Education
Five “Must-Dos” When Choosing a School for your Child By Judith Judd When my daughter was four, she came with us to visit several primary schools so that we could decide where she should start her school life. At the end of the day we asked which one she liked best. “The one with the shoe shop” she said. As it happened, we also liked the one with the (pretend) shoe shop and that is where she went. Maybe it doesn’t always make sense to take a 4 year old’s advice about where they would like to start school but it is always important to put your child at the centre of the process. Parents know better than anyone how different individual children can be. Some schools are good at catering for children of all sorts. Some are tailored to the
needs of academic children. Others have long experience in educating children who struggle with school work. One of the first things to bear in mind when choosing a school is that you can’t tell much about it from its label. In recent years, governments have created new types of school – academies, specialist and free schools, for example. In some parts of the country, parents can still choose grammar schools, which select pupils by an examination at the age of 11. Research about different types of schools reveals that the type of school doesn’t guarantee the level of the education. There are good and bad academies and good and bad schools run by local authorities.
suggests that bright children do just as well in non-selective schools. Professor Stephen Gorard says: “Dividing children into the most able and the rest does not appear to lead to better results for either group.” He says that there is no evidence that a particular type of school leads to better attainment.
If your child is academic and there are no grammar schools near where you live, don’t worry. A big study from Durham University
However, he adds that parents may choose grammar schools for the very understandable reason that they tend to
REDDIFORD SCHOOL Long Established Reputation for Academic Excellence Reception 2021 Testing – Monday 19TH October
An independent day school for boys and girls aged 2 years 9 months to 11 4th IN THE TOP 100 INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS Sunday Times
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Academically selective
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100% excellence in all areas - Independent Schools Inspectorate
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Children prepared for Independent / Grammar Schools’ entrance exams
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Academic excellence in a warm and caring environment
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Outstanding staff / pupil ratio across all year groups To visit the school, please contact: The Admissions Secretary, Reddiford School, 38 Cecil Park, Pinner, Middx, HA5 5HH. Tel: 020 8866 0660 Email: admissions@reddiford.org.uk
Established. 1913
www.reddiford.co.uk Registered Charity Number: 312641
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Families North West London
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