Primary Times North London Back to School 2018

Question time!
Struggling to decidewhich
secondaryschoolisbest?
We’vesummarised some of thekey questionsyou
shouldbeaskingduringyourresearch (and whotoask!)
What next if you’ve
made initial searches
and have drawn up
a shortlist of favoured secondary
schools, mostlikelybasedon
practical requirements such
as distance from home and
admission rules? Once you know
which exams pupil sit and have a
good idea of how they perform,
go astep further and start
making comparisons between the
schools using some sensible and
probing questions.
In the search for your child’s
secondary school, you’ll want
to dig far deeper than the
latest league table results and
the pages of aglossy school
brochure. Which is why we
wanted to help arm you with
some useful questions for when
you visit each school in person.
Be sure toask the same
questions consistently of each
school in order to stack the
responses up against each
other so that, by the end of the
exercise, you’ve a clear feeling
for which school strikes a chord
with you and your child.
To garner the most genuine
insight into each school, try to
organise your visit for a normal
school day (most schools will
accommodate this) and have
the confidence to ask some
very specific questions of the
people you meet. This way
you can bypass the rose-tinted
promotional image presented
to parents during school open
days and you’ll be better placed
to decide which school is best
able to help your child fulfil their
individual potential.
Here are some important
questions to ask every secondary
school on your shortlist:
WHATDOES THE SCHOOL
NEED TO DO TO IMPROVE
FURTHER?
Asking to hear about aschool’s
targets is asensible way to
get advanced warning about
aschool’s weaknesses. Even
‘Outstanding’ schools have
targets for further improvement
included in
their
Selectiontimeline
•31st October 2018 is the closing
date for completed applications
•1st March 2019 is ‘National
Offer Day’. Parents can log onto
their local authority’s website
to see their offer, after which
letters will be posted out.
How can Icontact mychild’s teachers
and how often will they contact me?
Ofsted reports. Visit reports.
ofsted.gov.uk to arm yourself
with background information
before each school visit.
Who to ask? The Head
IS CAREER GUIDANCE
ON OFFER TO PUPILS AS/
WHEN THEY WANT IT?
With access to advice on
possible career paths and higher
education options pupils can fuel
their passions, find inspiration
and make informed choices
throughout their secondary
school life.
Who to ask? Teachers and
pupils
HOW ARE BULLIES AND
BADLY-BEHAVED PUPILS
DISCIPLINED?
This question gives aschool
the opportunity to explain its
behaviour policy and the rules
it enforces on issues such as
banned items, lateness and
standards. Find out how
pupils who break the
rules are treated. For
example, is detention
imposed, are fights
physically broken
up and are pupils
removed from class.
A school’s approach
to bullying must also
be included in the
behaviour policy.
Who to ask? The
Head, teachers and
pupils
IS THERE A POSITIVE
SCHOOL SPIRIT AND CAN
PUPILS CONTRIBUTE TO
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY?
Apositive school spirit can add
greatly to achild’s education
and opportunities to volunteer
on community projects can help
them to develop valuable skills
and life experience. Stories of a
school’s contribution to their local
community (think charity initiatives,
environmental projects etc) are often
picked up and published by the local
media, so keep your eyes peeled.
Who to ask? The Head, pupils
and internet searches
Finally, don’t forget to ask your
child where they think they’d
be happiest. Perhaps the best
choice of secondary
school
jumps straight out to your child
based on their friends’ choices
or the facilities offered by certain
schools, for example, a swimming
pool or dance/performing arts
studios. Add their opinion to the
mix before weighing
up the benefits
of each school
and submitting
your selection
this October
31st.
Take the opportunity to see how
much information you’ll receive
from the school, beyond the
annual parents’ evening and
annual school reports, and how
much interaction with teachers
you’ll be expected or able to have.
Are urgent messages, such as
school closures communicated
via text or email? Could you
expect to see letters being sent
home with your child? Are parents
encouraged to email teachers
directly? And if so, under which
circumstances?
Who to ask?
The Head and teachers