Primary schools provide the educational foundation that children need in later schooling years and throughout life. If you have a 5-year-old child, you are required to enroll them to start on their prep classes and proceed all the way to year 7 of primary education. Easier said than done, it's not always easy deciding where your child should start their academic learning from. To help you out, read on to see some important parameters that you can use to arrive at a final decision.
Private vs. Public
The decision to take your child to a public or private school mainly revolves around personal preferences or past observations. However, note that each private school is not exactly like the next, same with public schools. The management and performance differs with each one.
However, there are two factors you'll need to know about these two categories. One, public schools outnumber private schools by far. This means it's easier to get a place in the former than the latter. Two, private schools are naturally more expensive that public schools because public schools only require the voluntary annual levy which is quite a small amount.
Success rate of the school
The other thing to consider is how successful a school is. This can only be determined by its academic performance. Although it's not very easy to always find this out, you can use certain indicators. First, ask about the curriculum and find out which subjects are taught, and if there are any extras.
Then, evaluate the teacher-student ratio. You can find this out quite easily by entering a class and estimating the number of pupils in each class. In most cases, private schools have fewer pupils. This enables the teacher to offer more personalised attention to each one.
Also, ask the management what percentage of their pupils progresses to secondary schools after completing year 7.
Boarding or day school?
Another important consideration that should guide your search is accommodation. You are going to encounter day and boarding schools along the way. It's better if you decide which one you want to go with early on. Of course, pre-primary pupils are still too young to board. However, your child can join a boarding school from year 1 of primary or at any stage beyond that level. One factor to consider is whether your child is independent enough to board. The other is whether both of you can stand to be apart for the school term duration.
Remember that you can change schools later on for whatever reason. Your child does not have to stay in the school you chose all the way to year 7. You can switch schools in between due to factors like relocation, personal preferences, cost, performance or other reasons. Start comparing schools like Catholic Education Services and use these tips to narrow down to the most ideal options.
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