It's a fact of modern life - kids need to go to school. It used to be easy in the 'good old days' when they just went to the closest one. Now with catchment areas, different types of schools and learning systems and OFSTED reports to worry about, choosing the right school for your little one can be pretty daunting.
Luckily for me I had all this to worry about last year and finally settled on a lovely infant school (up to year 2) with a swimming pool. Un-luckily for me we moved house and now are having to think about changing schools again. So, I've made a list of all the things we need to think about before we make a decision. I wanted to share it because it's mainly things we've learnt since having a school-aged child!
Education - Obviously this is important, but not worth getting to worried about. Have a look at each potential school's OFSTED report but don't get too hung up on it. Look at enough and you'll soon realise they're pretty much all the same. 1's are probably private, 3's are to be avoided and 2's are what's left.
Food - Really important for us. All schools say they're 'Healthy Eating' schools these days, but ask to see the menu's for the whole year and you might discover a few oddities (note to Mrs Shildrake - tuna is NOT vegetarian) such as chips with everything, pizza every week, loads of pre-made frozen sludge and very little fresh fruit and veg.
Water - Everyone knows that hydrated kids concentrate better so check if your children are allowed to take their own water bottle in. If they're not find out if there's a water fountain nearby.
Toilets - Find out about the rules for the toilet. Some schools restrict kids from using the toilets at break times (seriously, our kid's school does!) which can be really distressing for the littler ones who are likely to be caught unawares. Also find out their policies for if your child has an accident at school so you aren't caught unawares!
Religion - Schools have a thing these days for something called 'Collective Worship'. At our current school I wasn't made aware of this until I went to an Easter assembly and heard the head-teacher lead the children in a prayer. I was shocked to see mine join in and even say amen at the end. I'm not against her learning about religion but I'm definitely not up for covert christian prayers. If it's something that's important to you make sure to ask a lot of questions about school policies.
Ages - Our kid goes to an infant school up to age seven, a junior school to age 11 and then on to high school. I think that's pretty good as younger kids can feel really intimidated around older ones and it gives the school an opportunity to really tailor the environment to that particular age group. You might be happier chucking yours into a primary school which goes right from five to eleven though. This noe's all about personal preference.
Have you got any other tips for finding a good school?
Great to get an idea of some of the things I'll need to think about. Unfortunately some of the things I'm not keen on there's no way of pulling the children out of unless you home educate which definitely isn't the way for us! I'm more concerned about secondary schools although mine's still got 2 and a bit years before I have to worry about primary school.
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