Hindustan Times - C fore Top Schools Survey
2012
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
A guide fo
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f a road takes too many turns, the best of us get lost. Welcome to Hindustan Times’e-book on Top School Survey 2012, the most credible reference guide on schools. This annual survey, our fourth, done in collaboration with the research agency C fore, is an extensively researched educational product brought out every year that is conducted for Delhi and the National Capital Region with the objective of helping parents negotiate the maze-like, and somewhat confounding, process of choosing, applying and attempting to get their wards admitted to schools in the area. The reports that accompany the Top Ten rankings are published in Hindustan Times. But what is exclusive to the e-book is the ranking of schools vis -vis each of the 14 parameters that we grade schools on. For the first time, we have provided an overall ranking for the region -- one that encompasses schools in all of the Delhi-NCR area: the six zones in Delhi and the adjoining cities of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida. Our Top Schools Survey has also focussed on various issues that affect our schools in the region, be it the new Right to Education law, the plight of government schools or the increasing threat of cyber bullying in schools. That apart, our methodology, modified by our experience of four years, has been further sharpened to give you the best results. Of course, choosing a school for a child is ultimately the decision of parents and guardians and depends on a host of factors. Our aim in this endeavour is to provide you with well-researched qualitative as well as quantitative insights to make that task a bit easier. I n c a s e yo u ’ v e m i s s e d t h e o n g o i n g survey in Hindustan Times, log on to access the information on the e-book. And, as always, we would encourage you to let us know what you think of it. Your suggestions will help make our annual exercise more meaningful.
or young parents
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
TAKING EDUCATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL Abhijit Patnaik ■ abhijit.patnaik@hindustantimes.com
Lavish. Perhaps the one word that describes schools in Gurgaon best. They have used well the one thing Delhi’s older, more established schools don’t have — ample space. With corporate backing for many, infrastructure, it seems, has no limits. Smart classes, swimming pools, indoor golf courses, gyms, even spas — you name it, they have it. Students here have it good. The HT-C fore 2012 Top Schools Survey results recognise and reflect these excellent facilities. This year, unsurprisingly, The Shri Ram School (TSRS), Aravali, has topped the Gurgaon schools ranking, scoring the highest on the ‘sports’, ‘extra-curricular activities’ and ‘competence of teachers’ parameters, to name a few. Heritage School is a close second with the best ‘teacher care and development’ across schools in the city. The top ten has seen some significant changes from the 2011 list — Lotus Valley International and Delhi Public School (DPS), Sushant Lok are new in the top ten, both showing a marked improvement across parameters from last year’s survey. Summerfields has dropped out. Praharsh Joharey, a Class 12 student at TSRS, Aravali, explains why he likes his school. “Activities are centred around Indian culture. Students have a lot of responsibility,” he said. The Heritage School’s infrastructure is, once again, the best among schools, far ahead of the competition. Given their four basketball courts, design labs, automated library and wi-fi across campus, students are spoilt for choice. Where the top two schools lose out to the school ranked third, DAV Public School, Sector 14, is in the ‘value for money’ parameter. All these facilities don’t come cheap, it seems. DAV Schools are known to cater to middle-class parents
and generally have lower fee structures than other private schools, without compromising on teaching quality. Is there a danger of schools here turning into so-called ‘luxury schools’? “The real difference between schools is why they were opened. Was it to make money or were they opened with the thought of providing good education?” said Rupa Chakravarty, principal, Suncity School. One of Gurgaon’s new schools, Suncity offers a unique curriculum. This caters to its clientele well. “We have a multiple intelligence learning centre for kids, the only one of its kind in the world,” said Chakravarty. The parent community here is similar to what one sees across Gurgaon — highly educated, working in multi-national corporations. “Parents want quality. Many things are basic facilities now — IT labs are not luxuries anymore,” said Sudha Sahay, principal (senior school), TSRS, Aravali. “Money is not an issue for parents in the school, most are service class, they do not hesitate if they know it is going to provide the best education,” she added. The other big trend is of international schools in Gurgaon. Some schools, such as Suncity, offer international programmes such as the Cambridge International Examination and the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Many full-fledged international schools have also mushroomed around Delhi. “Many people from abroad have come back, they want an international curriculum, rather than rote learning. They want to promote creativity and research,” said Sudha Goyal, principal, Scottish High school, one such international school in Gurgaon. Luxury or not, international or domestic, students’ concerns remain the same. “I am worried about the grades since cut-offs are so high,” said Ankita Banerjee, a Class 12 student at TSRS, Aravali.
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top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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TOP SCHOOLS OF GURGAON
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The 2012 Hindustan Times-C fore Top Schools Survey gave scores to each school across 14 different parameters, from academic rigour to sports. Here is a list of schools ranked in the Top Ten in Gurgaon
THE SHRI RAM SCHOOL, ARAVALI
Nestled between the highrises in DLF City Phase-4, the school boasts of its children’s ability to think independently. It has topped in various categories, including ‘sports’, ‘extra-curricular activities’ and ‘competence of teachers’. www.tsrs.org
0124-4784300
R 1,78,200 per annum
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THE HERITAGE SCHOOL
Heritage has the highest score on the ‘infrastructure and facilities’, ‘teacher care and development’ and ‘innovative teaching’ parameters. The school invests a great deal in its teacher training programmes and has been one of the Top 10 schools since 2009.. www.theheritageschool.com
0124-2855124
R 1,18,212 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL, SECTOR 14
One of the oldest schools in Gurgaon, DAV Public School’s classrooms are equipped with ‘smart’ boards and audio-visual aids. It has topped the ‘academic rigour’ parameter once again, as well as ‘social accountability’ and ‘value for money’. www.dav14gurgaon.org
0124-2324070
R 82,600 per annum per annum
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SHIKSHANTAR SCHOOL
Through its inclusive, integrated model of special education, Shikshantar remains a Top-10 school this year as well. It has the highest score on the ‘individual attention to students’, ‘innovative teaching’, ‘life skills education’ parameters, among others. www.shikshantarschool.com
0124-4889100
R 1,81,452 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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SUNCITY SCHOOL
The school offers a choice of CBSE, Cambridge International Examination (CIE) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. It has topped ‘safety and hygiene’ and has the second highest score on ‘infrastructure and facilities’. www.suncityschool.in
0124-4845300
R 78,300 per annum
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DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, SECTOR 45
The school aims at holistic development, providing education through a blend of academics, sports and activities. It has the second highest ‘value for money’ score and does well on the ‘academic rigour’ and ‘competence of teachers’ parameters. www.dpsgurgaon.org
0124-4125800
R 1,20,690 per annum
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SALWAN PUBLIC SCHOOL, SECTOR 15
Through innovative learning methodology, capacity building and an ability-driven education system, the school is value-for-money. It does well on the ‘academic rigour’ and ‘individual attention to students’ parameters. www.salwangurgaon.org
0124-4886050
R 50,320 per annum
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AMITY INTERNATIONAL, SECTOR 46*
Students with learning difficulties are assisted and guided by competent counsellors. They have an excellent teacher-student ratio of 1:17. The school does well on the ‘academic rigour’, ‘safety and hygiene’, and ‘sports’ parameters. www.amity.edu
0124-3296998
Not available
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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LOTUS VALLEY INTERNATIONAL
The classrooms are equipped with teaching aids, and the school has a maths and language lab. It has the second highest ‘safety and hygiene’ score and does well on the ‘individual attention to students’ and ‘infrastructure and facilities’ parameters. www.lotusvalleygurgaon.com
0124-3290885
R 1,45,800 per annum
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10 BLUE BELLS, SECTOR 4
The school is a rare blend of tradition and modernity. It has maintained a good academic record and done well in the field of co-curricular activities. The school has good scores on the ‘academic rigour’ and ‘safety and hygiene’ parameters. www.bluebells.org
0124-4688688
R 57,120 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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10 DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, SUSHANT LOK
The school has excellent facilities, including a cricket pitch, basketball court, skating rink, language labs, open-air auditorium and state-ofthe-art computer and multimedia labs. It does well on the ‘value for money’ and ‘sports’ parameters. www.dpssl.net
0124-4041221
R 1, 17,650 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
THEY TOO MAKE THE GRADE... MANAV RACHNA INTERNATIONAL The school has a multiple intelligence- based International Primary Curriculum for junior students, a robotics programme, well-equipped labs, Smart Classes, a ‘Hops and toss’ area, semi-Olympic sized swimming pool, indoor and outdoor games facilities including tennis, basketball, football, skating, cricket, taekwondo, gymnastics, table tennis, pool, chess and horse riding.
BLUE BELLS PUBLIC SCHOOL Bluebells believes in holistic growth. The school that started with only nine students has soared to great heights. The school has seminar and activity halls, separate senior and junior libraries, a conference room, medical room, counsellor room with full-time services of a counsellor to provide behavioral and career counselling and well-equipped science, maths, english and computer labs.
COLONEL’S CENTRAL ACADEMY CCA School has completed 30 years in Gurgaon. It provides students a variety of sports options. Taking a page out of Kaun Banega Crorepati’s book, they have electronic voting pads for quiz competitions.The students are encouraged to participate in a wide choice of activities including dance, dramatics, music, gardening, electronics, science, nature and wildlife clubs etc.
They may not have made it to the Top Ten, but they hold as much promise as their crowned counterparts. Here is a list of other options
RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL The school is spread over 12 acres and boasts of a swimming pool as well as basketball, football, tennis, cricket and horse riding facilities. A host of clubs, such as the adventure club, music society, nature club, scientific society etc help students pursue various interests. They also have a play room to help younger students develop hand-eye co-ordination and enhance communication skills.
SUMMERFIELDS SCHOOL One of the older schools in Gurgaon, Summer Fields was established in 1987. It has three playgrounds and two auditoriums, including an open-air stage where various cultural events are held. Regular workshops for its teaching staff are conducted. Many co-curricular activities like games, music, dance, art, craft are actively pursued.
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4 5 2 1 6 7 3 11 8 9 10
3 2 6 1 4 7 5 9 11 8 9
7 3 4 6 1 7 4 7 2 10 11
2 4 1 6 8 3 5 10 11 8 6
1 2 7 4 3 6 4 11 10 8 9
Value for Money
4 2 7 1 3 8 6 9 5 11 9
Infrastructure and Facilities
3 2 8 1 5 7 6 8 4 10 11
Parental participation
1 2 3 5 4 5 8 10 11 7 8
Social Accountability
1 2 6 3 4 7 4 8 11 10 9
Safety and Hygiene
Innovative Teaching
2 9 1 10 8 3 6 5 11 3 6
Life Skills Education
Individual Attention to Students
2 1 3 4 6 7 5 9 7 10 11
Value System/ Integration
Sports
1 5 2 4 6 3 7 8 11 8 10
ECA
The Shri Ram School, Aravali The Heritage School DAV Public School, Sector 14 Shikshantar School Suncity School Delhi Public School, Sec 45 Salwan Public School, Sec 15 Amity International, Sec 46 Lotus Valley International Blue Bells Model School DPS Sushant Lok
Academic Rigour
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 10 10
Teacher Care and Development
NAME OF SCHOOL
Competence of Teachers
RANK
PARAMETER WISE RANKING OF GURGAON SCHOOLS
6 1 10 5 2 4 9 7 3 11 7
9 5 1 9 7 2 3 7 11 5 4
Nursery fee figures, provided to HT by the schools, are approximate. They include annual fee and development charges (transport fee is variable). For the total fee amount, please contact the schools. * These schools did not participate in the survey. Their scores are based on the perceptual survey conducted among parents and teachers as mentioned in the methodology. DISCLAIMER :The survey data is a copyright of HT Media Limited, any use of this survey data would lead to infringement of their copyright and may result in legal action against the Infringer.
METHODOLOGY The survey was conducted in three phases.In the first phase, schools in Noida,Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad were invited to provide information on academic and non- academic facilities, performance of students, profile of teachers etc. Sifting through this, research agency C fore shortlisted schools for the second round, in which a perceptual survey was carried out with a sample of about 500 parents and teachers in each city. They were asked to assess schools that they were aware of on a scale of 10 against various parameters. The parameters of the survey this year were finalised after taking feedback from educationists, teachers and parents. Results of the perceptual survey were combined with objective data from the first round to rank schools. In the third round, C fore researchers visited the schools to conduct an audit and finalise rankings. Perceptual data scores were extrapolated for schools whose objective data was not available