As a parent who is looking to enroll your child in an independent Suffolk private school, it is important that you look at schools carefully before you make up your mind. A glossy prospectus, a wonderful marketing spiel or impressive facilities are not enough; you need to know how to find the kind of school that will meet your child’s needs and gives you value for your money. In order to ensure that you take your child to the best independent school we have complied tips that can help you choose:
• Start by reading the Good Schools Guide – you can get either a hard copy or look it up online. This guide tries to describe the character of every school. It has reviews that go back years. While these can be helpful in helping you choose, you should look at more recent reviews. You should also consider where you want your child to go once they complete schools. All schools have lists of where their graduates go.
• Do you want your child to be a day scholar or a boarder? There are a number of good private boarding schools in Suffolk but you should think carefully before you send your child to one of these. Are they mature enough to take care of themselves? Can they be away from home without any problems? All these things are determined by character; there are some kids mature early and are able to be independent while quite young. There are others who take years before they can be comfortable in an environment away from home.
• Do you have the finances in place for private school? The truth is that independent schools cost quite a bit of money. You cannot plan for just the immediate future; you have to think about years to come. Remember, you also have to think about where your child will go once they graduate.
• What kind of program does the school have? You want a school that has an integrated curriculum. Ideally, they should balance academics with sports and extra curricular activities.
One of the best examples of such a school is Stoke College. They offer nursery, prep and senior classes and they have been careful to make sure that learning is always fun. Their aim is to produce independent thinkers who can find their way in the world.