Credit: Michal Balog - Unsplash
This week’s news about the increasing number of families looking to move out of cities in the wake of the Covid-19 lock-down is unsurprising. Having lived through one lockdown and with the fear of another lurking in the background, it is not unreasonable to imagine a life in a beautiful house, with more space, surrounded by green fields and fresh air and your children gleefully skipping into your arms at the end of their school day.
But a move away from London brings its own worries and top of that list is what to do about schooling for your children. Prior to the pandemic, we were often approached by families who were looking for something different to the pressure-cooker of the London day-school; a gentler pace of life and an idyllic setting for their children, where they could be happy and successful. And in the new world in which we find ourselves, increasing numbers of families are getting in touch with us with these very thoughts. With more and more of us able to adapt our working lives to work from home, this is becoming much more of a reality.
However, many clients are understandably nervous. They have already spent years finding the right school for their child and now the prospect of finding a replacement can feel overwhelming. We are so often asked: Where do you start? Do we find the perfect home and then look for a school or choose the school and then look for the home? There is no easy answer, and much depends on your own circumstances and the specific needs of your children.
Either way, it definitely helps to have an area in mind and the M4 corridor from Ascot to Bristol is becoming increasingly popular. Not only are there direct routes into London, but a fantastic range of schools, from pre-prep through to senior, small and personal to large and academic. While it is good to listen to the advice and information from friends and family and recommendations are always valuable, remember this is about your child, your choice and just because Great Uncle Wilbur went to a specific school it doesn’t mean it will be right for your children. Schools change and you will need up to date professional advice to help you with this huge decision.
Before drawing up a shortlist of possible schools there are key questions to answer:
· Do you want co-educational or single-sex?
· Are you looking for a pre-prep, prep, senior or all-through?
· Do you want a religious school?
· Do you prefer day, full, weekly or flexi-boarding?
· Which matters more, high academic results or pastoral care and co-curricular?
· How important is subject range, sporting opportunities and the arts?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start to build your list. Go through the school websites in detail, find out if there are open mornings or as we are increasingly finding, virtual tours which will at least allow you to get a feel for the school.
The ISI inspection reports are worth a look at too. Obviously the more recent the better, however, they can give an insightful view of values, ethos and teaching of the school alongside the pastoral offering and all of the co-curricular activities that are available. They are written by a team of external independent inspectors. Why not check to see if what the website says is echoed by the ISI report?
Credit: Illiya Vjestica - Unsplash
From this list, you can start to look at the schools which might suit your children. Don’t only look at the establishments with the well-known reputations, there are so many other schools on offer. You also need to check which schools have coped best during the pandemic, providing full education to their pupils despite the enormous challenges.
The way you are treated from the very first telephone call you make to the initial time you drive your child down the drive to drop them off for their first day, matters. That ‘gut-feeling’ when you speak to someone, is as important as that first impression when you step inside the building. Even if you are unable to visit a school in person, try and speak to the Head if possible and certainly run through a list of questions with the registrar.
Questions to consider:
· Do they have space for your child now?
· How long is the waiting list?
· What is the entrance procedure – bespoke tests or Common Entrance?
· Are there breakfast or after school clubs?
· If boarding is on offer, is it easy to book nights (for flexi-boarding) or to switch between day and weekly or full?
· If full boarding, how often are the exeat or leave-out weekends?
· Is there a Saturday school and is it for lessons or just for sport?
· If you are looking at a pre or prep school, is there an automatic entry to a senior school?
· Is there a school minibus (remember if you have children going to different schools, it might not be feasible for you to do the morning or after-school runs)?
We are often asked whether the child should be part of the decision making and in general, it is sensible, but this obviously depends on their age. However, it is always our advice that as parents and guardians, you need to do the research before sharing anything with your children. Select between 3 and 4 schools that you would be happy for your child to attend and then show them what they can choose. All too often, children will make the decision based on their friends (which is extremely important) or simply down to the colour of the curtains (true story - but we do not endorse this as an appropriate educational reason to choose a school)!
If you haven’t found a property but have found a school, then why not consider weekly boarding (if it is available) while you focus on the house-hunting? This will allow your child to settle as soon as possible, make friends and benefit from a busy, active week and family weekends, allowing you the opportunity to work (or party if you wish) during the week and relish those special family times without the guilt and pressure of work.
What is absolutely clear is that the M4 corridor is blessed with a vast array of outstanding schools for all sorts of children. One size does not have to fit all in this education-rich part of our country. Whilst it would be so easy to pick a huge number of fabulous schools for you to review, there are simply too many good ones and it is not as simple as that.
If you would like advice or have any further questions do get in touch …..
