10 out of 10? How to choose a school...
Catherine & Jennifer Watson
Parents: Kevin & Lynne Copp
Location: Wiltshire
Case Study: St Mary's Calne
Choosing a senior school for my daughters was based on a number of criteria, but most of all I wanted an environment that would release their potential, build a strong sense of self-worth & awareness, ensure their happiness, wellbeing and be in a location that was accessible.
We began, like many parents, by reviewing all schools within a 50 mile radius of home (we would have extended the net if necessary), attended numerous open days and ate more egg sandwiches than we care to mention! The next step was to involve the girls in the process of short-listing the schools that they wanted to visit (in fact, we made the list co-ed as well as single-sex at this stage, as the ultimate choice would be the children’s). The final shortlist consisted of 7 schools; only one of which was co-ed. The girls then put together their list of criteria for what constituted ‘a school worth considering’ (I must admit, their criteria bore little resemblance to mine, but hey, school food and privileges are important too!). Once compiled, we began our scholastic tourism! I recommend that parents do this with their girls, and where possible, organise for the girls to visit on their own for a night and a day to experience school life, the ethos and the other pupils. My girls certainly did this. During these trial days, I also arranged meetings with the Head, with other teachers, house staff and most importantly the pupils. Be suspicious if a school refuses to allow your daughter a trial day; after all, if you are a potential future customer, the welcome mat says a lot about the future experience! Those schools that did not open their doors and hearts to our family were briskly scored off the list. The girls had a scoring process and marked a school out of 10 on their main criteria. Only one school scored 10 out of 10 and that was ultimately our chosen school. In fact, the closest rival was a meagre 6!
For us as parents, we were keen to get beyond the veneer of the open day and establish clarity in our own minds about other aspects that would provide us with a key indication as to the ‘health’ of the school now, and for the future. We wanted to understand more about its leadership, vision and culture for learning & development. Someone once said to me that there is a big difference between teaching and learning. This fact is certainly true, and when considering the right school for our girls, there was only one that came up trumps. When I first met with the school’s wonderful and inspiring Headmistress, she said “Here, we teach your daughter how to learn.” In one sentence, she summed up everything that I was searching for; the whole ethos, leadership and culture that makes the school so very special. From her excellent leadership, to her management team, to every member of teaching and support staff, the school supports each girl to release her own unique potential. The single-sex environment builds and moulds each girl’s confidence and the result is well-rounded citizens who emerge into the world of work with solid values of respect, integrity, kindness and dignity – not to mention a glittering list of A grades! The girls become ambassadors for all that is needed in our world today and in the future. They are recognised as an example of the values needed by great leaders, politicians, doctors, lawyers or any other path that they may forge. Did it matter that it was a girls’ school? Yes it did. It mattered because now that my daughters are in the senior years of the school, I can now see that they have achieved more than they would have done in a co-ed environment, from an academic perspective (girls tend to do better), but more so from a social and self-worth perspective. They are allowed to be girls and grow their unique skills in an environment of mutual support. I must admit I did worry that bullying, bitching and exclusion may be a concern, but as I know from gender work in business, this only occurs when there is perceived power struggle. My daughters have grown up in an environment where all girls are respected; whatever their level of ability, where all girls can express their true uniqueness, where all girls develop into women who will become strong leaders and women with good values. What more could I ask? As for the girls, my daughters are so happy and still score St Mary’s Calne 10 out of 10!
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Choosing a school. Assuming you have trawled the inspection report, the website and had trial days, I would suggest meeting the Head and staff on informal occasions, concerts and sports events etc. Most importantly you want a Head who will take time to get to know YOU AND your daughter and together you form a relationship with the school. I think relationship is important and with your knowledge and intuition I suggest you will make a good decision for your daughter.