Which school is the 'best' for my child?

If I had £1 for every time I was asked this question…

As a parent, we all want the ‘best’ for our children and we will do everything in our power to ensure that we do the best for our children. We always will.

Our children are our number one priority.

And this is probably why this is the most common question that I get asked each and every day. Sadly, you won’t like my answer and in my opinion if you are spending thousands of pounds on educational consultants to tell you the answer to this question - you could put your money to better use.

Hear me when I say this. No one can tell you which school is ‘best’ for your child.

I’ve worked full time in many schools. Private schools, nurseries, state school and academies. I worked full time in schools for 13 years. Please remember that schools are always changing. Schools are always evolving. Management changes. Children change. Parents change. Parent associations change. Funding changes. Head teachers change. Every single school comes with its own set of very individual problems (even the top private schools!).

Which is why my answer to clients is always the same.

There is no ‘best’ school for your child. There is no school that will ‘suit’ your child better compared to another. There is no school that is the right ‘fit’ for your child.

Also, it’s so subjective.

I might think that a school is amazing and you might disagree.

You might think that a school is amazing and I might disagree.

So let me answer your question.

Which school is the 'best' for my child?

The ‘best’ school for your child is the school that you have chosen.

That’s it.

And one final point.

Be prepared to pivot. The school you choose which might have initially have been your ‘dream school’ might not be so dreamy after all. Be prepared to make changes along the path of your child’s educational journey. Be prepared for others to have hundreds of opinions about your opinions and be prepared to not care about any of them.

This is your child. This is the love of your life. You find the school that is the ‘best’ for them. Find the educational path that is the ‘best’ for them.

Go and visit.

See the learning environment.

Make a list of things you like and the things that you don’t.

And do this for 7-8 schools. Then choose the one you liked the best and just give it a go.

If your child loves their school, great. And if they don’t, pivot and make changes.