Choosing the right primary school

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All too often parents believe that choosing a school for primary and high school students is similar.
Understanding that these choices are different will help you make a well-informed decision that meets all the needs of your young child.
Holistic development that considers physical, emotional and social skills will affect how children develop the necessary academic skills needed to succeed beyond school.
Before even embarking on finding a primary school, we must remember that strong foundational skills in language literacy, basic mathematics and school readiness will help you find the right school fit for each of your children.
Most of these skills are developed before children even enter Grade 1, so waiting for a primary school to help your child learn these skills will set your child back.
In some cases, they will never be able to catch up with the necessary skills they need to succeed in primary schools.
Being proactive in building these skills personally, through family time and a good pre-school, will help your child keep up with the requirements of his/her primary school.
Tips to consider when choosing the right primary school for your child:
• Meeting the holistic needs of children are a priority so they can reach their physical, emotional, social, academic and spiritual milestones and needs.
• Leadership and management of the school must resonate and align with your beliefs and values.
• The type of curriculum followed is vital in understanding the skills and future opportunities available for your child beyond primary school.
• Hours of operation will help you to plan drop off and pick up times, types of transport needed and management of support systems like homework and assignments.
• Distance between home and work will help you allay feelings of emergency trips when children need you for medical or physical needs.
• Physical environment spaces, including class sizes, must be conducive to learning, with opportunities for creativity, acceptance and safety.
• Educator qualifications, work experience and personality traits are also priorities as your child will spend the majority of their time with educators.
• Policies, classroom and behaviour management systems including bullying, harassment, discipline policies and procedures must be positively uplifting and child oriented.
• Sports, the arts and social responsibility projects bring the much-needed balance to a child’s life.
• Go with your gut feeling, if it feels right and ticks all the boxes then you have made a good choice.
Taking time to research the options available for your primary school child is time well spent.
Being a well-informed parent or guardian will ensure that your child develops the foundational skills they need to transition smoothly and trouble-free to high school and life in general.

• Compiled by Ponnie Modjadji Moodley, an integrated education development consultant.