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What to look for in a good school?

Factors to consider when choosing a school that is good for your child

If you’ve begun the search for a good school for your child, then the chances are that you’re feeling overwhelmed because this decision has consequences that impact the life of your child as a successful adult. Yet, if you look at this decision in a pragmatic way, it will not seem so daunting.

Firstly, let’s try to understand what a good school is and what it does, so you know what to look for. Academicians and parent bodies have worked extensively on identifying the components & processes that are benchmarks of a good school. While its important to identify these key features in a school, it is equally necessary to create a custom checklist that includes the factors that are relevant to you and your child. Let’s see how we can do this-

Step 1- Make a list of common and need-specific criteria and categorize into:

Non-negotiable – which are an absolute must for the school to have/do.
Indifferent to – the presence/absence of these, does not impact your choice.
Desirable – which can tilt the balance in favor of a particular school.

Step 2-Collect all relevant information about these schools

Step 3-Evaluate the schools against your criteria of a good school and make an informed decision!

All schools teach but good schools learn.

Extensive In-Service Teacher Training programme

Good schools believe in creating a community of learners- not just for students, but for the teachers too. Pre-service teacher qualifications like B.Ed. do not adequately prepare teachers to create the conditions for engagement and learning amongst different types of students in the classroom. Regular, in-service professional development of teachers is necessary to ensure that they are equipped with all the necessary knowledge and skills to help their students learn better.

The school which invests time and effort continually in its teachers, to ensure that they are capable, updated, and reflective practitioners may be the school you are looking for!

All schools teach, but students at good schools learn

Individual Attention, small group tutorials

Every child learns differently. Whole class instructions in large groups may not reach out to every student. The school which empowers its teachers to give individual attention to its students through smaller class sizes and innovative teaching practices may be the school you are looking for!

All schools teach, but students at good schools learn how to read, so they can read to keep learning

Robust Reading/Literacy Programme

Reading and listening are key skills to succeed in life. The school which actively promotes reading and literacy through classroom reading practices, classroom libraries, reading time [ as opposed to study time] and reading goals may be the school you are looking for!

All schools teach, but students at good school excel academically

Provision for Competitive Exam Preparation

A good school has an atmosphere of high expectations. It empowers it students to learn, inspires them to set high goals for themselves and gives them tools to achieve those goals. Students at good schools can do better at competitive exams such as NTSE and JEE. The school which has innovative teaching learning practices and in- house preparation support for competitive exams may be the school you are looking for!

All schools teach, but students at good schools get opportunities to develop 21st century skills

Focus on developing 21st Century Skills

The new world requires new skills. Children need skills like adaptability, learnability, effective communication, problem solving, critical thinking to flourish in the future.

The school which actively and consciously works, beyond core academics and sports, to develop its students holistically for the 21st century, may be the school you are looking for!

All schools teach, but parents are actual partners at good schools
Transparent and Approachable School Management
Schools and parents have a common interest – the child. A good school involves parents in the learning journey of the child. A good school aims to enrich the teaching learning process, by involving parents in ideation and decision-making. Good schools create a community of learners by involving parents, teachers, school management and children.

A school which encourages parents to visit, is open to parents’ ideas and feedback may be the school you are looking for!

A sample checklist to find a good school [for a middle school child]

	Criteria
	Non negotiable
1	Distance from home
2	Board – CBSE/ Cambridge
3	English medium
4	Experiential learning approach
5	Usage of technology in teaching
6	Individual attention to students
7	Teacher student ratio is moderate
8	Facilities & importance to non-academic curricular areas: Music Theatre Visual Arts Sports like Basketball 21st Century Skills
9	Teachers with relevant qualifications
10	Extensive teacher training
11	Joyful learning
12	Recognition of students’ achievements
13	Safe & secure campus
14	School owned transport with verified staff
15	Preparation for Competitive exams
16	Approachability of the School Management
17	Reading Programme
	Desirable
18	International exposure
19	Community service program
20	Subject choices in senior classes
21	AC school transport
22	Good Board results

Go ahead. Change the parameters to make it your own checklist!

How to find a good school

You need on-ground information about all the schools you are considering. You can get this information

On the school website
Through
- Friends and family
- Neighbors
- Teachers working there
By visiting the schools
- Infrastructure availability
- Meeting school leaders & teachers
- Meeting current students

Stand in a hallway or the back of a few classes and you can very quickly find out if it’s a happy place – a joyful place – where kids work together and the relationship between students and teachers is warm and inspiring,’ he says. A good school is very joyful but also very rigorous. That combination of rigor and joy is very rare.
Dr Mark Reford

Conclusion- How to choose a good school

Armed with the knowledge of what a good school means and should offer, combined with the on – ground information about the schools you have identified, you can choose the best school for your child. Lastly, its always best to apply to a number of schools for admission in order to have a safety net.