of teaching grade is essentially the most important part of the report. No school can achieve an overall „outstanding‟ grade without getting the same grade in this section. Teachers have to be able to display the ability to cater to all pupil needs, handling a wide range of learning approaches and not only providing for the majority. Specifically inspectors are looking at: 

Teachers and other staff have consistently high expectations of what each pupil can achieve, including most able and disadvantaged pupils.

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Teachers and other staff have a secure understanding of the age group they are working with and have relevant subject knowledge that is detailed and communicated well to pupils.

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Assessment information is gathered from looking at what pupils already know, understand and can do, and is informed by their parents/previous providers as appropriate in the early years.



Assessment information is used to plan appropriate teaching and learning strategies, including identifying pupils who are falling behind in their learning or who need additional support, enabling pupils to make good progress and achieve well.

Behaviour and Safety of Pupils The behaviour aspect of this section is concerned primarily with the pupil/teacher attitude to lessons and learning. The safety aspect is heavily influenced by the occurrences of bullying and the pupils‟ sense of overall safety/welfare. Specifically schools are judged on the following by inspectors: 

The pupils‟ enthusiasm for knowledge and learning in a full classroom setting, in small groups and individually. It is also assessed whether the observed outcome is consistent between years, classes, subjects and teachers.



Behaviour and conduct of pupils out-with the classroom at break periods and whilst moving between lessons.

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The level of bullying at the school, how to school deals with cases of bullying and the pupils awareness and understanding of bullying and their tolerance towards is.

Quality of Leadership and Management This section analyses how effective the senior management team are at pretty much every level of schooling. This is one of the most all-encompassing sections of the report which looks at the following: 

The determination and drive of staff to promote excellence in education and motivate pupils to engage in learning as a passion and not a necessity.

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The focus of school leaders to ensure that all staff members are adequately trained, supported, have scope for development and are comfortable with the expectations set out for them. This is especially true in the case of newly qualified teachers.

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The level of focus on ensuring all pupils have the best possible chance of developing to the maximum of their potential, irrespective of their learning level.

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Procedures and systems in place for identifying children at risk. As well as the actions taken to prevent issues arising, and dealing with issues which do emerge.

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The level of financial stability and control of school resources. Inspectors look to see which control measures are in place to control the use, security and return on finances controlled by the school.

Further Resources – Ofsted Schools Inspection Handbook [PDF]

Get First Hand Accounts If you ask a school for references from current parents, you can be sure that they‟re only going to point you in the direction of those they know will give them a glowing review. These references at least let you know that there are parents who are willing to give the school a positive recommendation, which is definitely something. However it‟s not enough, you need to dig deeper to find out the full picture beyond inspection reports and screened references. One of the best ways to do this is to browse the website UK.RateMyTeachers.com.

Figure 2 - Rate My Teachers Logo

If you‟ve not heard of it before, „Rate My Teachers‟ is a website with no affiliation or connection to any schools, it allows pupils and parents to post reviews of school teachers (both positive and negative).

Useful Features: 

Aggregated scoring out of 5 for each school overall.



Percentage breakdown of how many reviews are in each star rating.

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Reviews by specific teacher with their department/position listed.

Tips for using „Rate My Teachers‟: 

Never Fully Trust an Isolated Review – They say there‟s no smoke without fire, and that is generally a truism when it comes to RateMyTeachers.com. However as with any review system you don‟t want to give too much credit to any one isolated review.

This could be a review left by a disgruntled pupil who has been disciplined (with good reason) by the teacher. Generally you‟ll only want to give weight to negative reviews if there at least 3 or more voicing the same concerns. 

Pay Attention to the Head Teacher – In addition to the overall aggregated review score one of the most revealing areas to inspect is reviews of the head teacher. The head is the single most important figure for shaping the school‟s ethos, values, quality of schooling, teaching style and direction of extracurricular activities. You‟ll quickly learn more about the day to day running of the school from here than you will from an open day or tour. Parents are usually most vocal about the school under reviews of the head teacher as they see it as an “umbrella” review. Therefore don‟t choose a school without checking this goldmine of an information source first. You‟ll be surprised what you can find!

Uncover Hidden Press Stories

Private and independent schools are often in their town/district‟s local press. Over the years you‟d be surprised how many stories can build up about a school from a local newspaper or website. Some of these stories (both good and bad) could have a huge influence on your decision as a conscientious parent. The problem is how do you uncover these? Usually if you search for a school in Google or other search engines you‟ll only get the very top level results such as the school‟s homepage, social media profiles, Wikipedia page etc. However buried deep within those results will be various local news articles about the school. See below for a trick to uncover them... Example Search – Albyn School Aberdeen 1. The first thing to do is find out newspapers in the local area, you‟re going to need the paper‟s exact website address. Therefore it‟s best to head over to Google and do a quick search and copy/paste any homepages of appropriate websites.

Figure 3 - A Google Search for Local Newspapers

2. You have now identified two dedicated websites of newspapers that cover exclusively Aberdeen news. With this information you can find all of the stories within them that relate to your „target‟ school that Google has ever known about. To do so search using the following formula in Google:

school name site:localnewspaper.co.uk Note: the site: and newspaper website must not have any spaces between it, do not include any http:// or www. – only the domain name itself.

Figure 4 - Search results using the special 'site:' command

As you can see from the highlighted results, there are several past issues which should cause concern for any parent considering enrolling their child at the school. Parents should read though news articles thoroughly to get the full context of any concerning story. Newspapers (even local ones) are often guilty of making a mountain out of a molehill just to create an eye-catching headline.

This process of using the site: search engine command should be repeated for all local papers you found in the first step. The more information you have the better, after all choosing your childâ&#x20AC;&#x;s school is one of the most important parenting decisions youâ&#x20AC;&#x;ll have to make.

Remember and not just stop at the first page of the search results, there are a lot of good sources of information buried deeper, but Google usually prioritises the newest articles first with this type of search. Alternatively you can change Google to show 100 results per page as below:

Figure 5 - Two Step Process for Expanding Number of Google Search Results

Compare Key Performance Metrics As with any form of research there are two sides to the coin; qualitative and quantitative data. So far this guide has only focused on how to gather qualitative data, which is information that canâ&#x20AC;&#x;t be specifically measured and easily compared like-for-like. However it is also a good idea to seek and gather statistical/quantitative data which allows a more direct comparison between schools. This is pretty much restricted to exam results, but fortunately a lot of this data is publicly available. Instead of manually gathering the results for each of your potential schools, it is easier to use a service which already holds and compares the data for you. Fortunately the Department for Education has put together a tool which does just that.

Visit - https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk This service allows you to search any school, find out their average exam results, see a comparison against the national average and also add multiple schools to a handy comparison tool.

Figure 6 - Gov Schools Comparison Service

Open Days and School Visitations Doing your own external research is very important, but it‟s absolutely vital to actually visit the school in person before making any decisions. Reports, reviews and stats are great indicators of what a school is like, but nothing actually replaces seeing the nuts and bolts of a school day in action. This section will help you know what to assess and keep an eye out for when visiting a school. Equally as important, this section will arm you will some revealing questions to ask which will cut through the fluff and give a truer account of the school.

Visitation Mentality When you are visiting your school, think of yourself as a detective trying to unravel a puzzle. All of the information you need to gain an accurate observation of the school is there, but it won‟t always be directly in front of you. You need to remember that the school knows you are coming and it will be the best it ever looks. Just like in preparation for an inspection visit from the ISI or Ofsted, schools put a lot of effort into polishing the place up and directing attention at only the best areas. It is highly recommended that if you do attend an open day you should also arrange your own second private visit. The reason for this is that you get to see the school in „working mode‟ rather than „presentation mode‟ and can often receive a more holistic perspective of operations.

Preparing for a Visit As with your child‟s school work and exams, you should follow the motto „fail to prepare, prepare to fail‟. Making sure you are prepared in advance of any school visitation is vital to ensuring you get the most out of it. Obviously every parent is different and there is no generic set of questions to ask or observations to make. Therefore it is recommended that you make your own preparation notes of what is important to you and your child in advance.

Take a look back over the first section in this guide which helped you create your perfect school criteria. This is a great point of reference for what you want to look out for when visiting a school. Additionally if there were any points of concern/interest from the school‟s last inspection report make a note of these as well and take them along with you. Lastly this may sound obvious, but remember to actually take a printed or written copy of your questions and criteria with you. It’s all too easy to have everything prepared in your head and then forget half your questions when you are being guided around.

Important Observations Split into various categories below are some of the key observations you‟ll want to make when visiting schools: Operations 

Sports are often a large part of life at independent schools, it‟s probable that your guide will show you the range of facilities they have available. Try and have a look at equipment usage timetables and pitch/field bookings. This will let you see whether it‟s just the „A Teams‟ that get usage time, or if pupils of all abilities are given equal access.



You should also see what clubs and societies are available out-with the school‟s sporting provisions. The sign of a genuinely decent private school is one that caters for all pupils‟ needs, and not just the most obvious/visible areas.

Facilities 

Has the school tour been access all areas? If not there may be areas of the school which are not as well maintained or developed. Make sure you have the freedom to view whatever you like.

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Is each pupil given a locker to put their possessions in? This is a small factor but one which can give a clue as to how much individual pupil welfare is catered for.

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What condition is the school generally in? Are the grounds well kept? Is the building in good condition? Are classrooms equipped with modern technology 29

or tired looking? - One of the most revealing areas you can inspect is the pupil toilets; the condition of these will give you a real insight as to how much the school values and cares for their students‟ comfort and wellbeing. - Look to see if you observe and graffiti around the school, either on desks or perhaps on lockers or walls. Children will often date their graffiti, if you spot a particularly old date it may indicate the building/furniture isn‟t that well cared for by the school. 

If boarding is a consideration for your child, you should look at the facilities as if you‟re looking for your own home. Meaning you‟ll know straight away if it is going to be a place your child would be comfortable in. - What is the distance between boarding houses and the main campus? - Do pupils stay in private rooms or part of a shared dorm? - Are there dedicated study areas in the boarding accommodation? - What personal possessions can children take with them? - What are the rules on phone calls back home, and is there Wi-Fi?

Behaviour and Attitude 

One of the most revealing signs of how the dynamic of the school works is to pay attention to the body language of pupils. Body language is one of the most revealing traits we have as humans and it‟s hard to mask. Are pupils genuinely enthusiastic when meeting a member of staff or is it more of a distanced respect? How do they interact with one another both in and outside the classroom? Do pupils seem exited to be at the school, or just excited to be with their friends?

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What is the attitude of pupils involved in the tour (if any are)? Do they seem to have a genuine enthusiasm for the school and answer any questions well, or are they more going off of scripted responses?

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Did you see pupils interacting during a lunch or break time? This is when they are most themselves and you can very easily gauge the general attitude and outlook of pupils at the school.

Staff & Teaching 

At lunchtimes do staff members all sit at one dedicated table or do they interact and mingle with students?

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Do teachers make a proactive effort to stimulate pupils, keep them engaged or simply teach the lesson?

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Does the head teacher seem genuinely interested in interacting with all members or staff and pupils in a grounded way, or are they more officious in nature?

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Do classrooms look like positive learning spaces i.e. are they cheerful, energetic and decorated appropriately?

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Is there a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) in place at the school and if so how regularly does it meet?

Key Questions to Cut Through the Fluff

Questions for the Head Teacher 

How long have you been headmaster, and do you intend to stay in your post? - This question can reveal if there are potential problems lying below the surface. If the headmaster has only been recently appointed the next question in the sequence should be asked.

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How long was the previous head before you in the position? - If you’re dealing with a relatively new head teacher, and it is revealed that the head teacher before them also had a short tenure proceed with caution.

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What is the staff turnover every year? - Anything over 30% staff turnover should ring major alarm bells.

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How many children have been excluded non-permanently in the past year? - This is a good question to ask, if the figure is over 10% of the school role there could be behavioural issues at the school.

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What kind of pupil is the school looking for? - Remember that searching for the right school is a two way process. The school might tick the boxes on paper, but the answer to this question can make you realise that in terms of culture/ethos it’s not a match.

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What are the qualifications of the majority of your teachers? - Although there will be some teachers in private schools without formal teaching qualifications you don’t want this to be the majority.

Questions for Teachers 

What are the rates of staff sickness like - are you having to cover a lot of lessons? - You’re more likely to get an honest answer from a teacher than the head on this matter. If there is a high volume of absence in their colleagues it could be a warning sign.

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Would you send your own children to this school? - You’re unlikely to get anything but a ‘Yes’ answer to this question, but what you’re looking for is a bit of hesitation or uneasy body language.

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How frequent are parents‟ evenings? - Ideally you’d want at least two structured parents evenings per year. However what you’re really looking for is the teacher to offer you extended feedback at any point during the school year - that’s the sign of a caring school.

Questions for Pupils As you go around an open day or visitation there should be ample opportunity to interact with and talk to current pupils. Asking them the following questions can yield some very revealing answers: 

What level are you currently working at, and what do you need to do to improve? - The pupil’s answer to this question should reveal how much structure there is to their learning targets. Ideally every pupil would know where they are currently at and what their advancement path/plan is to improve.

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What happens to bullies and badly behaved children in the school? - The pupil’s answer to this question will reveal how much of a problem behaviour is at the school. If they don’t have a clue then that’s great, there probably isn’t behaviour/bullying problems at the school.

 What subjects do you like or dislike and why is this? - Giving pupils the chance to highlight both the good and bad in their enjoyment of subjects can be very revealing about the spectrum of teaching abilities in the school.

Points to Seek Clarification On

There are several other points that you will want to address during your visit to the school. However these aren‟t necessarily cutting or aimed at trying to dig out additional information like the ones above. Nonetheless they are very important; please see a list of important points to check on before leaving the school: Tuition Costs - Most private schools publish their core tuition fee costs online or in prospectuses. However it is good practice to ask what this actually includes as it can vary wildly from one school to another. For example are books, uniforms and extracurricular activities included in the „headline‟ tuition fee cost? Scholarships and Bursaries - Although you‟ll likely be applying for entry to the school of your choice in a financially sound position things can change. It is a good idea to enquire about the availability of financial assistance. Should you fall on tough times, it‟s good to know that there is some temporary relief available rather than having to pull your child out mid-term.

Entrance Exam - A lot of independent schools have an entrance examination (definitely so if it is a highly academic focused school). You should enquire about the entry requirements and how much emphasis is placed on each element of the process i.e. exam, interview and references.

Academic Focus - Is the school focused on academic achievements in its primary goals, or does it focus on more holistic outcomes? Additionally what systems are in place to track performance and how are parents kept up to date?

Pupil Grouping - Are pupils grouped into classes based on their academic ability? If so is this done on a subject by subject basis or on a more generalised group across all classes?

Maximum Class Sizes - The number of pupils in a class has a huge impact on the learning outcomes and is a crucial issue for most parents. In core curriculum classes such as Maths and English the maximum class size should be 20, for additional subjects this should be significantly smaller.

Homework Policies - Are pupils heavily inundated with homework from the get-go, what format is homework given in and what are the expectations for independent study and learning?

Underperforming Pupils - What is the procedure for pupils who are underperforming and not reaching their expected grades? This is a crucial point which could separate two schools apart.

Disciplinary Policies - It is important to know how the school deals with disciplinary issues and what the level of parental involvement is. This is good to know for issues such as bullying and social exclusion.

Financially Planning for Private School Before applying for any school (and getting your child‟s hopes up) it is important to carefully plan out the finances of private schooling. If you can‟t afford it, or are using savings to finance the first term/year then it‟s a naive and potentially damaging move to apply. The last thing you want is for your child to get settled, enjoy a school only to be taken out for financial reasons a year or two later.

Key Tips 

Ask the school for the past 5 years fee charges, this way you will get a feel for what the average % rise in fees year on year is.

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Budget for the projected level of school fees when your child will finish using the numbers above, not now. If you can afford the projected final year fees now and are on a stable income then it‟s a good decision.

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Don‟t forget to budget in extra „hidden‟ costs above the base tuition fees.

Additional Costs       

Transport to and from school. Uniforms. Books and additional learning materials. Lunches. Sports equipment. School trips and after school clubs. Instrument tuition.

Applying to the School of Your Choice If you‟ve made it this far congratulations! You‟ve researched schools thoroughly, visited them, asked a variety of key questions and reviewed your finances. Now it‟s time to take the plunge and apply to the school of your choice. All schools follow a slightly different application process (which they‟ll detail to you with application packs on open days and visits). However the general structure of the application process is largely unchanging and is as below:

Visitation ↓ Application ↓ Examination ↓ Interview ↓ Decision

Visitation Although largely covered in the dedicated section for open days and school visits, there is another side to visiting a school. Present at any school tours (especially independently arranged visits) will be the school‟s admissions officer. As the individual responsible for making decisions on admissions, this person is keen to get to know all potential candidates. Therefore it‟s important to understand that you‟re not only sizing up the school, but the same thing is happening in reverse. No huge surprises here, the usual rules as to making a first impression hold true: 

Dress Well

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Be Polite

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Convey Your Enthusiasm

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Ask Questions

Application The application process again can change vastly from school to school, but there are some general rules of what will be expected. You will need:     

Key details on the applicant including nationality, date of birth, first language, support needs etc. Details of any siblings currently at the school. Contact details for your child‟s current school, including the headmaster‟s details. You child‟s current grade achievements or predicted grades. Parental details including occupation and income.

You may need:    

A parental statement A pupil statement Completion of a pupil questionnaire A character reference from a current teacher

Entrance Examination If the school you are applying for has a high focus on academic achievement it‟s guaranteed there will be an entrance examination. Exams for potential pupils are more the norm than the exception, so it‟s wise to prepare your child in this area. Independent schools typically use one of a two types of exam to vet applicants: 1. The Common Entrance Exam (CE) 2. An Exam Written and Set by Teachers Internally.

Preparing for Exams All of these exams can be prepared for, as they generally look to test the same areas of written skills, numeracy skills, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The best approach is to have a structured study plan in the lead up to your child actually taking the entrance exam. Have a week by week schedule which begins purely with revision and practice of the various modules. As the date of examination nears closer you should introduce practice exam papers, with the final stage being only timed practice under full examination conditions.

Exams Explained Common Entrance – This is a UK wide exam created exclusively for private schools by the ISEB (Independent School Examination Board). There are two broadly different versions of the exam, one for 11+ students and another for 13+ students. At 11+, Common Entrance consists of two English examinations, as well as an examination each in Mathematics and Science At 13+, Common Entrance consists of examinations in: Mathematics (three papers: a (listening) mental mathematics paper, plus written noncalculator and calculator) English (two papers), Latin, Classical Greek, Geography, History, Religious Studies | Plus Physics, Chemistry and Biology OR Science. In addition, there is a choice of four modern languages: French, German, Mandarin, Spanish, which are assessed via written, spoken and listening papers.

If your child is applying for a scholarship place they may be required to sit an even more advanced version of the exam, known as the Common Academic Scholarship (CAS).

Mock/Past Papers You can purchase mock exam papers for your child to practice before taking the real thing. This is absolutely invaluable as it will get him/her used to the format, timing and what is expected. Also these mock papers will usually coming with answers, or at least marking guidelines, so you can check performance and progress over time. As mentioned before, it is advisable to leave the use of these mock exams until later on in your study plan. Have your child learn the material first and not just the exam, this way they will be better prepared for both the exam and the later verbal interview.

Tutoring Many parents will invest in tutoring for their child before they sit an entrance exam. Tutoring can be a good idea even if you feel your child is already at the required level to pass. The reason being that the entrance exam contains elements of qualitative answers, which tutoring can help to shape and understand better. The practice papers do usually contain answers, but sometimes these are more marking guidelines which can make things tricky. A tutor can help provide a more accurate grading of practice papers. It is important to think of tutoring as an aid rather than a solution though. Schools are wise to the growing phenomenon of applicants being â&#x20AC;&#x17E;over-tutoredâ&#x20AC;&#x;. The application process is commonly being adapted to move away from aspects that can be rehearsed and taught because of the prevalence of tutoring.

Interview Applicants will usually undergo an interview after successfully reaching the school‟s pass grade in the examination. This can be the most stressful part of the application process, both for parents and children. Families often feel a heightened sense of pressure being „put under the spotlight‟. The truth is that every set of parents and children are in the exact same boat. Schools know this and most will do their best to make the interview process relaxed and pain free.

Background Information on Interviews For most schools the interview stage is an extension or follow-on from the exam that preceded it. As well as being a „getting to know you‟ session it will likely have structured sections on mathematics, verbal reasoning and comprehension. This process allows schools to gain further depth to their understanding of your child‟s cognitive abilities and learning approach. Having results on paper is great, but it doesn‟t necessarily mean that a child is gifted (or not as the case may be). Not all schools will have a heavily academic focus to their interviews, but if your chosen school does have an entrance exam expect at least some degree of this.

Preparing for Interviews The good news is that there isn‟t really a huge amount to prepare for admission interviews. Most of the answers you can‟t exactly „prepare‟ for, but there are certain things you can do to help get your child interview-ready. Make sure that both you and your child know plenty about the school itself. It will come across positive and enthusiastic that you know a lot about the institutions you‟re looking to join. It can also avoid any potential faux pas by asking glaringly obvious questions or making invalid assumptions. One helpful step you can take is to put your child in lots of new social situations to get them used to interacting outside their comfort zone. This doesn‟t have to be anything formal... Joining new sports teams, classes and clubs will get your son/daughter used to having to introduce themselves to new circles and being „under the microscope‟ so to speak.

Tips for ‘The Big Day’ 

Arrive for the interview with plenty of time to spare. This demonstrates to the school that you are reliable and punctual and also allows a little breathing space to calm down. The only caveat is not to arrive too early, this can cause your child to get overly nervous with by the long and looming wait.

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Make sure your child is dressed smartly, but ensure you choose something which they are comfortable in. A good suggestion is to have them wear their current school uniform as you can‟t go wrong with that.

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Have your child warmly greet the interviewer by name e.g. Good afternoon Mr Smith. You‟d be surprised how many children do not do this and it will help set you out from the crowd.

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Encourage your child to remain smiley, positive and maintain good eye contact throughout the interview.

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Allow your child to take something into the interview which helps them demonstrate their interests. This will help put them at ease and give them a point of reference when the question comes round.

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Have your child read the news the morning of the interview, sometimes interviewers will ask them what they know about current affairs.

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Be yourself - Interviewers can usually see through insincerity, it is better to present the best version of you and your child than a mediocre version of something you‟re not.

Decision

So youâ&#x20AC;&#x;ve made it through the whole application process for the private school(s) of your choice. Well done. Now itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s time to wait in anticipation and keep your fingers crossed. Good luck!