Choosing a school

You may think you have plenty of time to decide what you are going to do about schooling, your little one may only be six months/one year/a toddler. Think again. If you don't already have your child's name down at the school of your choice you may miss out. Carol Fallows has put together a checklist of things to consider when choosing a school for your child. 

Most of us have some idea of the type of schooling we would like for our child - often based on our own experiences. Some parents decide that their children will have the same schooling they had and put their children's names on the waiting list of their chosen school even before they are born, but many of us are not so definite.

Before you choose a school for your child you need to decide on the following:

Do you want your child to go to a school close to home? 
A check of the schools in your area may reveal that there are some that are new to you? Other parents are often the best source of information - ask on the EB forum, or when you next visit your baby clinic or playgroup about schools in your area.

Going to school close to home has the advantage that your child's playmates will generally live nearby and this will make organising play dates and birthday parties much easier. It will also involve your child and your family in the local community as many local schools hold fundraising events that involve local businesses and join with local community fairs and festivals. There is the added bonus of being able to share lifts to sporting and other events with nearby parents and of joining a babysitting club if one exists. Some parents choose to send their children to the local government school for the first three years principally for these reasons.

What type of school you want your child to go to? 
Are you happy with the government system, do you want your child to go to a private school from day one, or are you considering alternative education such as Steiner, also known as Waldorf, or Montessori? Maybe you want your child to go to a school whose religious values are the same as your own. Continued...