Picking the Best School

One question I do get asked often is, ‘How do I pick a good school?’

When I go into a school I look for artworks and nicely presented classrooms, this shows me what is important to the teachers, displaying and taking pride in the children’s artwork. Are the classrooms rich in literacy, word banks, book displays and stories or rules and procedures?

I look to see how the classrooms are organised are they organsied in groups that encourage teamwork and cooperation or nice little rows for ‘control’ or ‘management’.

I read the rules in the classrooms are they based on what kids cannot do or virtues, respect, responsibility and focused on learning? Are there interesting class based projects and gardens and vegie gardens dotted around the place.

I walk through the library and ask myself, “Is reading and a love of literature the focus here?

I listen to how the teachers talk and organise their classes, are they encouraging, building from strengths and looking for positives or finding the odd one out and well, focusing on failure.

I look around the school grounds how is the upkeep is their litter around the school, which shows me how the school as a whole takes responsibility for it’s environment.

I listen for the Principals’ description of the school what s/he says in the first 5 minutes is usually the most important thing to their leadership. How do children express a voice in the school through and SRC perhaps or school parliament? How is achievement celebrated in the school?

I trust my instincts and trust in the feel I take away from the school.

I ask questions and listen, for as a good friend of mine says “Those who ask the questions, control the conversations.” Listen for the answers and sense the theme of the answers is it achievement, respect, expectations, technology support? How do you support high achievers? How do you support kids experiencing challenges? What subjects and specialties can you offer to enrich the education of my child.

Hope it helps, now it's up to you .