How do you know when it’s the right school?

Sydney
11 May 2003

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How do you know when it’s the right school?

By Alan Moran

At this time of the year many parents are faced with the increasingly complex task of selecting a high school for their son or daughter.

More and more such decisions are being made in Years 4 or 5, or even earlier.

As a principal of a Catholic independent high school I felt I would be in a position to make such a choice with ease as my eldest daughter approaches her high school years.

I have begun to realise, however, that it is not a simple process and that many factors influence the final decision.

Suddenly I feel like I’m buying a secondhand car!

How do I know what a school is really like behind the gloss of the school prospectus?

This is a crucial decision.

Do I leave it to a 12-year old? Do I make the decision before she is old enough to have a say? Is one school right for my three very different daughters?

In responding to these questions I have to admit I have tried to do so from a parental point of view but, as always, the principal in me can’t be ignored.

The reality is, however, that my daughter can’t be ignored either (not an uncommon situation, I suspect). My well thought out plans may not match hers.

What do I look for when I’m looking for a high school? Firstly, I would say, don’t be fooled by the gloss and the hype.

Every school knows it has to sell itself. And, while each one projects a certain image, it is important to find out if the reality matches the rhetoric.

How do you do that? You do the round of Open Days and visit schools, getting a feel for a school community.

Even better, visit outside of the Open Day. Are you welcomed?

What feel does the school have on a run-of-the-mill school day? If you see a school event advertised, such as a musical or award night, why not attend?

It is important that schools have a certain level of resources to support teaching and learning programs. Yet this needs to be balanced with the cost of education that your family can afford.

I’m not sure that three times the fees mean three times the value.

Similarly, academic results are important. Yet is my child a child who will be in the top 10 per cent of the state?

I am more interested in how the school will go about helping my child reach her potential whatever that might be.

Success is relative.

If my child expects to get a UAI around 60 but gains a result in the high 70s, then surely this is a result of which her school can feel proud.

I recently had a student with Asperger’s Syndrome complete the HSC. The fact that he sat the exams was a huge story of success.

How does a school motivate its students? How does it build their resilience and emotional maturity? What sort of relationship exists between students and staff?

In discussing the options with my daughter, I was careful not to insist on one particular school. I have noticed in many cases over the years that increasingly it is the student who makes the choice of high school.

Often this can be based on where friends are going. I am uneasy using such a benchmark for school selection.

It is important to realise that schools differ in their culture and approach and matching that culture and approach to your child is very important. I have noticed an increase in the number of siblings who do not attend the same school.

Parents say to me school A is great for my eldest but the next child is so different they would be much better suited to school B.

The most exclusive, well-resourced school might not be the right one for your child.

It is fascinating to visit a school as a prospective parent without them knowing that you are a secondary principal married to a lecturer in education. It is amazing how things change when the truth comes out.

This brings me to a crucial issue. The principal!

It is such an important position in a school in terms of leadership and direction. How approachable is the principal? How easy is it to get to see the principal?

What is the feeling of the students and staff towards this educational leader?

Students are usually good judges of such things. I would always recommend talking to current students of the school to find out what they think, remembering that allowance must be made for the fact that they may not be typical students.

Knowing a family who attend a school is best. Talk to the whole family about how they find the school and how it meets their needs.

The reality is that regardless of fees and resources it is what happens in the classroom that makes or breaks the educational process.

Obviously, you need a school that will respond to you and your current situation. What sense do you get that the school will respond in supporting you?

If your child has a learning difficulty or a medical condition or your family faces a tragic situation, what support can you expect from the school?

Again word of mouth is the best way to find out.

Despite large amounts spent on advertising I am convinced that the reputations of schools are made in the fruit shop, at the hairdresser and in the car park.

Despite all the Open Days and academic statistics, the reality is that secondary schools are not family-friendly places.

So often the implicit message is P & F involvement or fundraising is fine; otherwise the message is you can leave them at the gate and we’ll take it from there.

High school must become more in tune with families, and in some way also more accountable to families.

In the final instance it is really a family decision and one which has been well thought through.

Alan Moran is principal of Rosebank College, Five Dock, a private Catholic school in the tradition of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, catering for girls in Years 7-10, and co-educational in Years 11-12. It offers quality education, with a broad curriculum, and extra curricular programs that foster a love of learning and the development of individual potential in a caring community environment. He was previously principal of St Columba’s, Springwood, and Mount St Benedict, Pennant Hills. He is married with three daughters, aged 4-10 years.