Top tips for making the right education choice for your child
Remember that balance and holistic development will ensure that all aspects of your child’s development are nurtured.
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• Place children in the centre of their education choice, as they are the ones who will have to live with the choice you make.
• The earlier you begin embarking on the journey to find the best school for your child, the more informed and comfortable you will be with your choice.
• Be observant of your child’s needs, interests and learning styles, higher education and even their future career choices as these will help them set and work towards a long-term goal.
• Draw up a checklist that includes your expectations, quality of the curriculum, standards, educator qualifications and work experience across multiple grades and development phases.
• Research the choices of schools available in your neighbourhood, suburb and even near your place of employment, draw up a budget of expenses, as well as time spent in commuting.
• Compare their affordability, philosophy, curriculum, approaches, methods, assessments and success rates by reading reviews, contacting current and past parents to request their views.
• Arrange visits and even get your child to spend time at the school to see whether the school is the right fit for him/her.
• Make it a family group decision to encourage buy in – ownership and support from everyone.
• Avoid the “same school type fits all” idea by remembering that each child is unique with different personal, emotional and academic needs.
• Consider a blended/hybrid option that combines online, personalised and traditional education.
Although, in the end, it may seem to come down to affordability and the quality of education offered, considering your child's personal, emotional, social and educational needs must always be the driving force behind the final decision you take. Your child is the one who will have to live the reality you choose for them.
Remember that balance and holistic development will ensure that all aspects of your child’s development are nurtured.
• Complied by Ponnie Modjadji Moodley, an integrated education development consultant.
